Indore gharana is one of the

vocal The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound production i ...

gharana In Hindustani music (North Indian classical music), a ''gharānā'' is a system of social organisation in the Indian subcontinent, linking musicians or dancers by lineage or apprenticeship, and more importantly by adherence to a particular mus ...

s of

Indian classical music Indian classical music is the classical music of the Indian subcontinent. It has two major traditions: the North Indian classical music known as '' Hindustani'' and the South Indian expression known as '' Carnatic''. These traditions were not ...

. It was founded by Amir Khan, who studied the styles of

Abdul Wahid Khan Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan (1871–1949) was an Indian subcontinental singer from the Kirana gharana. He died in 1949 in Saharanpur, India.

Aman Ali Khan Ustad Aman Ali Khan ‘Amar’ (1888–1953) was an Indian classical vocalist and composer from the Bhendibazaar Gharana The Bhendibazaar gharana is one of the vocal gharanas of Indian classical music, which originated in Bhendi Bazaar area of ...

, Rajab Ali Khan and

Abdul Karim Khan Ustad Abdul Karim Khan (Devanagari: उस्ताद अब्दुल करीम ख़ान, Persian: ) (11 November 1872 – 27 October 1937)Indore Indore () is the largest and most populous Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of both Indore District and Indore Division. It is also considered as an education hub of the state and is t ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

but he did not like the factionalism inherent in the

tradition. In an interview to Akashvani,

Indore Indore () is the largest and most populous Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It serves as the headquarters of both Indore District and Indore Division. It is also considered as an education hub of the state and is t ...

, he said: Performances in the Indore gharana are noted by the

vilambit ''Vilambit'' (Hindi: ; also called ''vilambit laya'') 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 ...

tempo in the style of

Abdul Wahid Khan Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan (1871–1949) was an Indian subcontinental singer from the Kirana gharana. He died in 1949 in Saharanpur, India.

, and the

taan ''Taan'' (Hindi: , ur, ) is a technique used in the vocal performance of a raga in Hindustani classical music. It involves the improvisation of very rapid melodic passages using vowels, often the long "a" as in the word "far", and it targets a ...

s reminiscent of Rajab Ali Khan. The merukhand structure is similar to that practiced by

of the

Bhendibazaar gharana The Bhendibazaar gharana is one of the vocal gharanas of Indian classical music, which originated in Bhendi Bazaar area of Mumbai in 1890. History and features The Bhendibazaar gharana was founded around 1890 by brothers Chhajju Khan, Nazir Khan ...

. The khayal gayaki in the 'Indore gharana' retains the slow development and restraint from frills as in the

dhrupad Dhrupad is a genre in Hindustani classical music from the Indian subcontinent. It is the oldest known style of major vocal styles associated with Hindustani classical music, Haveli Sangeet of Pushtimarg Sampraday and also related to the South Ind ...

. Mohan Nadkarni says of Amir Khan's music that whereas

Bade Ghulam Ali Khan Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan (2 April 1902 – 23 April 1968) was an Indian Hindustani classical vocalist, from the Patiala gharana.Amir Khan's music was an introverted, dignified 'darbar' style Amir Khan's conviction about the importance of poetry in khyal compositions (he used to compose under the pen name, Sur Rang), has also marked the singing of the 'Indore gharana'. Characteristics of the Indore gharana include: * slow-tempo raga development * improvisation mostly in lower and middle octaves * tendency towards serious and expansive (darbari) ragas * emphasis on melody * bol

alap The Alap (; ) is the opening section of a typical North Indian classical performance. It is a form of melodic improvisation that introduces and develops a raga. In dhrupad singing the alap is unmetered, improvised (within the raga) and unaccompani ...

and sargam using

merukhand Merukhand is an improvisational style in Hindustani classical music involving permutations of a fixed set of swaras or notes (''meru'', axis or skeleton) broken up in various ways (''khand'', fragment), while retaining the proper emphasis on variou ...

patterns * sparing application of

murki Murki is a short taan or inverted mordent in Hindustani classical music, known as ''pratyahatam'' in Carnatic music. It is a fast and delicate ornamentation or '' alankar'', employing two or more notes and is similar to a mordent or ''ulta mur ...

and other embellishments to preserve introspective quality * use of kan swaras (

acciaccatura In music, ornaments or embellishments are musical flourishes—typically, added notes—that are not essential to carry the overall line of the melody (or harmony), but serve instead to decorate or "ornament" that line (or harmony), provide added ...

) in all parts of performance * rare use of

tihai ''Tihai'' (pronounced ti-'ha-yi) is a polyrhythmic technique found in Indian classical music, and often used to conclude a piece. Tihais can be either sung or played on an instrument. Tihais are sometimes used to distort the listeners’ percept ...

* careful enunciation of text of

bandish Bandish, cheez or gat is a fixed, melodic composition in Hindustani vocal or instrumental music. It is set in a specific raga, performed with rhythmic accompaniment by a tabla or pakhawaj, a steady drone, and melodic accompaniment by a sarangi, vi ...

- the bandish performance may or may not include antara * multiple laya (tempo) jatis in a single taan * mixture of taan types in a single taan * use of ruba'idar

tarana ''Tarana'' is a type of composition in Hindustani classical vocal music in which certain words (e.g. "odani", "todani", "tadeem" and "yalali") based on Persian and Arabic phonemes are rendered at a medium (''madhya laya'') or fast (''drut laya'') ...

(considered similar to chhota khyal) After Amir Khan's death in a car accident in

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 ...

in 1974, the "Indore gharana" has become a powerful stream in modern Hindustani music. Direct disciples of Amir Khan included Pandith Amarnath, Shankar Lal Mishra, Kankana Banerjee, Purvi Mukherjee, and others. However, a number of influential musicians including Sultan Khan (sarangi player) have developed their music under 'Indore gharana' influence.

Prominent exponents

Gokulotsavji Maharaj Gokulotsavji Maharaj is a Hindustani classical musician, specializing in Khayal, Dhrupad Dhammar, Prabandh Gayaki and various other ancient indian musical styles. He is also a singer-cum-composer, writer, poet, and musicologist. He composes mus ...

* Kankana Banerjee * Shanti Sharma * Baldev Raj Verma * Ramneek Singh * Akhil Kumar Das * Amarjeet Kaur (a disciple of Ustad Amir Khan and Pandit Amarnath)

References

{{Reflist Vocal gharanas Culture of Indore