Ustad Inayat Hussain Khan (1849–1919) was an Indian classical

Indian classical music

The origins of Indian classical music can be found in the Vedas, which are the oldest scriptures in the Hindu tradition. Indian classical music has also been significantly influenced by, or syncretised with, Indian folk music and Persian music. The Samaveda, one of the four Vedas, describes music...

 vocalist, and the founder of Rampur-Sahaswan gharana

Rampur-Sahaswan gharana

Rampur-Sahaswan gharana is a gharana of Hindustani classical music centered in the North-Uttar Pradesh towns of Rampur and Sahaswan...

.

Early life

Born in Sahaswan

Sahaswan

Sahaswan is a city and a municipal board in Badaun district in the Indian state of western Uttar Pradesh. Till 1853 Sahaswan was the headquarters of Budaun District-Neighbourhoods:Sahaswan has 20 localities including:Qazi Mohlla...

, Badaun district

Badaun District

Budaun district is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh state of India, and Budaun town is the district headquarters. Budaun district is a part of Bareilly division. The district covers an area of 5168 km²...

 to Ustad Mehboob Khan, a khayal singer and Veena

Veena

Veena may refer to one of several Indian plucked instruments:With frets*Rudra veena, plucked string instrument used in Hindustani music*Saraswati veena, plucked string instrument used in Carnatic musicFretless...

 player of the Rampur

Rampur

The name Rampur, together with the variations Ramapur, Ramapura and Ramapuram, may refer to:-Bangladesh:* Rampur Boalia, a medieval region near the present city of Rajshahi, in northwestern Bangladesh west of bangladesjh-India:...

court. He was taught traditional khayals and the exquisite taranas created by Bahadur Hussain in all major raga

Raga

A raga is one of the melodic modes used in Indian classical music.It is a series of five or more musical notes upon which a melody is made...

s and also many rare ones. He was trained and lived in Rampur, and his gharana

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...

 came to be called Rampur-Sahaswan gharana.

Career

He was a child prodigy. He married the daughter of Haddu Khan of the Gwalior gharana

Gwalior gharana

The Gwalior Gharana is one of the oldest Khyal Gharanas. The rise of the Gwalior Gharana started with the reign of the great Mughal emperor Akbar...

, and trained from Ustad Bahadur Hussain Khan, a descendant of Mian 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...

 himself. The style has influences of the 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"...

singing typical of the Gwalior gharana, and the Rampur-Shahaswan style is sometimes regarded as an off-shoot of the Gwalior gharana.