Faiyaz Khan
Encyclopedia
Ustad Faiyaz Khan is so far the best known exponent of Agra Gharana
in Hindustani classical music
. He was the master khayal vocalist of his time. Born at Sikandara near Agra
in 1886 (contested as 1888, 1889), he was the son of Shabr Hussain, who died three months before his birth. He was brought up by his maternal grandfather, Ghulam Abbas (1825?-1934), who taught him music, up to the age of 25. He was also a student of Ustad Mehboob Khan "Daraspiya", his father-in-law.
Faiyaz Khan's musical lineage could be traced back to Tansen
, the most revered of all Indian musicians who was one of the "Navaratan" in the court of emperor Akbar (1556–1605) and who earned a legendary and proverbial status for himself. Faiyaz Khan served for a long time as the court musician of Sir Sayaji Rao Gaekawad, the Maharaja of Baroda, where he was awarded the "Gyan Ratna"; the Maharaja
of Mysore awarded him the title "Aftab-e-Mousiqui" [the Sun of Music]. Faiyaz Khan's specialities were dhrupad
and khyal
, but he was also capable of singing thumri
and ghazal
and almost all types of compositions with their variations. His majestic voice, command over the Ragas and basic structure of classical music and his rare talent to improve upon the basic structure during renditions won him admiration from all corners of the country right from the day he began to perform in public. According to well known musicologist, Dr. Askok Ranade who was a former Director of Music Centre, University of Bombay, "There was no chink in his armour". He was a frequent performer in the musical conferences and circles of Lucknow, Allahabad, Calcutta, Gwaliar, Bombay and Mysore and in concerts organised by provincial princes who vied with one another to have the Ustad perform in their respective courts and the Ustad, in return, enthralled and mesmerised the audience, not only in the royal chambers but in open conferences/concerts; this earned him the title of "Mehfil ki Badshah" [the Ruler of concerts].Perhaps the most noteworthy of his admirers was Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941) whom the Ustad respecfully described as "Hindustan ka sabse bada 'Shayer'" [the greatest poet of India]. In fact, sometime in 1930s, the Ustad had performed at Jorasanko Thakurbari, the residential abode of Tagore. Other well known admirers include maestroes like Ustad Ahmad Jaan Thirakwa, Ustad Amir Khan, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Ustad Vilayat Khan and Pundit Ravisankar, to name only a few. Some of his best-known students are Pundit Dilip Chand Bedi, Pundit Sohan Singh, Ustad Asad Ali Khan and Pundit Sreekrishna Ratanjankar, apart from in-house disciples like Ustad Khadim Hussain Khan, Ustad Vilayat Hussain Khan, Ustad Latafat Hussain Khan, Ustad Ata Hussain Khan and Ustad Sharafat Hussain Khan. Faiyaz Khan was a self-proclaimed admirer of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan.
Considered as a Neo-classicist by a few scholars of Indian classical music, Faiyaz Khan was known for his broadmindedness, kindness, humility and sudden fits of temper that cooled almost instanteneously. Simple at heart, he cared a litle for the gifts and rewards["inam"] that was showered upon him in almost every place he performed. His associate and relative and life-long companion Ghulam Rasul accounts an incident in the 1930s when a thousand rupee currency note was found tucked in the pocket of his sherwani (a long, collared and buttoned outer outfit)when it came home after being washed, cleansed, dreid and ironed by the washerman. When asked by Rasul, the Ustad retorted in utter innocence - "How do I know that who is giving me what and how am I to know that a single currency note can be worth more than a hundred rupees?" In another incident which took place at Unaon, near Kanpur, a few years later, when the Ustad came to know that his patron was expending beyond his means to host the concert of the Ustad to celebrate the sacred thread ceremony of his son, Faiyaz Khan accepted only the fare for his return journey and blessed the child with a gold ring purchased from the local goldsmith during his afternoon stroll the day before.
Failing health due to a bout of typhoid in 1945 followed by tuberculosis restricted him to lower his pitch in "B" and "B Flat" though in his prime, he always sang in "C Sharp" and "C". The available recordings of the Ustad almost entirely belong to his later years. By the time he died (on 5 November 1950 at Baroda), he had earned the reputation of being one of, if not, the most influential vocalists of the century.
78 rpm side A Lalat Aalaap, side B drut 'tadapata hoom jaise jale bin meene (Hindusthan Record). Also Thumri Bhairavi 'Baaju bande khula khula ja'
Agra gharana
Agra Gharana is a tradition of Hindustani Classical Vocal Music descended from the Nauhar Bani. So far, Nauhar Bani has been traced back to around 1300 AD, during the reign of Emperor Allauddin Khilji of Delhi....
in Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music
Hindustani classical music is the Hindustani or North Indian style of Indian classical music found throughout the northern Indian subcontinent. The style is sometimes called North Indian Classical Music or Shāstriya Sangeet...
. He was the master khayal vocalist of his time. Born at Sikandara near Agra
Agra
Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...
in 1886 (contested as 1888, 1889), he was the son of Shabr Hussain, who died three months before his birth. He was brought up by his maternal grandfather, Ghulam Abbas (1825?-1934), who taught him music, up to the age of 25. He was also a student of Ustad Mehboob Khan "Daraspiya", his father-in-law.
Faiyaz Khan's musical lineage could be traced back to Tansen
Tansen
Mia Tansen is considered among the greatest composer-musicians in Hindustani classical music. He was an extraordinarily gifted vocalist, known for a large number of compositions, and also an instrumentalist who popularized and improved the rabab .He was among the Navaratnas at the court of the...
, the most revered of all Indian musicians who was one of the "Navaratan" in the court of emperor Akbar (1556–1605) and who earned a legendary and proverbial status for himself. Faiyaz Khan served for a long time as the court musician of Sir Sayaji Rao Gaekawad, the Maharaja of Baroda, where he was awarded the "Gyan Ratna"; the Maharaja
Maharaja
Mahārāja is a Sanskrit title for a "great king" or "high king". The female equivalent title Maharani denotes either the wife of a Maharaja or, in states where that was customary, a woman ruling in her own right. The widow of a Maharaja is known as a Rajamata...
of Mysore awarded him the title "Aftab-e-Mousiqui" [the Sun of Music]. Faiyaz Khan's specialities were dhrupad
Dhrupad
Dhrupad is a vocal genre in Hindustani classical music, said to be the oldest still in use in that musical tradition. Its name is derived from the words "dhruva" and "pada"...
and khyal
Khyal
Khyal is the modern genre of classical singing in North India. Its name comes from an Arabic word meaning "imagination". It is thought to have developed out of the qawwali singing style. It appeared more recently than dhrupad, is a more free and flexible form, and it provides greater scope for...
, but he was also capable of singing thumri
Thumri
Thumri is a common genre of semi-classical Indian music.The text is romantic or devotional in nature, and usually revolves around a girl's love for Krishna. The lyrics are usually in Uttar Pradesh dialects of Hindi called Poorbi and Brij Bhasha...
and ghazal
Ghazal
The ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 6th century...
and almost all types of compositions with their variations. His majestic voice, command over the Ragas and basic structure of classical music and his rare talent to improve upon the basic structure during renditions won him admiration from all corners of the country right from the day he began to perform in public. According to well known musicologist, Dr. Askok Ranade who was a former Director of Music Centre, University of Bombay, "There was no chink in his armour". He was a frequent performer in the musical conferences and circles of Lucknow, Allahabad, Calcutta, Gwaliar, Bombay and Mysore and in concerts organised by provincial princes who vied with one another to have the Ustad perform in their respective courts and the Ustad, in return, enthralled and mesmerised the audience, not only in the royal chambers but in open conferences/concerts; this earned him the title of "Mehfil ki Badshah" [the Ruler of concerts].Perhaps the most noteworthy of his admirers was Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941) whom the Ustad respecfully described as "Hindustan ka sabse bada 'Shayer'" [the greatest poet of India]. In fact, sometime in 1930s, the Ustad had performed at Jorasanko Thakurbari, the residential abode of Tagore. Other well known admirers include maestroes like Ustad Ahmad Jaan Thirakwa, Ustad Amir Khan, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Ustad Vilayat Khan and Pundit Ravisankar, to name only a few. Some of his best-known students are Pundit Dilip Chand Bedi, Pundit Sohan Singh, Ustad Asad Ali Khan and Pundit Sreekrishna Ratanjankar, apart from in-house disciples like Ustad Khadim Hussain Khan, Ustad Vilayat Hussain Khan, Ustad Latafat Hussain Khan, Ustad Ata Hussain Khan and Ustad Sharafat Hussain Khan. Faiyaz Khan was a self-proclaimed admirer of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan.
Considered as a Neo-classicist by a few scholars of Indian classical music, Faiyaz Khan was known for his broadmindedness, kindness, humility and sudden fits of temper that cooled almost instanteneously. Simple at heart, he cared a litle for the gifts and rewards["inam"] that was showered upon him in almost every place he performed. His associate and relative and life-long companion Ghulam Rasul accounts an incident in the 1930s when a thousand rupee currency note was found tucked in the pocket of his sherwani (a long, collared and buttoned outer outfit)when it came home after being washed, cleansed, dreid and ironed by the washerman. When asked by Rasul, the Ustad retorted in utter innocence - "How do I know that who is giving me what and how am I to know that a single currency note can be worth more than a hundred rupees?" In another incident which took place at Unaon, near Kanpur, a few years later, when the Ustad came to know that his patron was expending beyond his means to host the concert of the Ustad to celebrate the sacred thread ceremony of his son, Faiyaz Khan accepted only the fare for his return journey and blessed the child with a gold ring purchased from the local goldsmith during his afternoon stroll the day before.
Failing health due to a bout of typhoid in 1945 followed by tuberculosis restricted him to lower his pitch in "B" and "B Flat" though in his prime, he always sang in "C Sharp" and "C". The available recordings of the Ustad almost entirely belong to his later years. By the time he died (on 5 November 1950 at Baroda), he had earned the reputation of being one of, if not, the most influential vocalists of the century.
Discography
| Release No. | Raga |
|---|---|
| N 36050 (HMV) | Ramkali (Alap & Khayal) |
| H 1331 (Hindusthan Records) | Purvi & Chhaya |
| HH 1 (Hindusthan Records) | Puriya & Jaijaivanti |
| H 793 (Hindusthan Records) | Jaunpuri & Kafi |
78 rpm side A Lalat Aalaap, side B drut 'tadapata hoom jaise jale bin meene (Hindusthan Record). Also Thumri Bhairavi 'Baaju bande khula khula ja'