Ramkrishnabuwa Vaze, also known as Vazebuwa, (28 November 1871 – 5 May 1945) was a

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 ...

ian of the Gwalior tradition known for his impact on popularizing classical music and its impression on Natyageet in the early half of the 20th century.

Background

Born in Vazare, Maharashtra in 1871, Vaze lost his father at an early age and was brought up by his mother. He studied briefly in school. With an interest in music surpassing academics, Vaze's mother helped him take lessons in music from several teachers, spending several years moving around. He learned from musicians like Balwantrai Pohre and Vitthoba Hadap of

Malwan Aagar faliya (also known as Malvan aagar faliya) is a small Indus Valley civilisation site, located at Valsad district in Gujarat, India. This site is, sometimes, considered one of the southernmost limits of Indus Valley civilisation, the other o ...

. After being married and taking up household duties, Vaze set out to pursue music.

Music career

Training

With Gwalior regarded as the home of khayal music at the time, many traveled there to learn music. After traveling to Pune, Bombay, Indore Ujjain, and Benaras, Vaze met Bade Nissar Hussain Khan, the son of Natthe Khan, and became his disciple. Though experiencing suffering and hardship, Vaze remained focused on music, and accumulated a repertoire of rare compositions from his guru.

Court Musician

He was honored as a court musician of Nepal.

Popularity

Recordings

Recording and releasing several

78 rpm A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog signal, analog sound Recording medium, storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove ...

records in 1933, Vaze's fame grew nationally and particularly in

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...

Natya Sangeet

Between 1920 and 1931, Vaze was engaged as composer by the Lalitkaladarsh Sangeet Natak Mandali and the Balwant Sangeet Mandali. Reputed actor-singers trained under him during this period, like

Dinanath Mangeshkar Deenanath Mangeshkar (; 29 December 1900 – 24 April 1942) was a well-known Marathi theatre actor, a Natya Sangeet musician and a Hindustani classical vocalist. He is also the father of well-known singers Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Meena Kh ...

. Vaze was respected for bringing "serious music" and rare compositions to the masses and has been attributed with cultivating a popular audience for classical music.

Musical style

Historians note how Vaze excelled at layakari, clear and forceful

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, and powerful gamaks. His style became so iconic that

B. R. Deodhar Professor B. R. Deodhar (11 September 1901 – 10 March 1990) was an Indian classical singer, musicologist and music educator. He was a vocalist of Khayal-genre of Hindustani classical music. He was awarded the 1964 Sangeet Natak Akademi Fell ...

referred to his style as "Vaze gayaki." He was responsible for bringing many little known ragas to light and as a composer, his specialty was bandishes in fast tempo. He specialized in rare raags like Gaud Kalyan, Gaudgiri, and Nat Bilawal.

Legacy

Vaze is known as one of the most famous exponents 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 ...

and a genius composer. He published books and articles on classical music, rare for artists of that time. Vaze taught many disciples, several of whom have left indelible marks on the course of

Indian music Owing to India's vastness and diversity, Indian music encompasses numerous genres in multiple varieties and forms which include classical music, folk (Bollywood), rock, and pop. It has a history spanning several millennia and developed ove ...

, including Shivrambuwa Vaze (his son), Keshavrao Bhosle, Bapurao Pendharkar,

Gururao Deshpande Guru Rao Deshpande (1889–1982) was a singer from Karnataka, India. His father, Narayanrao Deshpande, was a Carnatic musician who planned for his son to become a lawyer. However, the young Gururao had exhibited an intense attraction for Hin ...

Vinayakrao Patwardhan Pandit Vinayak Narayan Patwardhan (22 July 1898 – 23 August 1975) was an Indian vocalist of Gwalior gharana (style of singing) of Indian classical music. __TOC__ Early life Vinayakrao's uncle Keshav Rao Koratkar was his first music ...

and others.

Swami Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda (; ; 12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta (), was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the intro ...

and Vaze were admirers of one another and the former and blessed the latter.

Personal life

Vaze was regarded by peers and students as an eccentric. He lived in Pune. He died 5 May 1945.

Discography

Bibliography

* ''Sangeet Kala Prakash'' (1938, two volumes)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vaze, Ramkrishnabuwa Hindustani singers 20th-century Khyal singers Singers from Maharashtra Indian Hindus People from Sindhudurg district Marathi-language singers 1871 births 1945 deaths Kirana gharana 20th-century Indian male classical singers 19th-century Indian male classical singers