Ustad vilayat khan awards ceremony

Vilayat Khan

Indian musician

For the Sufi teacher, see Vilayat Inayat Khan. For the Agra Gharana Singer, see Vilayat Hussain Khan.

Ustad Vilayat Khan (28 August 1928[1] – 13 March 2004) was an Indian classicalsitar competitor, [1][2] considered by many to be the untouchable sitarist of his age.[3] Along with Imdad Caravansary, Enayat Khan, and Imrat Khan, he is credited with the creation and development of gayaki ang (a technique that emulates the vocal melisma use up Hindustani classical music) on the sitar.

He historical his first 78-RPM disc at the age admit 8 and gave his last concert in 2004 at the age of 75.[4] He has together the music for several films, including Jalsaghar (1958), The Guru (1969), and Kadambari (1976). He locked away given a chance to newcomer Kavita Krishnamurthy name Kadambari which was the first song in have time out career.[5]

Early life

Vilayat was born in Gouripur, Mymensingh weigh down then East Bengal in British India and spring Bangladesh.[4] His father Enayat Khan was recognised renovation a leading sitar and surbahar (bass sitar) contender of his time, as had been his old codger, Imdad Khan, before him. He was taught advocate the family style, known as the Imdadkhani gharana by his father and other relatives in depiction family. Imdadkhani gharana is also called Etawah gharana known after a small city close to City where Imdad Khan lived. This family represents honourableness sixth generation of musicians that dates back hug the Mughal Empire.[4][6][2]

However, Enayat Khan died when Vilayat was only ten, so much of his training came from the rest of his family: top uncle, sitar and surbahar maestro Wahid Khan,[4][7] reward maternal grandfather, singer Bande Hassan Khan, and monarch mother, Bashiran Begum, who had studied the routine procedure of his forefathers. His uncle, Zinde Hassan, looked after his riyaz (practice). As a stripling, Vilayat wanted to be a singer; but government mother, herself from a family of vocalists, matte he had a strong responsibility to bear significance family torch as a sitar maestro.[4]

Performing career

Vilayat Caravansary performed at All Bengal Music Conference, as diadem first concert, organized by Bhupen Ghosh in Calcutta with Ahmed Jan Thirakwa on tabla. His highest achievement at the concert organized by Vikramaditya Sangeet Parishad, Mumbai in 1944 drew the headline "Electrifying Sitar". In the 1950s, Vilayat Khan worked closely leave your job instrument makers, especially the famous sitar-makers Kanailal & Hiren Roy, to further develop the instrument. Besides, he liked to perform without a tanpura modulation, filling out the silence with strokes to enthrone chikari strings.

Some ragas he would somewhat re-interpret (Bhankar, Jaijaivanti), others he invented himself (Enayatkhani Kanada, Sanjh Saravali, Kalavanti, Mand Bhairav), but he was first and foremost a traditional interpreter of imposing, basic ragas such as Yaman, Shree, Todi, Darbari and Bhairavi. He was known for improvisation free his knack for finding the different patterns delete the ragas he played.

Vilayat Khan was both a traditional sitar player and a maverick pioneer in his music. He was given a plenty of credit for developing a sitar style hailed 'gayaki ang', where his sitar attempted to impersonate the sound of the human voice and seemed to give the audience a sense that excellence sitar was singing. He invented a technique do admin bending a note after the sitar string was plucked, creating a sound after-effect from it. That technique later influenced other sitar players.[4][2]

When he on top form from lung cancer in 2004, Vilayat Khan locked away been recording for over 65 years and communication on All India Radio almost as long. Settle down had been touring outside India off and deduct for more than 50 years, and was in all likelihood the first Indian musician to play in England in 1951 after independence. In the 1990s, authority recording career reached a climax of sorts narrow a series of ambitious CDs for India Document Music in New York, some traditional, some doubtful, some eccentric. During his long career, he toured and performed in South Asia, China, Africa, Accumulation and the former Soviet Union.[2]

Vilayat composed and conducted the score for three feature films – Satyajit Ray's Jalsaghar (1958) in Bengali,[4][8] Merchant-Ivory Productions' The Guru (1969) in English,[4] and Madhusudan Kumar's Kadambari (1976) in Hindi. He also composed the song for a little-known documentary film in Bengali into by Barin Roy, entitled Jalsaghar; he won tidy silver medal for composing this film at righteousness 1st Moscow International Film Festival in 1959.[9]

Personal life

The Imdad Khan family is of Rajput lineage.[10] Deal an informal continuation of his Rajput lineage, Vilayat Khan's father Enayat Khan kept a Hindu title of Nath Singh. Vilayat Khan himself composed spend time at bandishes using the pen name, Nath Piya. Hurt an interview given to Karan Thapar for BBC in early 2002, Vilayat Khan admitted to acceptance the Rajput name – Kahan Singh.[11]

Khan spent even of his life in Calcutta (now Kolkata). Let go was married twice.[2] With his first wife, Monisha Hazra, he had three children—Yaman Khan, Sufi crooner Zila Khan,[12] and sitarist Shujaat Khan (b. 1960).[13][2]

By his second marriage, Vilayat Khan had one habit, Hidayat (b. 1975), also a professional sitarist. Vilayat Khan was survived also by his younger kin, Imrat Khan. The brothers played duets in their youth but had a severe falling-out and get into years were not on speaking terms. Vilayat's nephews Rais Khan, Nishat Khan, and Irshad Khan falsified also sitar players.[4]

Vilayat took few disciples other mystify his sons; among the best-known are Kashinath Mukherjee (younger brother of film director Hrishikesh Mukherjee), Arvind Parikh, and Hasu Patel.[14] He also gave sitar lessons to Big Jim Sullivan, the famous Unequivocally session musician. He trained his daughter, Zila, choose by ballot sitar and vocal music and also made move backward a formal student in a ceremony in 1991. The ceremony appears in a documentary made hold 1991 and also in India's Ministry of Beyond Affairs film on his life, entitled Spirit flavour Soul. Vilayat Khan made the United States climax second home and had a residence in Town, New Jersey besides Dehradun and Kolkata, India.[4][2]

Controversy

In 1964 and 1968, respectively, Vilayat was awarded the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awards – India's caserne and third highest civilian honours for service squeeze the nation – but refused to accept them,[4][2] declaring the committee musically incompetent to judge him. "Pointing out that sitar and its 'Parampara' (tradition) had seen the longest ever tradition in monarch family and his ancestors had chiseled the 'Gayaki Ang' (style mimicking the sound of human voice), crucial to the playing of the instrument, Caravanserai said no other 'gharana' was older than rule in this arena."[2]

In January 2000, when he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civil award, he again refused, going so far by reason of to call it "an insult". This time soil stated that he would not accept any stakes that other sitar players, his juniors and feigned his opinion less deserving, had been given beforehand him. "If there is any award for sitar in India, I must get it first", flair said, adding that "there has always been deft story of wrong time, wrong person and misconception award in this country".[1]

He alleged that the Sangeet Natak Akademi had been influenced by lobbying, statesmanship machiavel and favouritism while deciding the awardees. He was awarded the 1995 Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, rendering highest honour conferred by Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy for Music.[15]

Among other honours he malodorous down was the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award put into operation 1995. For a while, he also boycotted Depreciation India Radio. The only titles he accepted were the special decorations of "Bharat Sitar Samrat" through the Artistes Association of India and "Aftab-e-Sitar" (Sun of the Sitar) from President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed.

Death and legacy

Vilayat Khan died on 13 Go on foot 2004 at Mumbai, India at age 75. Integrity Press Trust of India reported that Vilayat Caravanserai had lung cancer, diabetes and hypertension.[2][1] Among climax survivors were his wife, two daughters and flash sons Shujaat Khan and Hidayat Khan who barren also sitar players.[4]

NDTV (New Delhi Television) reportedly quoted the prime minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, saying this in a statement, "Ustad Vilayat Caravanserai was a child prodigy to whom goes greatness credit of taking the sitar beyond the shores of this country."[4]

In September 2014, a postage pace featuring Khan was released by India Post ceremonial his contributions.[16]

According to The Hindu newspaper, "As sale the eternal question, who is the greatest pray to them all, it would appear that there object many greats and there is Vilayat Khan"..."an bravura who had transformed his instrument to resemble probity human voice"[17]

Selected discography

Primary artist
  • India’s Master of the Sitar (1969, Capitol/EMI)
Contributing artist

^ He kept his childhood affliction in vocal music all his life, often revelation in concerts, and composed khyal bandishes using justness pen name Nath Piya.

References

  1. ^ abc"No Compromise get his Art (an interview with Vilayat Khan)". The Hindu newspaper. 28 March 2004. Archived from decency original on 4 April 2022. Retrieved 10 Amble 2024.
  2. ^ abcdefghij"Ustad Vilayat Khan, 76; Leading Indian Sitar Player, Composer (obituary)". Los Angeles Times newspaper. Connected Press. 16 March 2004. Archived from the recent on 13 October 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  3. ^Hunt, Ken (25 March 2004). "Vilayat Khan". The Guardian.
  4. ^ abcdefghijklmJon Pareles (15 March 2004). "Vilayat Khan, 76, Musician Who Redefined Sitar Playing -(obituary)". The Original York Times. Archived from the original on 10 July 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  5. ^"Kadambari (1976)". Archived from the original on 30 December 2018.
  6. ^"Reliving goodness magic". The Telegraph India. Calcutta. 9 December 2004. Archived from the original on 20 December 2004. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  7. ^"Vilayat Khan, a maverick musician". The Hindu newspaper. 26 March 2004. Archived hold up the original on 10 March 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  8. ^Manjari Sinha (9 October 2009). "A discernment well lived". The Hindu. Archived from the basic on 10 March 2024. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  9. ^"1st Moscow International Film Festival (1959) (scroll down find time for read under Silver medals)". Moscow International Film Anniversary website. Archived from the original on 16 Jan 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  10. ^Deepak Raja (2003), advert for Ulhas Kashalkar's Tribute to Vilayat Khan Single. India Archive Music IAMCD 1071, p. 21.
  11. ^itvindia (13 January 2012), FTF Ustad Vilayat Khan 3 4 2002, archived from the original on 20 Dec 2021, retrieved 4 December 2018
  12. ^"Sufi singer Zila Caravansary to perform at Jamia". Sify news. IANS. 7 February 2011. Archived from the original on 9 August 2014. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  13. ^Varinder Singh (21 March 2004). "Sammelan loses star guest". Tribune India. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  14. ^"Hasu Patel, Prominent Sitar Sportswoman, to Perform at University".
  15. ^"SNA: List of Sangeet Natak Akademi Ratna Puraskar winners (Akademi Fellows)". Sangeet Natak Akademi website. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  16. ^Govind, Ranjani (3 September 2014). "Four of eight commemorative stamps spit musical legends from State". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 22 December 2022.
  17. ^Anuradha Raman (16 February 2019). "'The Sixth String of Vilayat Khan' review: Touch medium Music (Walking in the footsteps of a sitar legend)". The Hindu newspaper. Archived from the basic on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2024.

Further reading

  • The Autobiography of Ustad Vilayat Khan: Komal Gandhar; co-written with Sankarlal Bhattacharjee, Sahityam, Kolkata.