One of the specialties of Indian classical music is the fact that the basic fundamentals of the music essentially remained unchanged for long centuries and gave birth to various gharanas. In this respect, there are some stories, legends and legandary persons related to instrumental gharanas as well. Here are some of the most prominent and famous gharanas specializing in wind and string instruments.
Imdadkhani Gharana
The Imdadkhani gharana is a North Indian school of sitar and surbahar music stemming from the very ancient Gwalior gharana. It was created by Imdad Khan (1848–1920) and is also known as the Etawah gharana (named after a village outside Agra where Imdad lived). Many direct descendants of Imdad Khan continue the tradition even today. This gharana’s major achievements include the development of the Surbahar, major structural changes to both the sitar and surbahar and the creation & development of the instrumental style known as the gayaki ang (vocal style performed on sitar). The musical tradition includes many notable musicians who studied with the family and perform in their musical style. All of these musicians are collectively known as the Etawah gharana or the Imdadkhani gharana. It is one of the oldest and most illustrious gharanas of Indian classical music. The main exponents of this gharana are Shahid Parvez Khan, Shujat Khan, Nishat Khan, Vilayat Khan, Budhadtiya Mukherjee.
Maihar Gharana
The Maihar gharana is a North Indian classical music principally formed by the versatile genius and sarod maestro Ustad Allaudin Khan (in Maihar in the Madhya Pradesh). It is one of the most prominent gharanas of the 20th century; much of the fame of Hindustani classical music in the west stems from this gharana. Prominent musicians associated with the Maihar gharana are sitarists Pandit Ravi Shankar and late Nikhil Banerjee, Allauddin Khan’s son, sarod player late Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, daughter Annapurna Devi and grandsons Aashish khan and late Dhyanesh khan.
Senia Bangesh Gharana
The development and evolution of the Sarod from the older Rabab, a string instrument from Afganisthan and Persia, is credited to the Bangash family, whose ancestor, Mohammed Hashmi Khan Bangash, migrated from Afganisthan and settled down in Rewa in Central India. A horse trader by profession, he developed a deep interest in music. His Son, Ghulam Ali Bangash, perfected the instrument and polished the practice of playing ragas on the Sarod. Intricate bols are a characteristic trait of sarod playing in this gharana, as are the diri-diri tans. The alap portion comprises of the alap, the jod and the jhala, the last at times in place of the ladant, a technique in which the first two strings are played, the second of which is tuned to Sa. The ladant is peculiar to the sarod. The gat section is usually in madhya laya, but sometimes the initial part may be in vilambit laya thereby allowing for the ath-guni-toda (eight strokes per beat) to be played. Free-floating behlavas succeed the gat, and are succeeded by bols. While the tempo may rise through the performance, it is the medium tempo (madhya laya) that is taken to specific points approaching drut laya. This is a comparatively new element and does not exist in the conventional range. The famous sarod player Umjad Amjad Ali Khan and his sons Ayaan and Amaan are associated with this gharana of Indian classical music.
Sources: Wikipedia, Sarod.com, PlanetRadiocity
