The Agra gharana is a tradition of Hindustani classical vocal music descended from the Nauhar Bani. So far, Nauhar Bani has been traced back to around 1300 AD, during the reign of Emperor
Allauddin Khilji
Alaud-Dīn Khaljī, also called Alauddin Khilji or Alauddin Ghilji (), born Ali Gurshasp, was an emperor of the Khalji dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate in the Indian subcontinent. Alauddin instituted a number of significant administrative ...
of
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
.
The first known musician of this tradition is Nayak Gopal. The style prevalent then in the Gharana was "
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 I ...
- Dhamar". Ghagghe Khudabuksh (1790–1880 AD) introduced the "Khayal" style of
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 ...
into Agra gharana which Khudabaksh learnt from Natthan Paribaksh of Gwalior.
Pedagogical genealogy
The following maps are based on recorded accounts by
Vilayat Hussain Khan
Ustad Vilayat Hussain Khan (1895–1962) was an Indian classical singer and teacher belonging to the Agra gharana (singing style).
Vilayat composed bandishes in many ragas under the pen name "Pran Piya".Yunus Hussain Khan
Yunus ibn Matta ( ar, يُونُس ٱبْن مَتّىٰ, Yūnus ibn Mattā) is a prophet and messenger of God (Allah). Yunus is traditionally viewed as highly important in Islam as a prophet who was faithful to God and delivered his messages. ...
.
Ancestral Lineage
Distinguishing characteristics
The gayaki (style of singing) of the Agra Gharana is a blend of khayal gayaki and dhrupad-dhamar. In training, both the khayal and dhrupad components run hand in hand and are not taught in an isolated fashion. This is obvious from the method of singing notes of the Agra Gharana which demands that the projection of voice be more forceful and voluminous than usually encountered in khayal gayaki, as well as uttering notes open and bare (without grace notes).
Most khayal performances by artists of Agra gharana commence with the nom-tom alaap, a tradition unique to the Agra gharana. Different facets of a raga are displayed with the help 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, ...
while the
raga
A ''raga'' or ''raag'' (; also ''raaga'' or ''ragam''; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a melodic mode. The ''rāga'' is a unique and central feature of the classical Indian music tradition, and as ...
is elaborated using vistaar.
The gharana adopts a kind of voice production which relies on a flatter version of the vowel sound "a", which makes its music agreeable to rhythmic variations and is best suited for a deep masculine voice. Emphasis is laid on bold, full-throated and robust voice production, and singing in the lower register (mandra) is favoured. Keeping in tune with its dhrupadic origins, the singers use broad and powerful ornamentations (gamaks), extensive glides (meends), and resonant articulations of notes. As with the Gwalior gharana, the Agra singers accentuate the importance of the bandish and its methodical exposition. Singers following Faiyaz Khan's style resort to the dhrupadic nom-tom alaap before singing the bandish. The singers of this gharana are also great masters over layakari or the rhythmic component. In fact, layakari is the foundation on which the singers build the edifice of the bandish. Agra singers'
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 ...
s are eagerly awaited, as are their nifty ways of arriving at the same, by building up anticipation within the listener.
This is the only Gharana that has still continued to sing Dhrupad-Dhamar along with Nom-Tom Alap,
Khayal
Khyal or Khayal (ख़याल / خیال) is a major form of Hindustani classical music in the Indian subcontinent. Its name comes from a Persian/Arabic word meaning "imagination". Khyal is associated with romantic poetry, and allows the perfo ...
,
Thumri
Thumri () is a vocal genre or style of Indian music. The term "thumri" is derived from the Hindi verb ''thumuknaa'', which means "to walk with a dancing gait in such a way that the ankle-bells tinkle." The form is, thus, connected with dance, dr ...
,
Tappa Tappa is a form of Indian semi-classical vocal music. Its specialty is a rolling pace based on fast, subtle and knotty construction. Its tunes are melodious and sweet, and depict the emotional outbursts of a lover. Tappe (plural) were sung mostly by ...
,
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'' ...
Vilayat Hussain Khan
Ustad Vilayat Hussain Khan (1895–1962) was an Indian classical singer and teacher belonging to the Agra gharana (singing style).
Vilayat composed bandishes in many ragas under the pen name "Pran Piya".Pran Piya
Ustad Vilayat Hussain Khan (1895–1962) was an Indian classical singer and teacher belonging to the Agra gharana (singing style).
Vilayat composed bandishes in many ragas under the pen name "Pran Piya".Khadim Hussain Khan "Sajan Piya" (1907–1993)
*Latafat Hussain Khan "Prem Das"
*Ata Hussain Khan "Ratan Piya"
*Kaale Khan "Saras Piya"
*Bashir Ahmed Khan
*Aqeel Ahmed Khan
*Wasi Ahmed Khan
*Shabbir Ahmed Khan
*Naseem Ahmed Khan
* Sharafat Hussain Khan "Prem Rang" (1930–1985)
*Yunus Hussain Khan
*Yaqoob Hussain Khan
*Yusuf Hussain Khan
*Khurshid Hussain Khan
*Shamim Ahmed Khan
*Ghulam Rasool Khan
*Anwar Hussain Khan
*Ghulam Hussain Khan Raja Miyan
*Arif Hussain
*Asif Hussain
*
Shrikrishna Narayan Ratanjankar
Shrikrishna Narayan Ratanjankar born 31 December 1899 and died 14 February 1974. He was a distinguished scholar and teacher of Hindustani classical music, from the Agra gharana. Foremost disciple of Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande and Faiyaz Khan of Bar ...
"Sujan" (1900–1974)
*
Babanrao Haldankar
Srikrishna Haldankar (1927 – 17 November 2016), better known as Babanrao Haldankar, was an Indian classical singer, composer, and music teacher of Agra gharana of Hindustani classical music.
Life and career
Babanrao Haldankar was the son of ...
Subhra Guha
Subhra Guha (born 1956) is a vocalist in the Hindustani classical music tradition from the Agra gharana style of singing. Her repertoire covers khyals, thumri and dadra.
Biography
Subhra Guha was born in Calcutta in 1956. Her family encouraged ...
(b. 1956)
* Ustad Waseem Ahmed Khan (1988-present)
* Ustad Mohsin Ahmed Khan Niazi (1965-2020)
* Ahsan Ahmed Khan
* Mehboob Nadeem Sitar
ITC Sangeet Research Academy
ITC Sangeet Research Academy is a Hindustani classical music academy run by the corporate house, ITC Ltd. It is located in Kolkata, India. Noted musicians associated with the academy include Ulhas Kashalkar, Falguni Mitra, Ajoy Chakrabarty, U ...