Omrao Khan beenkar was a vina wizard of the 18th century. He was a descendant of
Naubat Khan
Naubat Khan (also known as Ali Khan Karori) was an Indian classical music composer, musician and instrumentalist who was made a Mansabdar by Mughal Emperor Akbar. He is known today for his skills with the ''rudra veena'' or ''bīn'', which he is sh ...
.
Early life
Omrao Khan beenkar was born in
Agra
Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is ...
to Naubat Khan II. He was the nephew of Nirmol Shah and first cousin of Pyar Khan, Jafar Khan and Basit Khan, of
Awadh
Awadh (), known in British historical texts as Avadh or Oudh, is a region in the modern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, which was before independence known as the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. It is synonymous with the Kośāla region of ...
. He came to
Banda
Banda may refer to:
People
*Banda (surname)
*Banda Prakash (born 1954), Indian politician
*Banda Kanakalingeshwara Rao (1907–1968), Indian actor
*Banda Karthika Reddy (born 1977), Indian politician
*Banda Singh Bahadur (1670–1716), Sikh warr ...
on the invitation of Nawab of Banda. Omrao Khan had two sons
Ameer Khan beenkar and Rahim Khan. Ameer Khan was the father of legendary vina player
Wazir Khan.
Career
The court of Maharaja
Udit Narayan Singh
Maharaja Udit Narayan Singh was the eldest surviving son of Maharaj Mahip Narayan Singh, Udit Narayan Singh Sahib Bahadur (1770 – 4 April 1835, r. 12 September 1795 – 4 April 1835) became the new king of Benares. He was a nationalist and a b ...
of
Banaras
Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.
*
*
*
* The city has a syncretic tra ...
was the home of the one of the foremost bin playing lines of the time.Topmost among the musicians of banaras and first among all contemporary musicians named by Karam Imam is Omrao Khan. Omrao Khan was the master of Nawab of Banda 'Hashmat Jung' or
Ali Bahadur II Ali Bahadur II (1832–1873) (r. 1850–1858) was the last ruler (''Nawab'') of Banda. He decided to join the Indian Rebellion of 1857, he joined forces of Rani of Jhansi, Rao Sahib and Tantia Tope and was one of Major Commanders of Rebel force at ...
who participated in the 1857 war of independence.Ali Naqi the prime minister of
Awadh
Awadh (), known in British historical texts as Avadh or Oudh, is a region in the modern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, which was before independence known as the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. It is synonymous with the Kośāla region of ...
and Raja sahab Rewa also learnt music under his instruction.
Surbahar
Omrao Khan invented
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 taught it to his disciple Ghulam Mohammad at Banda.
See also
*
Sadarang
Sadarang (1670–1748) was the pen name of the Hindustani musical composer and artist Naimat Khan, who was active in the eighteenth century. He and his nephew Adarang changed the Khayal style of Hindustani music into the form performed today. Na ...
*
Wazir Khan (Rampur)
Ustad Mohammad Wazir Khan (1860-1926) served as the head of Arbab-e-Nishat (Music Department of Rampur State) during the period of Nawab Hamid Ali Khan of Rampur. He was also an excellent playwright who established the Rampur theatre in the buil ...
*
Tansen
Tansen ( – 26 April 1589), also referred to and commonly known as Sangeet Samrat () , was a Hindustani classical musician. Born in a Hindu Gaur Brahmin family, he learnt and perfected his art in the northwest region of modern Madhya Pra ...
*
Naubat Khan
Naubat Khan (also known as Ali Khan Karori) was an Indian classical music composer, musician and instrumentalist who was made a Mansabdar by Mughal Emperor Akbar. He is known today for his skills with the ''rudra veena'' or ''bīn'', which he is sh ...
*
Kishangarh
Kishangarh is a city and a Municipal Council in Ajmer district in the Indian state of Rajasthan.
History
Kishangarh State was founded by the Jodhpur prince Kishan Singh in 1609. Prior to the rule of Kishan Singh this area was ruled by Ra ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Omrao
18th-century Indian musicians
Indian royalty
Mughal nobility
Indian Shia Muslims
Hindustani instrumentalists
Indian male classical musicians