Hiren Roy (1920–1992) was for many years considered to be the best

sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form ...

maker in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

. Many great musicians, including

Nikhil Banerjee Pandit Nikhil Ranjan Banerjee (14 October 1931 – 27 January 1986) was an Indian classical sitarist of the Maihar Gharana. Along with Pandit Ravi Shankar and Ustad Vilayat Khan, he emerged as one of the leading exponents of the sitar. H ...

, Vilayat Khan,

Annapurna Devi (1927 – 13 October 2018) was an Indian surbahar (bass sitar) player of Hindustani classical music. She was given the name 'Annapurna' by former Maharaja Brijnath Singh of the former Maihar Estate (M.P.), and it was by this name that she was p ...

, and

Ravi Shankar Ravi Shankar (; born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury, sometimes spelled as Rabindra Shankar Chowdhury; 7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitarist and composer. A sitar virtuoso, he became the world's best-known export of North In ...

, have sworn by his creations.

Early life

Born in Bengal, India (in the part of the province which later became Bangladesh) in 1920, Roy went to

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

at the age of 12 to learn the art of sitar playing. However, he didn't have money enough to buy his own instrument and pay for his lessons, so he took a job in the instrument shop of Yogesh Chandra Chakraborty. He started making his own sitars and soon found that local musicians praised his work.

Career

Roy started his own shop in 1942 and spent his whole life researching the various aspects of sound, design, and composition as they impacted the sitar. His brief studies in different styles of playing gave him not only a craftsman's eye for the making of a sitar, but also a player's ear for its sound, and he quickly developed original avenues in terms of look and tonal quality. For instance, he made the tabli (wooden cover on top of the gourd) and the Dandi (the neck) strong enough to withstand heavier strokes and tapings on thicker strings, thus making it more appropriate for meend (bending), an essential element of

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, sit ...

Honors

For his lifetime achievements, Roy was honoured in 1971 by the cultural forum called "Nikkon" in Kolkata. In the 1980s, he was selected by Vishwabharati University as a member of their interview board. Roy died in December 1992, but his tradition has been carried on by his sons. Oldest son Himangshu ran the business until his own early demise in 1997. Fourth son Amit pursued a career as a sitarist, leaving the shop to now be run by third son Barun. Like his father a musician and an innovator, Barun has won praise from great musicians for maintaining the family quality and also adapting to changing times. The Hiren Roy shop also produces other Indian instruments, including the

surbahar ''Surbahar'' (; ) sometimes known as bass sitar, is a plucked string instrument used in the Hindustani classical music of the Indian subcontinent. It is closely related to the sitar, but has a lower pitch. Depending on the instrument's size, it ...

and

tanpura The tanpura (), also referred to as tambura and tanpuri, is a long-necked plucked string instrument, originating in India, found in various forms in Indian music. It does not play melody, but rather supports and sustains the melody of an ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roy, Hiren 1920 births 1992 deaths Sitar makers Indian musical instrument makers 20th-century Indian musicians

Early life

Career

Honors

See also

References