Khayal music is represented by
a number of more or less stylistically different schools called Gharanas. These
schools have their basis in the traditional mode of musical training and education. Every
Gharana has a few discernible features, which allow us to distinguish between schools and
also enable us to identify different approaches to interpretation of the ragas. The main
areas where differences arise, relate to the raga repertoire adopted by the Gharana, the
manner in which the notes are sung, particularly the relative emphasis given in the
Gharana philosophy to swara and laya, the role and importance of the Bandish in
the aesthetic viewpoint of the Gharana, the manner in which the raga is presented, and the
type of Tans employed.
Gwalior: This is the oldest among all the Khayal Gayaki (vocal) styles.
The distinctive feature of this style of singing has been noted as its lucidity and
simplicity. This gayaki is also characterized by serious mien and slow singing pace. This
Gharana involves presenting familiar and well known ragas such as Alakya Bilawal, Yaman,
Bhairav, Sarang, Multani, Sri, Bhoop, Kamod, Hamir, Basant, etc. It also pays great
attention to singing Khayals using traditional Bandishes. This Gharana is also noted for
its straight and simple Tans, while stressing on the use of Meendh and Gamak in its
Dhrupad-style khayals. The best known artistes of this Gharana were Balkrishna BaIchal
Karanjikar (1849 - 1927) and his student Vishnu Digambar Paluskar (1872 - 1931), Pandit
Omkarnath Thakur (1897 - 1967) and in recent times, Veena Sahasrabuddhe and Malini
Rajurkar.
Kirana: This Gharana derives its name from the birthplace of Abdul Kharim
Khan (1872 - 1937), Kirana near Kurukshetra. This style of singing was influenced by the
distinctive style of playing music on the Bin (Vina), with emphasis on the resonance of
notes and maintaining note continuity through Meendh and Gamak. Importance was also given
to Alap and Vilambit laya in the course of performance. This style also stresses on the
role of individual notes and their study (swar-sadhana). In the Kirana style of
singing, the swara is used to create an emotional mood by means of elongation and use of Kana-s.
This effect is further heightened by tuning the Tanpura (a drone instrument) for certain
ragas to the seventh note, the Nishad, rather than Pancham. In this Gharana, the practice
of rendering the Alap as Bol-Alap using the bols of the Bandish and not in Akar is
to enable the Alap to be developed gradually. The Gharana repertoire consists mainly of
ragas like Shuddha Kalyan, Darbari, Malkauns, Bhimplasi, Todi etc. Many Carnatic ragas
feature in this Gharana. Another aspect of the Kirana Gharana is that it is one of the few
Gharanas of Khayal Gayaki that includes Thumri singing as a part of its performances. The
important singers in this Gharana are Abdul Karim Khan, Hirabhai Barodekar, Begum Akhtar,
and in recent times, Bhimsen Joshi, Gangubai Hangal and Prabha Atre.
Atrauli - Jaipur: Another of the important ones, this Gharana is
associated with Alladiya Khan (1855 - 1943), the great singer of the late 19th and early
20th century. This style has great complexities because of its use of melodic phrases
having Vakra (twisted/crooked) turns. The most distinctive feature of the Jaipur
Gharana can be best described as its complex and lilting melodic form which arises out of
the involuted and undulating phrases that constitute the piece. The Badhat is
very clear and is done in short sequences, each lasting for an Avartan and the Tans are
very intricate. As a consequence the term ‘filigree-like workmanship’ is often
used in the context of the Jaipur Gharana singing. This impression is created by the
linking of successive notes through a particular manner of delivery without blurring their
individual characteristics or shapes, while continuously varying the swara-patterns to
avoid repetition. This is done through a slow tempo, which continues uncharged from the
beginning to the end with the duration of its cycle being kept constant. The Gharana, in
its repertoire, has a dominance of rare and compound ragas such as Sampoorna-Malkauns,
Basant Kedar, Basant-Bahar, Kaunsi-Kanada and Nat-Kamod. This Gharana tends to use the
traditional Bandishes and shuns the creation of new compositions. The Badhat is sung using
the bols of the Bandish instead of the Akar. The Tans are also full of spiral shaped fast
passages or Vakra passages. The important vocalists of this tradition are Alladiya Khan,
Mallikarjun Mansur, Kesarbhai Kerkar and in recent times, Kishori Amonkar, Shruti
Sadolikar, Padma Talwalkar and Ashwini Bhide Deshpande.
Agra: This style of Khayal gayaki is usually associated with Faiyaz khan
(1886 - 1950). The founders of the Agra gharana were originally singers of Dhrupad. Dhamar
and Khayal singing came to be adopted in the Gharana. It was Ustad Faiyaz Khan who
transformed the traditional and austere Agra style and left his colourful imprint on the
Gharana. The Agra Gharana places great importance on developing forcefulness and deepness
in the voice so that the notes are powerful and resonant. This Gharana pays special
attention to ragas like Megh and Darbarikanada. In the Alap, the shape of the raga is
broadly outlined through key phrases and structures, rather than in a note by note manner.
The Bandish plays a very important role. The purity of the Bandish is stressed and the
entire Bandish forms the central point of the performance. The use of the Meendh in order
to make the presentation effective is stressed. The Agra Gharana maintains this aspect of
Dhrupad by the frequent use of Meendh and Gamaks for Alapchari and shuns the use of
ornaments such as Murkis. One of the most notable features of the Agra Gayaki is its
Layakari and the manifestation of rhythm in all the aspects of the khayal presentation.
The important singers of this Gharana are C R Vyas, S N Ratanjankar and of late, Jitendra
Abhisheki, Vijay Kitchlu and Sumati Mutatkar.
Patiala: This Gharana is regarded as an offshoot of the Delhi Gharana and
the famous duo ‘Allu-Fattu’, [Ali Baksh (1850 - 1920) and Fateh Ali Khan (1850 -
1909)], are usually acclaimed as the originators of this style. It was Ustad Bade Ghulam
Ali Khan (1901 - 1969), who popularized this style of singing and brought this Gharana to
the public notice. This style was influenced, to a large extent, by the qualities of Bade
Ghulam Ali’s voice and its wide span of three octaves. While the Patiala Gharana
gives pride of place to speed in execution of Tans, the Patiala Gharana repertoire also
includes slow Tans, which are akin to the Gamak. Thus, the Patiala Gharana is
characterized by the use of greater rhythm play and by Layakari with the abundant use of
Bols, particularly Bol-tans. As part of its aesthetic approach, this style focusses more
on emotion and sensuality. This style was criticised for neglecting musical form and
organization and also lacking in aesthetic balance. The ragas preferred by this Gharana
are Malkauns, Bhoopali, Gunakali, Megh Malhar, etc. Ek-tal and Teen-tal are usually chosen
by this Gharana. This is another Gharana, which considers Thumri singing as its forte. The
major singers in this style Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Ajoy Chakravarti, Parveen Sultana and
others.
Rampur-Sahaswan: The Rampur-Sahaswan Gharana can be said to have been
established by Ustad Inayat Hussain Khan (1849 - 1919). There is a stress on the clarity
of swara in this style and the development and elaboration of the raga is done through a
stepwise progression. The characteristic features of the Rampur-Sahaswan Gayaki are that
the development of the Alap adheres closely to the structure of the Bandish that is being
sung and is not sung as a free exposition before the Bandish. It is presented in the form
of a Bol-alap. The stress in the Alap is on developing the Bhava (mood) and the rasa
(emotion) of the raga. Singing in Akar is given great importance in training and also the
use of natural voice. The preferred tempo is Madhya laya (medium tempo) and the use of a
very slow tempo is discouraged. This Gharana lays stress on the literary content of the
Bandish. The speciality of the Rampur school lies in its Tans, which cover a much larger
range and are marked by their speed of execution. These Tans, which are noticeable for
their boldness and clarity, are employed to bring out the Layakari. This style is also
marked by a wide variety of Tans and its repertoire consists of ragas like Bhupali-Todi,
Bahaduri-Todi, Gaudsarang, Yaman, Kedar, Chhaya Nat, Bihag, etc. The main representatives
of this Gharana are Ghulam Mustafa Khan, Ustad Nissar Hussain Khan and in recent times,
Ustad Rashid Khan.
Mewati: The founder of Mewati Gharana was Ghagge Nazir Khan. This Gharana
adopts the Sapat Tan and Merkhand in its ornamentation. This style gives
importance to developing the mood of the raga through the notes forming it and its style
is Bhava Pradhan. It also gives equal importance to the meaning of the text. The
Gayaki regards words as important and does not believe in stretching words to make the
text and rhythm synchronize. It resorts to Tans and Sargams in case the words fall short.
This Gayaki also adopts Meendh as a prominent ornament. This Gharana presents
semi-classical music in the form of Bhajans and there is a strong Vaishnavite influence in
their style. The current exponents of this style are Sanjeev Abhyankar and Rattan Sharma,
both students of Pandit Jasraj.
Bhundi Bazar Gharana: This
Gharana is less known in comparison to others. The most distinctive feature of this
Gharana is that their presentations of Khayals are open voice, using Akar. There is a
stress on breath-control and singing of long passages in one breath is highly regarded in
this Gharana. Another feature is the intricate method of Sargam singing in which
permutations and combinations of a given set of notes are made to give rise to complex
note and Tan patterns This Gayaki makes use of this method for the raga Badhat in order to
have an extended Alap. This method also permits play with rhythms. In addition, this
Gharana stresses clear note intonation and word articulation. Ornaments such as Sapat-tans,
Gamak-tans are given precedence along with the use of Meendh. The important singers
are Ustad Aman Ali Khan and Anjanibai Malpekar. |
