Ghagge Nazir Khan

"Ghagge" Nazir Khan
Bornc. 1850s
Agra
OriginMewat
Diedc. 1920
Bhopal
GenresIndian classical music
OccupationSinger of hindustani classical music
Years active1870s–1920s

Nazir Khan, more commonly known as "Ghagge" Nazir Khan or Jodhpurwale Nazir Khan,[1] (c. 1850s – c. 1920s) was an Indian classical singer and, along with his elder brother Wahid Khan, founded the Mewati gharana,[2] later popularized by Pandit Jasraj.[3]

Background

Nazir Khan was born in the 1850s to a family of Khandarbani dhrupad musicians based in Agra. His grandfather was Dada Tikkad. He was trained in singing and rudra veena by his father, Imam Khan, and uncle, Wazir Khan alongside his elder brother, Wahid.

Career

Nazir Khan was appointed the court musician of Jodhpur. There he was acquainted with the family of Bade Mubarak Ali Khan of the Qawwal Bacchon tradition. He began learning from Bade Mubarak Ali Khan's brother, Waris Ali Khan (son-in-law of Haddu Khan of Gwalior Gharana), and married his daughter.[4]

At Jodhpur, he found himself in the company of musicians like Alladiya Khan,[5] Aliya-Fatu, and more.[6]

After reconnecting with his brother, Wahid, in Bhopal, both relocated to the Gwalior Court where his brother's guru, Bande Ali Khan was a court musician. Having achieved a distinguished reputation, Nazir Khan continued his training with his in-laws, the family of Haddu Khan. He primarily studied with Chhote Mohammed Khan (the guru of Balkrishnabuwa Ichalkaranjikar) and may have also studied with Haddu Khan himself.[7][8]

At Gwalior, Nazir Khan achieved greater recognition as a leading singer. His daughter, Hamida, married into the family of Inayat Hussain Khan of the Rampur Sahaswan Gharana, Haddu Khan's student. During this time, he served as court musician in Gwalior to the Scindia Court.[9]

Later, he became court musician of Bhopal where he would remain until his death.[10]

Repertoire

Ramkrishnabuwa Vaze noted that Nazir Khan collected many compositions from Bade Nissar Hussain Khan.[11] Alladiya Khan noted the lasting, extraordinary impression that Nazir Khan's rendition of Raag Ramdasi Malhar had left on him. Alladiya Khan held Nazir Khan in great esteem and claimed to have understood how to render Raag Desi properly only after hearing Nazir Khan's rendition.[12]

Legacy

Due to his proficiency in Khandarbani gayaki and baaj, Nazir Khan was regarded for his voice quality.[5] The depth and resonance of his voice earned him the nickname "Ghagge."[13] His singing style integrated the Gwalior gayaki and Qawwal Bacchon gayaki.[14]

Disciples

Nazir Khan had four main disciples including his adopted son and younger brother, Munavvar, his nephew, Ghulam Qadir, and his friends, Pandit Chimanlal and Pandit Natthulal, the grandfathers of Pandit Maniram, Pandit Pratap Narayan, and Pandit Jasraj.[15][16]

Further reading

References

  1. ^ "A song of forever". Deccan Herald. 30 August 2020.
  2. ^ Nair, Jyoti (15 February 2018). "Pt Jasraj, a star of Mewati". The Hindu – via www.thehindu.com.
  3. ^ "Mewati Gharana". pjsm.
  4. ^ "Pandit Jasraj's Unfulfilled Quest to Find the Grave of Mewat Gharana's Founder". NewsClick. 18 August 2020.
  5. ^ a b Khan, Alladiya (2000). Khansahab Alladiya Khan, (as told to his grandson Azizuddin Khan). Thema. ISBN 81-86017-33-X.
  6. ^ Sharma, Manorma (2006). Tradition of Hindustani Music. New Delhi: A.P.H. Publishing Corporation. p. 162. ISBN 978-81-7648-999-7.
  7. ^ Khan, Vilayat Hussain (1959). Sangeetagyon Ke Sansmaran. New Delhi: New Hindustan Press. pp. 153–154.
  8. ^ Enlite. 6 (1–3). The University of Michigan: 17. 1969. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ^ Khan, Vilayat Hussain (1959). Sangeetagyon Ke Sansmaran. New Delhi: New Hindustan Press. pp. 147–148.
  10. ^ Nadkarni, Mohan (1999). The Great Masters: Profiles in Hindustani Classical Vocal Music. Rupa & Company. p. 38. ISBN 978-81-7223-284-9.
  11. ^ http://lib.unipune.ac.in:8080/xmlui/bitstream/handle/123456789/9379/11_chapter3.pdf?sequence=11&isAllowed=y [bare URL PDF]
  12. ^ Tembe, Govindrao (1984). Gayanacharya Alladiya Khan Yanche Charitra. Mumbai: Maharashtra Rajya Sahitya Sanskruti Mandal. p. 38.
  13. ^ "Pandit Jasraj on Longevity and Legacy". Medium. 5 July 2020.
  14. ^ "Pt. Jasraj I Speaks about Mewati Gharana of Indian Classical Music". 28 January 2016 – via www.youtube.com.
  15. ^ बदधिराजा, सनीता (2018). रसराज: पडित जसराज. Vāṇī Prakāśana.
  16. ^ Nair, Rajeev (2007). A Rasika's Journey Through Hindustani Music. Indialog Publications. p. 59. ISBN 978-81-8443-007-3.