Rashid Khan
Encyclopedia
Ustad Rashid Khan is an Indian classical music
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...

ian in the Hindustani music tradition. He belongs to the 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...

, and is the great grandson
Grandson
Grandson has multiple meanings:*Grandson *Grandson, Switzerland, a municipality in Switzerland*Grandson , a district in Switzerland...

 of Gharana founder Ustad Inayat Hussain Khan.He is married to Joyeeta Bose, from the illustrious family of Acharya Jagdish Chandra Bose.

In a story told in several versions, it appears that Pandit Bhimsen Joshi
Bhimsen Joshi
Pandit Bhimsen Gururaj Joshi ; February 4, 1922 - January 24, 2011) was an Indian vocalist in the Hindustani classical tradition. A member of the Kirana Gharana , he is renowned for the khayal form of singing, as well as for his popular renditions of devotional music...

 said at one point, that Rashid Khan was the "assurance for the future of Indian vocal music". He was awarded the Padma Shri
Padma Shri
Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...

, as well as the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists. The award consists since 2003 of Rs. 50,000, a citation, an angavastram , and a tamrapatra...

 in 2006.

Early life

Born in Badayun, Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...

. He received his initial training from his maternal grand-uncle, Ustad Nissar Hussain Khan
Nissar Hussain Khan
Ustad Nissar Hussain Khan was a Hindustani classical vocalist from the Rampur-Sahaswan gharana. He was a disciple and son of Ustad Fida Hussain Khan and after a long and illustrious career was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1970. He was the court musician of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III at Baroda...

 (1909–1993). He is also the nephew of Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan.

As a child he had little interest in music. His uncle Ghulam Mustafa Khan was among the first to note his musical talents, and for some time trained him in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

. However, he received his main training from Nissar Hussain Khan, initially at his house in Badayun. A strict disciplinarian, Nissar Hussain Khan would insist on voice training (sur sAdhanA) from four in the morning, and make Rashid practice one note of the scale for hours on end. A whole day would be spent on practising just a single note. Although Rashid detested these lessons as a child, but the disciplined training shows in his easy mastery of taan
Taan (music)
Taan is a virtuoso technique used in the vocal performance of a raga in Hindustani classical music. It involves the singing of very rapid melodic passages using vowels, often the long "a" as in the word "far", and it targets at improvising and to expand weaving together the notes in a fast tempo...

 (glissando
Glissando
In music, a glissando is a glide from one pitch to another. It is an Italianized musical term derived from the French glisser, to glide. In some contexts it is distinguished from the continuous portamento...

s) and layakaari today.
It was not until he was 18 that Rashid began to truly enjoy his musical training.

Career

Rashid Khan gave his first concert at age eleven, and the following year, 1978, he performed at an ITC concert in Delhi.
In April 1980, when Nissar Hussain Khan moved to the ITC Sangeet Research Academy
ITC Sangeet Research Academy
ITC Sangeet Research Academy is a Hindustani classical music academy run by the corporate house, ITC Ltd.. It is located in Kolkata, India. Noted musicians associated with the academy include Ulhas Kashalkar...

 (SRA), Calcutta, Rashid Khan also joined the academy at the age of 14. By 1994, he was acknowledged as a musician (a formal process) at the academy.

Musical style

The Rampur-Sahaswan gayaki (style of singing) is closely related to 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...

, which features medium-slow tempos, a full-throated voice and intricate rhythmic play.
Rashid Khan includes the slow elaboration in his vilambit
Vilambit
Vilambit is an introductory slow tempo, or laya, between 10 and 40 beats per minute, used in the performance of a raga in Hindustani classical music. For major ragas, the vilambit portion generally takes up two-thirds or more of the performance, and is followed by a short drut to conclude the...

 khayals in the manner of his maternal grand-uncle and also developed exceptional expertise in the use of sargams
Swara
The seven notes of the scale , in Indian music are named shadja, rishabh, gandhar, madhyam, pancham, dhaivat and nishad, and are shortened to Sa, Ri or Re , Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, and Ni and written S, R, G, M, P, D, N. Collectively these notes are known as the sargam...

 and sargam taankari (play on the scale).

He is also a master of the tarana
Tarana
Tarana is a type of composition in Hindustani classical vocal music in which certain words and syllables based on Persian and Arabic phenomes are used in a medium-paced or fast rendition...

 like his guru but sings them in his own manner, preferring the khayal style rather than the instrumental stroke-based style for which Nissar Hussain was famous. There is no imitation of instrumental tone. His mastery of all aspects tonal variations, dynamics and timbre adjustment leave very little to be desired in the realm of voice culture.

His renderings stand out for the emotional overtones in his melodic elaboration. He says: "The emotional content may be in the alaap, sometimes while singing the bandish, or while giving expression to the meaning of the lyrics."
This brings a touch of modernity to his style, as compared to the older maestros, who placed greater emphasis on impressive technique and skillful execution of difficult passages.

Rashid Khan has also experimented with fusing pure Hindustani music with lighter musical genres, e.g. in the Sufi fusion recording Naina Piya Se (songs of Amir Khusro
Amir Khusro
Ab'ul Hasan Yamīn ud-Dīn Khusrow , better known as Amīr Khusrow Dehlawī , was an Indian musician, scholar and poet. He was an iconic figure in the cultural history of the Indian subcontinent...

), or in experimental concerts with western instrumentalist Louis Banks. He has also performed jugalbandis, along with sitarist Shahid Parvez
Shahid Parvez
Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan is a sitar player of Hindustani classical music. He carries on a legacy of sitar playing that goes back several generations in his family. He belongs to the famous Etawah Gharana and belongs to the seventh generation of this musical lineage...

 and others.

Discography

  • Poore Se Zara Sa Kam Hai - Mausam
    Mausam
    Mausam is a 1975 Indian film directed by Gulzar and loosely based on the story "Weather", from the novel, The Judas Tree, by A.J. Cronin. Sharmila Tagore for her acting received The Silver Lotus Award at the 23rd National Film Festival and the movie was honoured by presenting an award for 2nd Best...

  • Jab We Met
    Jab We Met
    Jab We Met is a 2007 Hindi romantic comedy film directed and written by Imtiaz Ali. The film, produced by Dhillin Mehta under Shree Ashtavinayak Cinevision Ltd, stars Shahid Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor in their fourth film together...

  • The Song of Shiva
  • Morning Mantra
  • Allah Hi Rahem - My Name Is Khan
    My Name is Khan
    My Name Is Khan ; commonly referred to as MNIK, is a 2010 Bollywood film directed by Karan Johar, with a screenplay by Shibani Bathija, produced by Hiroo Yash Johar and Gauri Khan, and starring Shahrukh Khan and Kajol, who reunite after nine years...

  • Yatra - A Journey of Rabindrasangeet & Hindustani Classical Bandish, with Nachiketa Chakraborty
  • Naina Piya Se
  • Raga Bageshri / Desh (1991)
  • Raga Yaman / Raga Kirwani (1994)
  • Khyal (1996)
  • Live In Concert: Moreton Centre (2000)
  • The Genius of Rashid Khan (2000)
  • The Song of Shiva (2000)
  • In London (2000)
  • Voice of India (2002)
  • Morning Mantra (2003)
  • Yearning (2006)
  • Reflection (2006)

Awards

  • Padma Shri
    Padma Shri
    Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...

     (2006)
  • Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
    Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
    Sangeet Natak Akademi Puraskar is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's National Academy of Music, Dance & Drama. It is the highest Indian recognition given to practicing artists. The award consists since 2003 of Rs. 50,000, a citation, an angavastram , and a tamrapatra...

     (2006)
  • Global Indian Music Awards (GIMA) (2010)
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