Brochure - Srishti DC Metro

Srishti Center Of Performing Arts
Website: http://www.srishti-dc.org
Kamalika Sandell (703-774-6047)
Paromita Ray (703-395-2765)
Sunday
Class Name
Class Name
Location
1-2 pm
Classical Fusion Dance
(Kids Ages 4-7,
Durba Ray)
$120 - 8 weeks
Bengali Language Class
(Chandana Bose)
$95 - 8 weeks
Sterling Community Center
2-3 pm
Classical Fusion Dance
(Adults & Kids Ages 8+,
Durba Ray)
$120 - 8 weeks
Bengali Music Class
(Kids Ages 4-7, Kamalika
Sandell)
$120 - 8 weeks
3-4 pm
Tabla
(Chethan Ananth)
$120 - 8 weeks
Fine Arts Class
(Shuddha Sanyal)
$120 - 8 weeks
10-11 am
Carnatic Vocal
(Anu Iyer)
$120 - 8 weeks
*Sibling Discount for same class - 20%
120 Enterprise St
Sterling, VA 20164
12016 English Maple Ln,
Fairfax, VA 22030
Gharana
by Sumitro Majumdar
The word gharana derives from ghar – hindi for house or
family. The two gharanas, Agra and Gwalior are considered to
be the oldest ones in khayal gayaki. It is contended that
Rampur-Sahaswan gharana, an offspring of Gwalior gharana
was started by Ustad Enayet Hussein Khan. His two sons-inlaw and disciples, Ustad Mushtaq Hussein Khan (son of the
famous Quwaal Kahlan Khan) and Ustad Nissar Hussein Khan
extended the gayaki and made it even more popular and
famous. The latter brought into his gayaki several components
of Agra gharana while the former’s was tantalizingly close to
Gwalior.
Gharana does not constrict an artiste. Indian music is dynamic,
and while a gharana teaches its students to sing a raga
following certain tenets, improvisation, enrichment and
embellishment are not discouraged. The true artiste has only
one obligation – that to the beauty of his creation. And as we
all know, aesthetics does not follow guidelines of mortals.
Hindustani Music
History of Hindustani music in its current form can be traced
back to the late eighteenth century. Before that, the
prevalent form of vocalizing was Dhrupad – a very solemn
and structured exposition of the raga. The later days of
Mughal Empire saw the breaking down of this rigor. Music
started getting shots of “frivolity”, if you will, in degrees.
During this period, khayal came into being. Under the
patronage of royalties like the then dethroned nawab of
Lucknow, Wajid Ali Shah and other native states, northern
Indian music reached new heights. At the same time,
different forms of folk music from northern India found their
way into classical music and gave birth to forms like thumri,
kajri and chaiti.
Ustad Rashid Khan is an example of this pursuit. Born in 1966,
under the tutelage of Ustad Nissar Hussein Khan – his granduncle – he has evolved into a fine exponent of his gharana.
However, he has also inducted several sub-styles from other
gayaki to give his creation a distinct flavor. His alaap and
bilambit gaat will remind you of Ustad Amir khan while his
tarana is very much Sahaswan.
Gharana – a tradition of learning
One of the major discerning traits of Hindustani classical
music is how the legacy has been passed on from
generation to generation. Virtuosos wanted to limit their
knowledge and their particular gayaki (style of singing) often secretly guarded - among their own kin. During an age
without tape recorders, only way to learn the intricacies of
music was to tie the ganda or nara from an ustad and pay
your dues. It is reminiscent of the Vedic tradition of learning.
The reason why gharana and vocal stylization have played
such an important role in our music is the element of
improvisation. Western music is highly structured - the notes
in a composition are written in stone. Playing Beethoven’s
5th, the artiste does not have the luxury to change one single
note. Not so in Indian music. The same raga can be sung or
played differently by different artistes. While the underlying
structure remains the same, the way a raga is exposed and
the accompanying ornamentations maybe strikingly
different.
He gave his first public performance at the age of 11 and in the
very next year performed at the ITC Sangeet Sammelan at
New Delhi. Since then his rise has been exceptional. He has
received accolades from listeners in India and abroad. He has
visited the US earlier and has, as usual, taken the listeners by
storm.
No amount of written words can do justice to the beauty and
grandeur of Indian music. So, please join us in enjoying the
mesmerizing voice of Ustad Rashid Khan – one of the
foremost virtuoso vocalists of our time of whom Pandit
Bhimsen Joshi has said, “There is now at least one person in
sight who is an assurance for the future of Indian vocal music.”
The Saga Of Hindustani Classical
Classical Music
If someone asks what has been India’s greatest
contribution to the humanity, it would be very
obvious to most, like me, to state without a
second thought that it is the Indian Classical
Music. Some may argue but when the dust settles
after an intent and close listening, all will
genuinely feel that indeed the Indian classical
music is a unique musical experience - developed
over centuries and almost sublime in its beauty.
Princeton University WordNet has defined the
‘Classical Music’ as the “Music conforming to an
established form and appealing to critical interest and
developed musical taste”. Certainly, the Indian
classical music meets and goes way beyond such
definition. It is one of the oldest unbroken
musical traditions of the world, which has
evolved through several thousand years and is
still evolving. Many, like me, feel that when
listened properly, it produces an uplifting
emotional and spiritual experience, which lingers
on and on and does not fade away like other
pleasures. Many may ask what this music is and
how it evolved to produce such mesmerizing
effect. I do believe that the answer is in its
evolution and perfection over centuries.
Basics of Indian music started
some 3000 years ago as
evidenced from the terracotta
figures, the seals and the
famous bronze statuette of a
dancing girl from the excavation
sites of the Indus Valley
civilization. Later the musical
form, starting from the chanting
of the hymns of Samaveda, underwent continuous
evolutionary changes to get to the musical form
we now recognize as Indian classical music. This
evolutionary phase saw development of two
branches – North Indian Hindustani and South
Indian Carnatic. At the turn of the first
millennium, the form of music that was prevalent
in India was called Prabandha. From this
prominent form of music Dhrupad developed in
the north and Kirthana/Krithi developed in
southern India around 13th century. Much of
northern India came under Muslim rule by 1200
By Samar Saha
AD. Muslim rulers and their aristocrats brought
their known language, music and culture with
them, which after assimilation gave rise to a new
culture. This resulted in bifurcation of ancient
Indian music into two distinct styles – Hindustani
in North and Carnatic in the south. Although the
Muslim rulers were of either central Asian Turks
or Afghani in their origins but their language,
their custom and culture was distinctly Persian.
Perhaps the most famous instance of Persian
influence on Indian music is that of the Father of
Hindustani music, Amir Khusro Dehlavi (12531325 AD). Around Khusro’s time Dhrupad had
developed from Prabandha and was the oldest
form Hindustani music. Amir Khusro is credited
with modifying Dhrupad by adding Persian
melody and beat to it - thereby creating Qwawalii
(present day Qawwali), a form of Muslim
devotional song. Later, the Mughal period saw
Dhrupad becoming the court music of the time.
The most prominent Dhrupad artist of the
Mughal period was Tansen from Emperor
Akbar’s court who is credited with reshaping the
entire Dhrupad music by adding Persian
ornamentations such as Meend, Gamaka etc. He is
also credited with the development of Rabab
(Rudra Veena). Tansen also created some of the
foremost ragas of Hindustani music. Some of
these are noteworthy, such as Darbari Kanada,
Darbari Todi, Miya Ki Malhar, Miya Ki Sarang etc.
Almost every major Gharana (musical school) of
present day Hindustani music trace their lineage
to Tansen. Hindustani music kept on evolving, as
the Mughal power was on the decline in the
northern India.
Beginning of the Khayal style of
Hindustani music is traced to
the court of Muhammad Shah
“Rangile” (1720-1748) although
many believe that Amir Khusro
started both Khayal and
Qawwali. Considering the fact
that most of the Khayal Gharanas
were originally Dhrupad
Gharanas, it should be safe to say that Khayal
originated as a leisurely form of Dhrupad with
more
ornamentation
and
improvisation,
signifying a major Persian influence on this form.
For Khayal, the first musical evidence of court
support is noted at the Delhi Darbar (court) of the
eighteenth century Mughal Emperor Muhammad
Shah “Rangile”, where the musicians Nyamat
Khan with penname of Sadarang (1670-1748) and
Firoz Khan with the penname of Adarang
composed songs that have been transmitted to
the present time. It is believed that Sadarang and
Adarang also formalized the structure of modern
day Khayal. Whatever be the origin of Khayal
style, no doubt Dhrupad was the style that
received patronage from kings and aristocracy till
the time of later Mughal emperors. The Dhrupad
compositions and style was serious and mostly in
Sanskrit phraseology. Khayal compositions, on the
other hand, were in commonly spoken language
and the theme was mostly romantic. The singing
style consequently was leisurely, ornamented and
given to improvisation. Also, not being part of
the religious ritual it was necessarily fostered
outside the places of worship - hence an element
of physical pleasure, particularly of the courtier,
became predominant.
The period British Raj (1857 to
1947) saw the establishment of
various famous Gharanas
(school of music) in the north.
The British rulers had no
interest in Indian music. But
large areas of India were still
under various Indian kings,
called Princely States. These
Princely States had enough resources to support
artists and musicians in their courts. They also
enjoyed political stability and were free from
worries of war, making it possible for most of the
kings and aristocracy to lead a life of leisure,
which was very conducive to growth of arts and
music. Most of the Gharanas are named after these
Princely States that supported the artists. Further
developments of Khayal happened in various
Gharanas, each evolving a distinctive style of
singing.
Artists
guarded
their
Khayal
compositions and musical style like heirloom
passing the knowledge orally from one
generation to the other, mostly within the
extended family. It was during this period that
Hindustani music was resurrected from Kothis
and accorded a social acceptance – resulting in
development of newer musical forms, like
Thumri, Tappa and Tarana. Recorded music of
this era brought Hindustani music from the royal
courts to the millions of middle class music lovers
– again changing the patronage, taste and
evolution. We would never know how Dhrupad’s
of Tansen or Baiju Bawra sounded. But, thanks to
recording technologies, we know and feel the
magic of Hindustani classical music of last 50
years or so.
Our artist today is Ustad
Rashid Khan who bears the
torch of Rampur-Sahaswan
Khayal
Gharana,
which
started, in the court of the
fifth Rampur Nawab, Yusuf
Ali (1840-1868). The founder
of this Gharana was Ustad
Inayat Hussain Khan (18491919) who brought with him the Dhrupad style of
Gwalior. The tradition continued with his two
son-in-laws, Ut. Mushtaqe and Nissar Hussain
Khan. But it was Ustad Ghulam Mustapha Khan
who added new dimensions in singing style of
this Gharana by using Sargams popularized by
Kirana and Gwalior Gharana, introducing slow
melodic elaboration (Vistar) and a slower tempo
preferred by most singers of our time. In Ustad
Rashid Khan we see the brilliance of this Gharana
at almost perfection level. His slow elaboration in
vilambit khayals, the use of sargams, sargam
taankari, and use of other features of RampurSahaswan style is simply unparallel. The brilliant
Inayat Hussaini Drut and medium pace Khayals
ring as true in his voice as they must have felt
down the ages. His masterful Tarana in Khayal
style rather than Nissar Hussaini instrumental
stroke based style, infusion of emotion in his
melodic elaboration, mastery over tonal
variations, dynamics and timbre adjustment has
left very little to be desired in the realm of voice
culture. Ladies and Gentlemen, in Ustad Rashid
Khan we experience today the 3000 years of
musical evolution of north India. In him we have
the belief and our hope of continuation of a
tradition, which took almost 3000 years to evolve.
We sincerely believe that we shall be hearing a
legend tonight – a legend of our time and of our
tradition.
I thought that they would never again come,
but as I looked out my window I started to see some.
They blushed as they hung there, revealing their true color,
they would have their time but they wouldn’t stay much
longer.
They reflected the autumn sun with much poise,
surrounded by the children and suburban noise.
For a moment in time they are here for me,
just for a moment they dance on the trees.
I tried to steal that moment by plucking it from my tree,
but I’ll never have it forever, it lost its soul and now I see.
It’s not forever, it just can’t be,
it’s lost forever now just an autumn memory.
-Priya Bose
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