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 this patron of the arts, such as Miyan Tansen, who was the most famous vocalist at the court, came from the town of Gwalior.
History.
The Gwalior Gharana evolved during the time of the Mughal Empire (1526CE 1857 CE). Among the early masters ("ustad") were Naththan Khan, Naththan Pir Bakhsh and his grandsons Haddu, Hassu and Natthu Khan. The head musician in the imperial court was Bade Mohammad Khan, who was famous for his "taan bazi" style. Both Bade Mohammad Khan and Naththan Pir Bakhsh belonged to the same tradition of Shahi Sadarang (also known as Nemat Khan, dhrupad singer and veena player in the court of Mohammad Shah (1702 CE 1748 CE).
Hassu Khan (died 1859 CE) and Haddu Khan (died 1875 CE) continued to develop the Gwalior style of singing. Haddu Khan's son Ustad Bade Inayat Hussain Khan (1852 1922) was also a singer but his style departed from the methodical Gwalior style.
Among the brothers' students were Vasudeva Buwa Joshi (died 1890), who became a teacher; and Ramkrishna Deva, who became a musician in Dhar. It was Ramkrishna Deva's student, Balakrishnabuwa Ichalkaranjikar (1849 1926) who brought the Gwaliori "gaeki" (singing style) to Maharashtra state.
Another prominent disciple of the duo was a Muslim dhrupad and dhamar singer from Amritsar, Miyan Banney Khan (1835 1910). He introduced Khyal in Punjab and Sindh and then took a musical position at the court of Nizam of Hyderabad. Miyan Banney Khan's pupils included his cousin, Amir Khan (also known as "Meeran Bukhsh Khan"), Gamman Khan, Bhai Atta, Ali Bukhsh ,Kale Khan, Mian Qadir (sarangi), Bhai Wadhawa and Bhai Wasawa.
These all disciples started their own Gharanas and their descendants are still the most respected musicians of the subcontinent. Amir Khan also shared Miyan Banney khan's cheejs with the pupils of Pt. Balkrishnabuwa Ichalkaranjikar when he stayed in Miraj for sometime. However, his disciples included among others his four sons. One of the sons, Pyare Khan, became a professional musician. Another son, Baba Sindhe Khan (1885 18 June 1950) became a music teacher and trained pupils such as the educator B. R. Deodhar (1901 1990); the singer Bade Ghulam Ali Khan (1902 1968), and Farida Khanam (born 1935).
On 19 August 1922, Pyare Khan performed at the second annual celebration of the independence of India. He became a mentor to a singer from Afghanistan, also performing at the celebration. This was the singer, Qasim Afghan ("Qasimju") (born 1878, Kabul). Pyare Khan also remained a musician at the court of Maharajadhiraj Maharawal (Sir Jawahir Singh) of Jaisalmer (1914 1949). He was also a teacher of Seth Vishandas of Hyderabad in Sindh near Karachi and Mahant Girdharidas of Bhuman Shah, Punjab.
Pyare Khan's sons were Umeed Ali Khan (1910 1979) and Ghulam Rasool Khan. They became respected classical vocalists of their times. Ghulam Rasool Khan had two sons, Hameed Ali Khan and Fateh Ali Khan.
Krishnarao Shankar Pandit (1893 1989) was a musician of the Gwalior gharana heritage. His father, Shankarrao Pandit was a student of Haddu Khan, Nathu Khan and Nissar Hussain Khan, Nathu Khan's son. Krishnarao Shankar Pandit practiced Khayal, Tappa and Tarana singing as well as layakari.
In 1914, Krishnarao Shankar Pandit opened a school in Gwalior, the Shankar Gandharva Mahavidyalaya. In 1921, he was awarded the title "Gayak Shiromani" at the All India Congress. Pandit became the court musician to Madhavrao Scindia of Gwalior; the State Musician of Maharashtra, an emeritus professor at Madhav Music College, Gwalior and an emeritus producer at All India Radio and Doordarshan. For his contribution to the world of classical music, he received awards including the Padma Bhushan in 1973 and the Tansen Award in 1980.
The students of Krishnarao Shankar Pandit included his son, Laxman Krishnarao Pandit, Sharadchandra Arolkar, Balasaheb Poochwale, and his granddaughter Meeta Pandit.
Pedagogical genealogy.
The following map is based on accounts that Makkan Khan and Shakkar Khan were not related. These accounts are supported by research indicating that Makkan Khan's descendants were dhrupadiyas and Shakkar Khan's descendants were khayaliyas, thus reflecting different genealogies.
Singing style.
A distinguishing feature of the gharana is its simplicity: well known "ragas" (melodic modes) rather than obscure ones are selected and "sapaat" (straight) taans (fast melodic sequences) is emphasized. While there is some limited "raga vistar" (melodic expansion) and "alankar" (melodic ornamentation) to enhance the beauty and meaning of the raga, there is no slow-tempo alap as in Kirana and there is no attempt to include "tirobhava" or melodic phrases to obscure the identity of the raga or add complexity. When the gharana is performed, the "bandish" (composition) is key as it provides the melody of the raga and indications on its performance. While doing "bol-baant" (rhythmic play using the words of the "bandish") the Gwalior style uses all the words of "sthayi" or "antara" in proper sequence, without disturbing their meaning.
The "behlava" is a medium tempo rendition of the notes which follows the pattern of the "aroha" (ascent) and the "avaroha" (descent) of the raga. The behlava is divided into the "asthayi" (notes from "Ma" to "Sa") and the "antara" (noted from "Ma", "Pa", or "Dha" to "Pa" of the higher register). The "asthayi" section is sung twice before the "antara". Then follows a "swar-vistar" in a medium tempo using heavy "meends" (glides) and "taans". The "dugun-ka-alap" follows in which groups of two or four note combinations are sung in quicker succession while the basic tempo remains the same. The "bol-alap" is the next part where the words of the text are sung in different ways. Then there is in faster tempo the "murki" where notes are sung with ornamentation. The "bol-taans" have melodic sequences set to the words of the "bandish". The other "taans", including the "gamak", follow.
The "sapat taan" is important to the Gwalior style. It is the singing of notes in a straight sequence and at a "vilambit" pace. Both Dhrupad and Khyal singing evolved in Gwalior and there are many overlaps. In the khyal style there is one form, "Mundi Dhrupad", that incorporates all the features of dhrupad singing but without the "Mukhda".
Common ragas include Alhaiya Bilawal, Yaman, Bhairav, Sarang, Shree, Hameer, Gaud Malhar, and Miya Ki Malhar.