Ram Narayan

Ram Narayan (; 25 December 1927 – 9 November 2024), often referred to with the title Pandit, was an Indian musician who popularised the bowed instrument ''sarangi'' as a solo concert instrument in Hindustani classical music and became the first internationally successful ''sarangi'' player.

Narayan was born near Udaipur and learned to play the ''sarangi'' at an early age. He studied under ''sarangi'' players and singers and, as a teenager, worked as a music teacher and travelling musician. All India Radio in Lahore hired Narayan as an accompanist for vocalists in 1944. Narayan relocated to Delhi following the partition of India in 1947, and moved to Mumbai in 1949 to work in Indian cinema.

Narayan became a concert solo artist in 1956, performing at the major music festivals of India. Narayan recorded solo albums and made his first international tour in 1964 to America and Europe with his older brother Chatur Lal, a ''tabla'' (hand drum) player who had toured with Ravi Shankar in the 1950s. He was awarded India's second highest civilian honour, the Padma Vibhushan, in 2005.

Early life

Ram Narayan was born on 25 December 1927 in Amber village, near Udaipur in northwestern India.Sorrell 1980, p. 11 His great-great-grandfather, Bagaji Biyavat, was a singer from Amber, and he and Narayan's great-grandfather, Sagad Danji Biyavat, sang at the court of the Maharana of Udaipur. Narayan's grandfather, Har Lalji Biyavat, and father, Nathuji Biyavat, were farmers and singers, Nathuji played the bowed instrument '' dilruba'', and Narayan's mother was a music lover.Sorrell 1980, p. 13

Narayan's first language was Rajasthani and he learned Hindi and, later, English.Qureshi 2007, p. 108Qureshi 2007, p. 109 At the age of six or so he found a small ''sarangi'' left by the family's ''Ganga guru'', a genealogist, and was taught a fingering technique developed by his father.Sorrell 1980, p. 14Bor 1987, p. 149 Narayan's father taught him, but was worried about the difficulty of playing the ''sarangi'' and its association with courtesan music, which gave the instrument a low social status.Sorrell 2001, p. 637 After a year, Biyavat sought lessons for his son from ''sarangi'' player Mehboob Khan of Jaipur, but changed his mind when Khan told him Narayan would have to change his fingering technique. Narayan's father later encouraged him to leave school and devote himself to playing the ''sarangi''.

At about ten years of age, Narayan learned the basics of ''dhrupad'', the oldest genre of Hindustani classical music, by studying and imitating the practice of ''sarangi'' player Uday Lal of Udaipur, a student of ''dhrupad'' singers Allabande and Zakiruddin Dagar.Bor 1999, p. 180 After Uday Lal died of old age, Narayan met travelling singer Madhav Prasad, originally of Lucknow, who had performed at the court of Maihar.Bor 1987, p. 151Sorrell 1980, p. 15 With Prasad, Narayan enacted the ''ganda bandhan'', a traditional ceremony of acceptance between a teacher and his pupil, in which Narayan swore obedience in exchange for being maintained by Prasad.Sorrell 1980, p. 17

He served Prasad and was taught in ''khyal'', the predominant genre of Hindustani classical music, but returned to Udaipur after four years to teach music school. Prasad later visited Narayan and convinced him to resign his position and dedicate his time to improvement as a musician, although the idea of giving up a steady career was not well received by Narayan's family. He stayed with Prasad and travelled to several Indian states until Prasad fell ill and advised him to learn from singer Abdul Wahid Khan in Lahore.Sorrell 1980, p. 16 Following Prasad's death in Lucknow, Narayan enacted the ''ganda bandhan'' with another teacher who gave him lessons, but soon left for Lahore and never performed the ritual again.

Career

Narayan travelled to Lahore in 1943 and auditioned for the local All India Radio (AIR) station as a singer, but the station's music producer, Jivan Lal Mattoo, noticed grooves in Narayan's fingernails: ''sarangis'' are played by pressing the fingernails sideways against three playing strings, which strains the nails. Mattoo instead employed Narayan as a ''sarangi'' player. Traditionally, the ''sarangi'' is supposed to play after the singer and imitate the vocal performance, and play in the space between phrases.Sorrell 1980, p. 21 Mattoo advised Narayan and helped him contact ''khyal'' singer Abdul Wahid Khan, a rigorous teacher under whom Narayan learned four ''ragas'' through singing lessons.Sorrell 1980, p. 19 Narayan was allowed sporadic solo performances on AIR and began to consider a solo career.Sorrell 1980, p. 20

After the partition of India in 1947, Narayan moved to Delhi and played at the local AIR station. His work for popular singers increased his repertoire and knowledge of styles.Neuhoff 2006, pp. 911–912 Narayan played with the classical singers Omkarnath Thakur, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Hirabai Badodekar, and Krishnarao Shankar Pandit, and he accompanied singer Amir Khan in 1948, when Khan sang for the first time at AIR Delhi following the partition. As an accompanist for vocalists, Narayan showed his own talent and came to the foreground. Singers of the city complained that he was not a dependable accompanist and too assertive, but he maintained he wanted to keep vocalists in tune and inspire them in a cordial contest.Sorrell 1980, p. 20–22 Other ''tabla'' (percussion) players and singers, including Omkarnath Thakur and Krishnarao Shankar Pandit, expressed admiration for Narayan's playing.Sorrell 1980, p. 22

Narayan became frustrated with his supporting role for vocalists and moved to Mumbai in 1949 to work independently in film music and recording.Sorrell 1980, p. 23Qureshi 2007, p. 107 He recorded three solo 78 rpm gramophone records for His Master's Voice in 1950 and an early ten-inch LP album in Mumbai in 1951, but the album was not in demand.Bor 1987, p. 152 The Mumbai film industry offered a good salary and obscurity for work that would have lowered his stature among classical musicians. For the next 15 years he played and composed songs for films, including ''Adalat'', '' Gunga Jumna'', '' Humdard'', '' Kashmir Ki Kali'', ''Madhumati'', ''Milan'', ''Mughal-e-Azam'', and ''Noor Jehan''.Qureshi 2007, p. 119Alt URL
/ref> For "Chalte Chalte" of 1972 film '' Pakeezah'', composer Ghulam Mohammad made Narayan give 21 takes for the desired effect. Narayan was considered a desired choice of film music director O. P. Nayyar.

Narayan performed in Afghanistan in 1952 and in China in 1954 and was well received in both countries.Sorrell 1980, p. 25 His first solo concert at a 1954 music festival in the Cowasji Jehangir Hall, Mumbai, was cut short when an impatient audience, waiting for performances by famous artists, drove him from the stage.Sorrell 1980, p. 24 Narayan pondered giving up the ''sarangi'' and becoming a singer. He later regained confidence, performed solo for smaller crowds, and was favourably received in his second attempt to play solo for a Mumbai music festival in 1956. He has since performed at the major music festivals of India. Narayan later gave up accompaniment; this decision carried a financial risk because interest in solo ''sarangi'' was not yet substantial.

After ''sitar'' player Ravi Shankar successfully performed in Western countries, Narayan followed his example.Bor 1992, p. 48 He recorded solo albums and made his first international tour in 1964 to America and Europe with his older brother Chatur Lal, a ''tabla'' player who had toured with Shankar in the 1950s.Sorrell 1980, p. 26–27 The European tour included performances in France and Germany (sponsored by the Goethe-Institut) and at the City of London Festival, England.

Beginning in the 1960s, Narayan often taught and gave concerts outside of India. On his Western tours he encountered interest in the ''sarangi'' because of its similarity to the cello and violin. The ''tabla'' player Suresh Talwalkar became a frequent accompanist for Narayan in the late 1960s. The music of Ram Narayan and Chatur Lal is featured in the 1965 anti-war film Good Times, Wonderful Times by American filmmaker Lionel Rogosin. Narayan continued to perform and record in India and abroad for the next decades and his recordings appeared on Indian, American, and European labels. During the early 1980s he typically spent months each year visiting Western nations. A 1989 UK performance of Bhairavi was covered by the Kronos Quartet on their 2009 album ''Floodplain''. Narayan performed less frequently in the 2000s and rarely in the 2010s.

Style

Narayan's style is characteristic of Hindustani classical music, but his choice of solo instrument and his background of learning from teachers outside his community were not common for the genre.Sorrell 1980, p. viii He stated that he aimed to please the audience and create a feeling of harmony, and expected the audience to reciprocate by reacting to his playing.Sorrell 1980, p. 29–31

Narayan's performances were strung together from the meditative and measured ''alap'' (non-metrical introduction) and '' jor'' (performance with pulse) in ''dhrupad'' style, followed by a faster and less reserved '' gat'' section (composition with rhythmic pattern provided by the ''tabla'') in ''khyal'' style.Sorrell 1980, p. 125 He experimented with a style of '' jhala'' (performance with rapid pulse) developed by Bundu Khan, but considered it more appropriate for plucked instruments and stopped performing it.Sorrell 1980, p. 111

The ''gat'' section included one or two parts with compositions.Sorrell 1980, p. 123 When he used two ''gats'', the first one tended to be at a slow or medium tempo, and the second one was faster; the ''gats'' were usually performed in the 16-beat rhythmic cycle ''tintal''.Sorrell 1980, p. 126 Narayan often completed performances with ''ragas'' associated with ''thumri'' (a popular light classical genre), which are referred to as ''mishra'' (Sanskrit: mixed) because they allow for additional notes, or with a '' dhun'' (song based on folk music).

Narayan practiced and taught using a limited number of ''paltas'', exercises in a small scale range that are used to prepare playing different numbers of notes per bow.Sorrell 1980, pp. 70–71 Derived from ''paltas'' are lengthy note patterns called ''tans'', which contain characteristic "melodic shapes" and were used by Narayan for fast playing.Sorrell 1980, p. 75 He used his left (fingering) hand for runs and to play an extended melodic range, and his right (bowing) hand for rhythmic accentuations. Narayan's fingering technique, his low right hand position, keeping the bow in a close to right angle to the string, and his use of the full bow length, were unusual among ''sarangi'' players.

Magriel described four stylistic choices by Narayan that deviate from tradition and were not commonly adopted by ''sarangi'' players: extended ''alap'' without accompaniment, replacing the usual fast section of the ''alap'' (''jhala'') with a set of ''tans'', performing ''gats'' influenced by an instrumental playing style while the fixed composition is based on vocal performance, and a fast repetition of scales that expands the sound into the higher and lower register as a stylistic device.

Narayan was associated with the Kirana ''gharana'' (stylistic school of Kirana) through Abdul Wahid Khan, but his performance style was not strongly connected to it.Sorrell 1980, p. 27 Most of Narayan's compositions were from the singing repertoire of his teachers and were modified and adapted to the ''sarangi''. He also created original compositions and in performance varied those he was taught.Sorrell 1980, pp. 127–128 Narayan did not favor the creation of new ''ragas'', but developed compound ''ragas'', including those of ''Nand'' with ''Kedar'' and ''Kafi'' with ''Malhar''.

Narayan used a ''sarangi'' obtained from Uday Lal and built in Meerut in the 1920s or 1930s in his concerts and recordings.Sorrell 1980, p. 55 He played on foreign harp strings to produce a clearer tone. Narayan experimented with modifications to his instrument and added a fourth string, but removed it because it hindered playing.Sorrell 1980, p. 56 In the 1940s, he exchanged gut with steel for the first string and found it easier to play, but reverted to using only gut strings because the steel string altered the sound.

Contributions and recognition

Narayan increased the status of the ''sarangi'' to that of a modern concert solo instrument, made it known outside of India, and was the first ''sarangi'' player with international success, an example later followed by Sultan Khan.Bor 1992, p. 78 Narayan's simplified fingering technique allowed for glide ('' meend'') and affected the modern ''sarangi'' concert style, as aspects of his playing and tone creation were taken up by ''sarangi'' players from Narayan's recordings.

Narayan taught at the American Society for Eastern Arts and the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Mumbai in the 1970s and 1980s, where he gave the first master class for ''sarangi''.Qureshi 2007, p. 130Qureshi 2007, p. 110 Narayan privately trained ''sarangi'' players, including his daughter Aruna Narayan, his grandson Harsh Narayan, and Vasanti Srikhande.Qureshi 2007, p. 126Qureshi 2007, p. 133 He also taught sarod players, including his son Brij Narayan, as well as vocalists and a violinist. In 2002, he taught 15 Indian students and more than 500 students in the United States and Europe had studied with him. ''Indian music in performance: a practical introduction'', released in 1980 by Neil Sorrell in cooperation with Narayan, was described as "one of the best presentations on modern North Indian music practice" by Hans Neuhoff in '' Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart''.

Narayan argued that appreciation of the ''sarangi'' and him came only after acknowledgment by the Western audience. He attributed the lack of ''sarangi'' students to a lack of competent teachers and said that the Indian government should assist in preserving the instrument. The Pt (Pandit) Ram Narayan Foundation in Mumbai awards scholarships to ''sarangi'' students. Narayan has stated he was skeptical the ''sarangi'' would survive and said he would never give up promoting the instrument.

Narayan received the national awards Padma Shri in 1976, Padma Bhushan in 1991, and Padma Vibhushan in 2005. The Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian honor, was presented by Indian President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. Narayan was awarded the Rajasthan Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for 1974–75 and the national Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for 1975, and was made a fellow of the Rajasthan Sangeet Natak Akademi for 1988–89. He received the Kalidas Samman from the Government of Madhya Pradesh for 1991–92 and was presented with the Aditya Vikram Birla Kalashikhar Puraskar in 1999 by P. C. Alexander, governor of Maharashtra. He received the Rajasthan Ratna for 2013, was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Honour – Classical at the 4th Global Indian Music Academy Awards 2014, and was awarded the Pandit Bhimsen Joshi Lifetime Achievement Award for 2015–2016 in the field of classical music by the government of Maharashtra. The biographical film ''Pandit Ramnarayan – Sarangi Ke Sang'' was shown at the 2007 International Film Festival of India. A ''sarangi'' owned by Narayan is on display in a gallery of musical instruments of the Sri Shanmukhananda Fine Arts & Sangeetha Sabha in Mumbai as of December 2020. He was honored with the Sur Jyotsna National Music Awards "Legend" in 2024

Personal life

Narayan shared a close relationship with his older brother, Chatur Lal, who learned the ''tabla'' primarily to accompany his brother's ''sarangi'' playing. Lal studied under ''tabla'' teachers in his youth, but later turned to farming. Lal visited Narayan in 1948 in Delhi after Narayan had become a professional ''sarangi'' player, and Narayan convinced Lal to work as a ''tabla'' player at the local AIR station.

Lal toured with instrumentalists Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan in the 1950s, and helped popularise the ''tabla'' in Western countries.Naimpalli 2005, p. 107 When Lal died in October 1965, Narayan had difficulty performing and struggled with alcoholism, but overcame the addiction after two years. Narayan assisted his brother's four children after their father's death. Chatur Lal's son, Charanjit Lal Biyavat, is a ''tabla'' player and has toured Europe with Narayan.Sorrell 1980, p. 28

Narayan's wife Sheela, a homemaker, came to Mumbai in the 1950s; they had four children.Qureshi 2007, p. 131 She died prior to 2001. His oldest son, sarod player Brij Narayan, was born on 25 April 1952 in Udaipur, and his daughter Aruna Narayan was born in 1959 in Mumbai. She was the first woman to give a solo ''sarangi'' concert and emigrated to Canada in 1984. Another son, Shiv, who is a year younger than Aruna, learned to play the ''tabla'', and toured Australia with his father. Brij Narayan's son, Harsh Narayan, plays the ''sarangi''. In 2009, Narayan performed at BBC's The Proms in the Royal Albert Hall, London, with Aruna, and he played at the 2010 Sawai Gandharva Music Festival, Pune, with Harsh.

Narayan was a Hindu and had stated "music is my religion", arguing that there was no better access to divinity than music. He died on 9 November 2024, at the age of 96, in his residence in Bandra, Mumbai. His funeral was performed with state honors.

Discography

Writings

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See also

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Notes

References

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External links

Archived official website
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Narayan, Ram
1927 births
2024 deaths
20th-century Indian male musicians
All India Radio people
Articles containing video clips
Hindustani instrumentalists
Indian Hindus
Indian male classical musicians
Musicians from Mumbai
People from Udaipur district
Rajasthani people
Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts
Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts
Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in arts
Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sarangi players