Hafiz Ali Khan (1888–1972) was an Indian

sarod The sarod is a stringed instrument, used in Hindustani music on the Indian subcontinent. Along with the sitar, it is among the most popular and prominent instruments. It is known for a deep, weighty, introspective sound, in contrast with the sweet ...

player.Brick, mortar & false notes
Dawn (newspaper), Published 29 April 2010, Retrieved 26 January 2018 A fifth-generation descendant of the

Bangash The Bangash, Bungish or Bangakh ( ps, بنګښ) are a tribe of Pashtuns, inhabiting their traditional homeland, historically known as Bangash district, which stretches from Kohat to Tall and Spīn Ghar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. They als ...

gharana (school or style) of sarod players, Hafiz Ali was known for the lyrical beauty of his music and the crystal-clear tone of his strokes. The occasional critic has, however, observed that Khan's imagination was often closer to the semi-classical

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 ...

idiom than the austere

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 In ...

style prevalent in his times. He was a recipient of the civilian honour, the

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

Award, in 1960.

Early life and background

A son of the sarod player Nanneh Khan, Hafiz Ali grew up in a community of sarod players, and it is likely that he studied with his father and a number of his proximate disciples. He later took lessons from his cousin Abdulla Khan, nephew Mohammad Amir Khan, and finally the beenkar Wazir Khan of Rampur. Wazir Khan was supposedly a direct descendant of the legendary

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 Pr ...

, through the lineage of the latter's daughter. Notably, Allauddin Khan of Maihar was also a pupil of Wazir Khan in Rampur in the same period. It said that Hafiz Ali later studied dhrupad and thumri with Ganeshilal Chaubey in Mathura and Bhaiya Ganpatrao, respectively.

Performing career

Hafiz Ali's regal appearance and electrifying charisma made him one of the most sought-after musicians of his time, which was no mean feat for an instrumentalist in an era largely dominated by vocal music. Old-timers who have seen him in concert recall his stage presence and musicianship with reverence and awe. While still a court musician in

Gwalior Gwalior() is a major city in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; it lies in northern part of Madhya Pradesh and is one of the Counter-magnet cities. Located south of Delhi, the capital city of India, from Agra and from Bhopal, the s ...

, he would undertake numerous trips to Bengal, where he performed at major music festivals, and taught a number of disciples. Khan's music found generous patrons in two Bengali aristocrats, Raychand Boral and Manmatha Ghosh, both of whom studied with him at various points. Haafiz Ali Khan was also appreciated in the Viceregal firmament of colonial India for his unique, stylized renditions of "

God Save The King "God Save the King" is the national and/or royal anthem of the United Kingdom, most of the Commonwealth realms, their territories, and the British Crown Dependencies. The author of the tune is unknown and it may originate in plainchant, b ...

" on his sarod.

Legacy

Hafiz Ali died in 1972, at the age of 84 in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Ho ...

. A road in his name was inaugurated by the Chief Minister, Smt.

Sheila Dikshit Sheila Dikshit () (née Kapoor; 31 March 1938 – 20 July 2019) was an Indian politician. The longest-serving Chief Minister of Delhi, as well as the longest-serving female chief minister of any Indian state, she served for a period of 15 ye ...

on 10 February at PWD Road. This is the 2nd entry road to

Nizamuddin Railway Station Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station (station code: NZM) is a railway station in South Delhi, India. It is under the administrative control of the Delhi Division of the Northern Railway zone of the Indian Railways. It is one of the five main sta ...

. This is the only road named after an artist after Tansen and Thyagaraja in the capital city. This road is about 300 metres long.

References

External links

An official biography of Hafiz Ali Khan on Amjad Ali Khan's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Hafiz Ali 1888 births 1972 deaths Hindustani instrumentalists Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Sarod players People from Gwalior 20th-century Indian male classical singers Indian music educators

Early life and background

Performing career

Legacy

See also

References

Further reading

External links