Bhaiyya Ganpatrao, alias "Sughar-piya", (1852–1920) was a member of the

Gwalior Gwalior() is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; it lies in northern part of Madhya Pradesh and is one of the Counter-magnet cities. Located south of Delhi, the capital city of India, from Agra and from Bhopal, the s ...

royal family and known for pioneering the harmonium as an accompanying instrument. He was a member of the

Gwalior gharana The Gwalior Gharana (Gwalior school of classical music) is one of the oldest Khyal Gharana in Indian classical music. The rise of the Gwalior Gharana started with the reign of the Mughal emperor Akbar (1542–1605). The favourite singers of t ...

school of

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

Background

Bhaiyya Ganpatrao was born to Jayajirao Scindia of the Gwalior princely family. He was the brother of

Jiwajirao Scindia Maharaja Jivajirao Scindia KStJ (26 June 1916 – 16 July 1961) was an Indian Princely_state#Precedence_and_prestige, prince and government official. In the British Raj, he was the ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Gwalior state ...

Music training

He studied with Sadiq Ali Khan of

Kirana Gharana Kirana gharana is one of the Indian classical khyal gharanas, and is concerned foremost with perfect intonation of notes (swara). Singing style The central concern of the Kirana style is swara, or individual notes, in particular precise tuning ...

and later with

Bande Ali Khan Bande may refer to: People * Bande Ali Mia (1906–1979), Bangladeshi poet * Bande Nawaz, Indian centenarian * Hassane Bandé (born 1998), Burkina Faso football player Places * Bande, Belgium * Bande, Niger * Bande, Ourense, Galicia, Spain Oth ...

and

Inayat Hussain Khan Ustad Inayat Hussain Khan (1849–1919) was an Indian classical vocalist, and the founder of Rampur-Sahaswan gharana. Early life Career He first married the daughter of Haddu Khan of the Gwalior gharana. His singing style has influences of the ...

, both students of

Haddu Khan Haddu, was an ancient kingdom in northern Syria, identified with the modern Tell Malhat ed-Deru (تل مليحة الدور) in Deir ez-Zor Governorate. The kingdom flourished in the middle of the third millennium BC and controlled the middle K ...

Gwalior Gharana The Gwalior Gharana (Gwalior school of classical music) is one of the oldest Khyal Gharana in Indian classical music. The rise of the Gwalior Gharana started with the reign of the Mughal emperor Akbar (1542–1605). The favourite singers of t ...

Legacy

In the late-19th Century and early-20th Century, Ganpatrao was the "greatest name" associated with the harmonium. He popularized the instrument and developed its Thumri-ang. Like Govindrao Tembe, Ganpatrao is credited with establishing harmonium as an instrument for

Hindustani Classical music Hindustani classical music is the classical music of northern regions of the Indian subcontinent. It may also be called North Indian classical music or, in Hindustani, ''shastriya sangeet'' (). It is played in instruments like the violin, sita ...

. Consequently, he had an enormous impact on many musicians whom he taught.

Compositions

Ganpatrao was a prolific composer and used the

mudra A mudra (; sa, मुद्रा, , "seal", "mark", or "gesture"; ,) is a symbolic or ritual gesture or pose in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. While some mudras involve the entire body, most are performed with the hands and fingers. As wel ...

"Sughar-piya."

Influence

Faiyaz Khan Ustad Faiyaz Khan (8 February 1886 5 November 1950) was an Indian classical vocalist, an exponent of the Agra gharana of Hindustani classical music. According to SwarGanga Music Foundation website, "By the time he died at Baroda, he had earned ...

began singing thumris publicly because of Ganptrao's influence. Bismillah Khan adopted some of Ganpatrao's techniques to his Shehnai-playing.

Students

The sarod maestro

Hafiz Ali Khan Hafiz Ali Khan (1888–1972) was an Indian sarod player.Brick, mortar & false notes
Dawn (newspaper), Published 29 Ap ...

, father of Amjad Ali Khan, learned dhrupad and thumri from Ganpatrao. He also taught Bashir Khan of Indore and Girija Shankar Chakrabarty.https://www.itcsra.org/TributeMaestro.aspx?Tributeid=11 He also taught Jaddanbai, the mother of

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

actress Nargis.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ganpatrao, Bhaiyya Gwalior culture Gwalior gharana Hindustani singers Singers from Maharashtra Indian Hindus People from Sindhudurg district Marathi-language singers 1852 births 1920 deaths 19th-century Indian male classical singers