Z M Dagar
Encyclopedia
Zia Mohiuddin Dagar popularly known as Z. M. Dagar, was a North India
n (Hindustani) classical musician, one of the 19th generation of Dagar family dhrupad
musicians. He was largely responsible for the revival of the rudra vina as a solo concert instrument.
, Rajasthan
and began musical study with his father, Ustad Ziauddin Khan Dagar, court musician for the Maharaj of Udaipur
. He was trained both in vocals and in the rudra vina, an instrument used by vocalists to practice melodies. The vina was traditionally not played in public, but the young Zia Mohiuddin adopted it as his primary instrument, giving his first recital at age 16. Although he was discouraged by his father from experimenting with the structure of the vina, he nevertheless modified the instrument after his father's death to better equip it for solo performance, transforming it into a larger bass instrument (sometimes called a Dagar vina): With the help of the instrument house Kanailal & Brother, he enlarged the tumbas (gourds) and dhandhi (hollow neck) to create greater resonance and to allow the notes to sustain longer and so better reproduce the techniques used in dhrupad singing. Because of these modifications, the instrument was too heavy to be held in the standard Northern posture (with one tumba on the left shoulder), so he played instead in the Southern posture, with one tumba on the ground and one on the left knee.
. For 25 years they had to make ends meet by working in garages, selling bread, and rarely, playing instruments for movie scores. They did not have a tanpura, sitar, or veena, let alone a house. There was much cynicism about dhrupad, as his son Baha'ud'din Mohiuddin Dagar recounted in an interview.
), and for his meticulous attention to microtonal
inflections.
, California and with Wesleyan University
, Rotterdam Music Conservatory, and the University of Washington
, Seattle, where he was a visiting professor.
was awarded the Kalidas Samman
, one of India's most prestigious awards, by the Madhya Pradesh
government. He also received the Sangeet Natak Academi Award, the Rajasthan Sangeet Natak Academi award, and the Maharana Kumbha award, to name a few.
, is a vocalist and teacher, and his son, Baha'ud'din Mohiuddin Dagar, is a vina player. He taught the Gundecha Brothers
, considered today to be among the leading exponents of dhrupad
.
North India
North India, known natively as Uttar Bhārat or Shumālī Hindustān , is a loosely defined region in the northern part of India. The exact meaning of the term varies by usage...
n (Hindustani) classical musician, one of the 19th generation of Dagar family 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"...
musicians. He was largely responsible for the revival of the rudra vina as a solo concert instrument.
Early life and choice of veena
Z. M. Dagar was born in the town of UdaipurUdaipur
Udaipur , also known as the City of Lakes, is a city, a Municipal Council and the administrative headquarters of the Udaipur district in the state of Rajasthan in western India. It is located southwest of the state capital, Jaipur, west of Kota, and northeast from Ahmedabad...
, Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
and began musical study with his father, Ustad Ziauddin Khan Dagar, court musician for the Maharaj of Udaipur
Udaipur
Udaipur , also known as the City of Lakes, is a city, a Municipal Council and the administrative headquarters of the Udaipur district in the state of Rajasthan in western India. It is located southwest of the state capital, Jaipur, west of Kota, and northeast from Ahmedabad...
. He was trained both in vocals and in the rudra vina, an instrument used by vocalists to practice melodies. The vina was traditionally not played in public, but the young Zia Mohiuddin adopted it as his primary instrument, giving his first recital at age 16. Although he was discouraged by his father from experimenting with the structure of the vina, he nevertheless modified the instrument after his father's death to better equip it for solo performance, transforming it into a larger bass instrument (sometimes called a Dagar vina): With the help of the instrument house Kanailal & Brother, he enlarged the tumbas (gourds) and dhandhi (hollow neck) to create greater resonance and to allow the notes to sustain longer and so better reproduce the techniques used in dhrupad singing. Because of these modifications, the instrument was too heavy to be held in the standard Northern posture (with one tumba on the left shoulder), so he played instead in the Southern posture, with one tumba on the ground and one on the left knee.
Struggles and hardships
After India gained independence the princely states were abolished. The Dagar family lost the patronage of the court of Udaipur, and had to seek employment elsewhere. Finally they arrived in MumbaiMumbai
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...
. For 25 years they had to make ends meet by working in garages, selling bread, and rarely, playing instruments for movie scores. They did not have a tanpura, sitar, or veena, let alone a house. There was much cynicism about dhrupad, as his son Baha'ud'din Mohiuddin Dagar recounted in an interview.
``Dhrupad? Who'll listen? Rudra veena? Play something else. Long alaaps? So boring!"
Playing style
Z. M. Dagar was known particularly for his slow development of ragas, typically performed only with tanpura accompaniment (he rarely played with pakhawajPakhavaj
The pakhavaj, pakhawaj, pakuaj, pakhvaj or pakavaj is an Indian barrel-shaped, two-headed drum, the North Indian equivalent to the Southern mridangam....
), and for his meticulous attention to microtonal
Sruti (music)
The shruti is a Sanskrit term used in several contexts throughout the history of the Indian music. A shruti is the smallest interval of pitch the ear can detect.-Contexts:...
inflections.
Outside India
He was very active in the West, associating himself with the American Society for Eastern Arts in BerkeleyBerkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, California and with Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
, Rotterdam Music Conservatory, and the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
, Seattle, where he was a visiting professor.
Honours
In 1990, Ustadji-ji
Jī is an important honorific used as a suffix in Hindi-Urdu and many other languages of the Indian subcontinent. Its usage is similar, but not identical, to another subcontinental honorific, sāhab...
was awarded the Kalidas Samman
Kalidas samman
The Kalidas Samman is a prestigious arts award presented annually by the government of Madhya Pradesh in India. The award is named after Kālidāsa, a renowned Classical Sanskrit writer of ancient India, widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language.The Kalidas Samman...
, one of India's most prestigious awards, by the Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
government. He also received the Sangeet Natak Academi Award, the Rajasthan Sangeet Natak Academi award, and the Maharana Kumbha award, to name a few.
Family
His younger brother, Ustad Zia Fariddudin DagarUstad Zia Fariddudin Dagar
Zia Fariduddin Dagar is an Indian classical vocalist in the Dhrupad, the oldest existing form of north Indian classical music and part of the Dagar family of musicians...
, is a vocalist and teacher, and his son, Baha'ud'din Mohiuddin Dagar, is a vina player. He taught the Gundecha Brothers
Gundecha Brothers
Umakant Gundecha and Ramakant Gundecha, known as the Gundecha Brothers, are leading Dagarvani dhrupad singers. They always sing together.-Early life and background:Gundecha Brothers were born in Ujjain into a Jain family....
, considered today to be among the leading exponents of 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"...
.
External links
- [ Z. M. Dagar] at allmusic
- Z. M. Dagar: A memoir by Jody Stecher at Raga Records
- Profile of Z. M. Dagar by the Gundecha Brothers
- MySpace page for Z. M. Dagar
- Dagar.org: Dagar family homepage
Video
- Z. M. Dagar video from Robert Garfias' site