Benares gharana

Benares gharānā is one of the six most common styles of playing of the Indian tabla.

History

The Benares tabla gharana was developed a little over 200 years ago by Ram Sahai (1780–1826). Ram Sahai began studying the tabla with his father from the age of five. At the age of nine, he moved to Lucknow to become the disciple of Modhu Khan of the Lucknow gharānā. When Ram Sahai was seventeen years old, Wazir Ali Khan, the new Nawab, asked Modhu Khan if Ram Sahai could perform a recital for him. Modhu Khan agreed, on the condition that Ram Sahai would not be interrupted until he finished playing. It is said that Ram Sahai played for seven consecutive nights, and that after this incredible performance, Ram Sahai was praised by all the members of the community and was showered with gifts. Shortly after this performance, Ram Sahai returned to Benares.

After some time performing in Benares, Ram Sahai felt the need to make a significant change in his tabla playing. For six months, he withdrew into seclusion, and worked to develop what is now known as the Benares baj or style of tabla playing. The philosophy behind this new style of tabla playing is that it would be versatile enough to perform solo, and to accompany any form of music or dance. The tabla would be able to play delicately, as required for khyal, or more aggressively, like pakhawaj, for the accompaniment of dhrupad or kathak dance. Ram Sahai developed a new way of fingering the tabla strokes; especially important is the sound Na, being played with a curved ring finger to allow for maximum resonance of the dahina. He also composed numerous compositions within existing compositional forms (gats, tukras, parans etc.) and created new forms, such as uthan, Benarsi theka, and fard.

Chandra Nath Shastri

HIDDEN ERROR: Usage of "g enre" is not recognized

Pandit Chandra Nath Shastri (Hindi: चंद्रनाथ शास्त्री, Bengali: চন্দ্রনাথ শাস্ত্রী) — is one of the most acclaimed and senior Tabla (Indian hand Percussion) artists and musicians from India, currently based in Kolkata. He belongs to the Benares Gharana of Hindustani Classical Music. He is retired Staff (permanent) Artist in All India Radio and also performed regularly for Doordarshan – Indian National Television Channels. In addition to his musical abilities, he is also an expert Astrologer.

Early life and family

Born in Dhakuria area of Calcutta (now Kolkata), West Bengal, in a well known Bramhin (Pandit) family, Chandra Nath Shastri has been groomed in a musical atmosphere since his birth. Soon his parents and family shifted to Varanasi (Banaras / Benares / Benaras), Uttar Pradesh, India. Where later he has his training in Banaras Gharana. He comes with a family link with the Indian Poet, Lyricist, Writer, Nobel Prize winner Rabindra Nath Tagore. His grandmother, Smt. Indira Devi was niece of Rabindra Nath Tagore. His father Dr. Mouli Nath Shastri was a physician by profession but he was also a spiritual guru and musician (also a Tabla player), student (singing) of Rabindra Nath Tagore. He had also done many Theater, film Acting performances (Muktisnan −1937, Sancharini −1963) and some Theater Direction in his lifetime. Grandfather of Chandra Nath Shastri was Shri Priya Nath Shastri, who was one of the first three trustees of Visva Bharati University.

Gharana

In Hindustani music, a gharānā is a system of social organization linking musicians or dancers by lineage or apprenticeship, and by adherence to a particular musical style. A gharana also indicates a comprehensive musicological ideology. This ideology sometimes changes substantially from one gharana to another. It directly affects the thinking, teaching, performance and appreciation of music.

The word gharana comes from the Urdu/Hindi word 'ghar', which means 'family' or 'house'. It typically refers to the place where the musical ideology originated; for example, some of the gharanas well known for singing khyals are: Agra, Gwalior, Indore, Jaipur, Kirana, and Pattiala.

Vocal gharanas

Khyal gharanas

The gharana system in khyal was rooted in the guru-shishya tradition and was similar to the Dhrupad Bani system. The gharana system was greatly influenced by the gradual fall of the Mughal Empire, which forced musicians to move from Delhi to princely states such as Gwalior, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Patiala and Rampur.

Varanasi

Varanasi (From Varuna Ghat to Assi Ghat, hence the name Varanasi) (Hindustani pronunciation: [ʋaːˈraːɳəsi]), also known as Benares,Banaras (Banāras [bəˈnaːrəs]), or Kashi (Kāśī [ˈkaːʃi]), is a North Indian city on the banks of the Ganges in Uttar Pradesh, India 320 kilometres (200 mi) south-east of the state capital, Lucknow and 121 kilometres (75 mi) east of Allahabad. Varanasi is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The spiritual capital of India, it is the holiest of the seven sacred cities (Sapta Puri) in Hinduism and Jainism, and played an important role in the development of Buddhism. Varanasi lies along National Highway 2, which connects it to Kolkata, Kanpur, Agra, and Delhi, and is served by Varanasi Junction and Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport.

Indian classical music

Indian classical music is the art music of the Indian subcontinent. The origins of Indian classical music can be found in the Vedas, which are the oldest scriptures in the Hindu tradition dating back to 1500 BCE. The Samaveda was derived from the Rigveda so that its hymns could be sung as Samagana. These hymns were sung by Udgatar priests at sacrifices in which the Soma ritual drink, clarified and mixed with milk and other ingredients, was offered in libation to various deities. This chanting style evolved into jatis and eventually into ragas. Indian classical music has also been significantly influenced by, or syncretised with, Indian folk music. Bharat's Natyashastra was the first treatise laying down fundamental principles of dance, music, and drama.

Indian classical music is both elaborate and expressive. Like Western classical music, it divides the octave into 12 semitones of which the 8 basic notes are, in ascending tonal order, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa for Hindustani music and Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa for Carnatic music, similar to Western music's Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do. However, Indian music uses just-intonation tuning, unlike most modern Western classical music, which uses the equal-temperament tuning system. Also, unlike modern Western classical music, Indian classical music places great emphasis on improvisation.