Music

Session I

Izan Blanco Qureshy, "Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan: Examination of an Innovative and Hindustani Musician"

The 1900s contained one of North Indian classical music’s most influential musicians, Abdul Halim Jaffer Khan. He was a sitarist (Indian string instrument player) who won among the highest awards in Indian arts (the Sangeet Natak Akademi and Padma Bhushan awards). He was known for innovating the “Jafferkhani Baaj” sitar style, contributing to cultural fusion in music by playing with Jazz musician Dave Brubeck and guitarist Julian Bream, playing and composing in numerous movies in the mid-1900s, and held a high reputation amongst other sitarists. However, there is a lack of scholarly work covering him. This research aims to summarize his accomplishments through a literature review covering journals, books, newspaper articles and electronic media, and a series of interviews with his son. While there was enough content for a rough draft of a research paper on him, there remains potential for more examination on him and other under-reported Indian musicians.

Student Major(s): Physics and Music Major

Advisor: Dr. Max Katz