Talk - The Violin in the Dilli Gharana of Music August 11, 2009

Talk - The Violin in the Dilli Gharana of Music by Asghar Husain. The violin came into use as an Indian musical instrument either with the Portuguese in the 16th /17th century or with the bandmasters of the British regiments in South India in the late 18th century. It has been adopted and used effectively in both North Indian and South Indian Music where legendary violinists like Pt. V.G Jog, Ustad Zahoor Ahmed Khan, Smt. N.Rajam and L. Subramaniam have taken it to dizzying heights. The violin is played differently by the Indian artist who sits cross legged with the end of the Violin resting on his right foot and also sounds very different due to the extensive use of micro-tones, and a choice of alternative tunings to utilise drone notes. The Dilli Gharana of music is one of the oldest styles of music in India tracing its history to the court of Sultan Altamash in the 13th century. It incorporates two simultaneous streams of musical focus: the sufiana, and the darbarithe music inspired by the sufic traditions, and that inspired by the courtly temperament. This gharana is also unique in having a large range of performers using different instruments the tabla, the sitar, the sarod and some excellent vocalists including its current khalifa Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan. But it is especially known for its outstanding sarangi players, an instrument very close to the violin. Ashgar Husain, a violinist is a student of Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan, a vocalist. This is not surprising as the sarangi/violin is supposed to resemble most closely, the human voice. Ashgar's father Ustad Anwar Husain was a famous tabla player of his time, but at a young age he started learning the violin under Ustad Gauhar Ali Khan and later the violin wizard of the Dilli Gharana Ustad Zahoor Ahmed Khan. He, therefore, brings to his art a rare combination of Indian classical music's rich heritage and Western music's modern and sophisticated manners. He is an 'A' grade artist of Akashvani and Doordarshan and has participated in prestigious music festivals all over India and in the UK, USA, Canada, Germany, France, Holland and the Middle East.

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