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Allauddin Khan

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Allauddin Khan
Khan at Burdwan House in Dhaka in 1955
Khan at Burdwan House inDhakain 1955
Background information
Bornc. 1862
Shibpur,Bengal Presidency,British India
Died6 September 1972(1972-09-06)(aged 109–110)
GenresHindustani classical music
Occupation(s)Composer,sarodiya
Instrument(s)Shehnai,sarod,sitar,bansuri
ChildrenAli Akbar KhanওAnnapurna Devi
Signature

UstadAllauddin Khan,also known as(c. 1862– 6 September 1972)[1]was an Indiansarodplayer and multi-instrumentalist, composer and one of the most notable music teachers of the 20th century inIndian classical music.[2][3][4]For a generation many of his students, across different instruments like sitar and violin, dominated Hindustani classical and became one of the most famous exponents of the form ever, includingKhan.

Early life

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Khan was born to aBengali Muslimfamily in Shibpur village inBrahmanbaria(in present-dayBangladesh). His father, Sabdar Hossain Khan, was a musician. Khan took his first music lessons from his elder brother,Fakir Aftabuddin Khan.[5]At age ten, Khan ran away from home to join ajatraparty where he was exposed to a variety of folk genres: jari, sari, baul, bhatiyali, kirtan, and panchali.[5]

Khan went to Kolkata, where he met a physician named Kedarnath, who helped him to become a disciple of Gopal Krishna Bhattacharya (also known as Nulo Gopal), a notable musician of Kolkata in 1877.[5][6]Khan practiced sargam for twelve years under his guidance.[5]After the death of Nulo Gopal, Khan turned to instrumental music. He learned to play many indigenous and foreign musical instruments like sitar, flute, piccolo, mandolin, banjo, etc., from Amritalal Dutt, a cousin ofSwami Vivekanandaand the music director of the Star Theatre. He learnt to play sanai,naquara,tiquara and jagajhampa from Hazari Ustad andpakhawaj,mridangandtablafrom Nandababu.[5]

Ali Ahmed referred Allauddin toveenaplayerWazir Khan.[6][7][8]

Career

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Khan (middle) withAbbasuddin AhmedandQazi Motahar Hossain(1955)

Khan became court musician for the Maharaja ofMaihar.[6]Here he laid the foundation of a modernMaihar gharanaby developing a number ofragas,combining the bass sitar and bass sarod with more traditional instruments and setting up an orchestra.[6]Before becoming a court musician, he had come to Maihar and met one Suraj Sahai Saxena in a penniless state. Taking pity on him Suraj Sahai took him in his shelter where lived for two odd years and practiced music with Shehnai. When Suraj Sahai used to visit Sharda Devi temple in Maihar climbing all the 552 steps, Allauddin Khan used to accompany him and practice Shehnai outside temple precincts. Suraj Sahai had a cousin named Chimmanlal Saxena who was diwan of Maharaja of Maihar. In 1907, Allauddin Khan established theMaihar Band,an orchestral group that taught music to orphaned children.[9]On recommendation of Chimmanlal, he was appointed as court musician of Maharaja of Maihar. In 1935, he toured Europe, along withUday Shankar's ballet troupe, and later also worked at his institute, Uday Shankar India Culture Centre atAlmorafor a while.[7]In 1955, Khan established a college of music in Maihar.[6]Some of his recordings were made at theAll India Radioin 1959–60.[7]

Awards

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Khan was awarded thePadma Bhushanin 1958 and thePadma Vibhushanin 1971, India's third and second highest civilian honours,[10]and prior to that in 1954, theSangeet Natak Akademiawarded him with its highest honour, theSangeet Natak Akademi Fellowshipfor lifetime contribution toIndian music.[11]

Legacy

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Khan on a 1999 stamp of India

Khan's sonAli Akbar Khan,daughterAnnapurna Devi,nephewRaja Hossain Khanand grandsonAashish Khanwent on to become musicians. His other disciples includeRavi Shankar,Nikhil Banerjee,V.G. Jog,Vasant Rai,Shripad Bandopdhyay,Pannalal Ghosh,Bahadur Khan,Rabin Ghosh,Sharan Rani,Nalin Mazumdar,Jotin Bhattacharya,Rajesh Chandra Moitra, David Podiappuhami aka Siyambalapitiyage Don David Podiappuhami [[12]] andW. D. Amaradeva.

Khan's house was inMaihar.This house has been restored byAmbica Berias part of a development that includes an artists and a writers retreat nearby.[13]

Personal life

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Anecdotes about Khan range from throwing atablatuning hammer at the Maharaja himself to taking care of disabled beggars. Nikhil Banerjee said that the tough image was "deliberately projected in order not to allow any liberty to the disciple. He was always worried that soft treatment on his part would only spoil them".[14]

Films

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References

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  1. ^Clayton, Martin (2001). "Khan, Allauddin". In Sadie, Stanley (ed.).The New Grove dictionary of music and musicians.Vol. 13 (2nd ed.). London:Macmillan Publishers.p. 563.ISBN978-0-333-60800-5.He is believed by some to have lived to the age of 110, although the conjectural birth date of 1881 is more likely
  2. ^Lavezzoli, Peter (2006).The Dawn of Indian Music in the West.A&C Black. pp. 67–70.ISBN978-0-8264-1815-9.
  3. ^Arnold, Alison, ed. (2000).The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: South Asia: the Indian subcontinent.Taylor & Francis. pp. 203–204.ISBN978-0-8240-4946-1.
  4. ^Broughton, Simon; Ellingham, Mark; McConnachie, James; Duane, Orla, eds. (2000).World Music: The Rough Guide.Vol. 2: Latin and North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific. Rough Guides. p. 77.ISBN978-1-85828-636-5.
  5. ^abcdeIslam, Sirajul (2012)."Khan, Ustad Alauddin".InIslam, Sirajul;Khan, Mobarak (eds.).Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh(Second ed.).Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  6. ^abcdeAdnan R Amin (23 January 2016)."To burn a mockingbird".The Daily Star.Retrieved11 July2018.
  7. ^abcMassey, Reginald;Massey, Jamila(1996).The Music of India.Abhinav Publications. pp. 142–143.ISBN978-81-7017-332-8.
  8. ^Ritwik Ghatak(Director) (1963).Ustad Alauddin Khan[Ustad Alauddin Khan] (Documentary). India.[dead YouTube link]
  9. ^Atre, Vandana (9 May 2021)."मैहर बँड".Lokmat(in Marathi).Retrieved30 May2021.
  10. ^"Padma Awards"(PDF).Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 15 October 2015.Retrieved21 July2015.
  11. ^"List of Akademi Fellows".sangeetnatak.gov.in. Archived fromthe originalon 4 March 2016.
  12. ^"The God of Music" - Documentary Film of Sri Lankan Musician USTAD David Podiappuhami,retrieved2 November2022
  13. ^"Judge, Doctor, Scholar, Conservationist: 10 Women Honored at Rashtrapati Bhavan".The Better India.8 March 2018.Retrieved14 January2021.
  14. ^Nikhil Banerjee (1992)."My Maestro As I Saw Him".raga.com.Retrieved11 July2018.
  15. ^Rajadhyaksha, Ashish; Willemen, Paul (1999).Encyclopaedia of Indian cinema.British Film Institute.ISBN9780851706696.Retrieved12 August2012.
  16. ^"Raga (2010 Remaster)".East Meets West Music.Retrieved25 October2016.
  17. ^"Graphiti | Breaking new ground".The Telegraph.Calcutta, India. 27 July 2008. Archived fromthe originalon 18 September 2012.Retrieved16 October2011.

Further reading

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