The Orgins of Gharana & its Development

The term Gharana is very important and unique topic in the field of music – both vocal and instrumental. It is a term used to describe an important style of music.

Oral tradition or the unwritten tradition developed in India through generations based on the teachings that pupils received directly from their masters (Guru). Be it music, dance, painting or architecture it is rooted in some oral tradition. Not only in  arts, various other disciplines like mathematics, medicine, astrology, astronomy, religion, tantra or languages were orally transmitted from the master to pupil.

Music can be learnt only through Guru-Shishya Parampara, without which music cannot be preserved. Only in Sangeet one can observe the closeness of a student and Guru. If we did not have families following our musical tradition, then the ancestral property of our music would not have been safe. A Guru is considered as practitioner of Naad-Brahm who on understanding and experiencing Naad can guide his or her pupil on its secrets and differences.

The term Gharana is a very commonly used term in Hindustani classical music. It has been derived from 'Ghar' in Hindi, which is again a derivative of the Sanskrit noun, 'Griha'. Both in Hindi and Urdu, Gharana is a collective noun denoting those who live under the same roof; therefore, a family, a clan or a lineage. It may be mentioned here that the term has been chiefly associated with the genre of Khayal but its diverse connotations include various forms of vocal and instrumental music.

We cannot exactly say when the term Gharana came into existence. Most scholars agree that the concept of Gharana is 250-300 years old. Even in the times of Dhrupad we had the four Banis which can be referred to as four Gharanas. Before these there were four Mutts namely – Shiv, Hanuman, Bharat, Narad Mutt which were like Gharanas. Hence, we can say that there were initial forms of Gharana even in ancient times, but was called by different terms like Bani, Mutt. 

According to Pandit Sharangdev

Susampradaayon Geetagnye Geeyate Gaayanaagrani

In the Sangita Ratnakara the term Sampradaya is used which means followers of a tradition or style of music. We do not hear of the word Gharana before the period of Mian Tansen.  During the reign of Akbar, Tansen was a great exponent of the Dhrupad Gayaki. The earlier Dhrupad Gayaki was characterized by the bani. From the family of Tansen, had started the concept of Gharana. The sons and daughters of Tansen were called Senia who sang Dhrupad and played the Veena. Their sons and daughters were called Baniye who sang Dhrupad and played the Rabab. 

During the Mughal rule, Sangeet and Gayaki was about expressiveness and adding beauty to the presentation. The musicians were under the patronage of the rulers and hence spent their maximum time on developing their musical sensibilities. This led to a complete change in the tastes and likes of the singers and musicians. All the singers had developed different styles/ genres in sangeet based on their individual tastes and likes. Music was held with high reverence in the courts of kingdoms due to the musicians and Gharanedar Gayaki. The concept of Darbar music was very popular and vocalists held a prime spot in such concerts. Such Darbars provided financial stability to the musicians. The innovator of the style had his or her own students who continued the tradition similarly. In all these Shishya Paramparas, slowly newer styles were created and the concept of Gharana developed in vocal, instrumental and dance. 

Every Gharana has discernable features which revolved around – Raga interpretation, way notes are sung, emphasis on Swar and Laya, Bandish, way Taans are used. Over a period, the musical families were associated with the place giving rise to the names of Gharanas. These regions favored some Raga and developed their own style of presentation. They used various embellishments to beautify the Raga but ensuring that the grammer was intact. 

With time, the tastes of people had changed and from Dhrupad, Dhamar and Khayal Gayaki rose to fame in the royal courts. The musicians of the medieval period were very keen on preserving their Parampara through their Shishyas and with care, would teach music to their students. These singers had developed and taught Khayal Gayaki, in place of Dhrupad and Dhamar. During the time when both Dhrupad and Khayal Gayaki was popular, the scholars in music were proficient in both the styles. It is said that during the reign of Allaudin Khilji, Amir Khusrau had composed Chota Khayals from the Qawaalis and Sultan of  Jaunpur Hussain Shakri had popularized format of Bada Khayal and composed many Bandishes. Sadarang and Adarang were very renowned singers of their time whose legacy is still cherished through their inumerable compositions in Khayal. With time the Khayal Gayaki took prominence and the Dhrupad style slowly faded. 

The main form of music was vocal music whose very nature was different for each person. During ancient times, Sangeet which is Gayan, Vadan, Nritya all were performed in unison in a single style. But when the concept of Guru-shishya Parampara developed, the students were taught the nuances of Swar and Gayaki.

Up on the fall of Mughal Empire and rise of British Empire, smaller princely states had cropped up in India. In each of these princely states hosted some musician-instrumentalist for the Darbar. These musicians were living leisurely way and when any student approached for learning, he would be shunned away. Only those students who stayed on with the Guru for a long time would learn a little more, when there was not much service to be done to the Guru. It was in these houses that the deep mysteries of the voice and Raga were revealed to the students such as Gamak, Meend, Kan, Khatka. 

The Gurus efforts would go on for years and through rigorous training, the voice of the student would become cultured. Some adopted the styles as per their capabilities and tastes – some developed on the Alaapchaari, some on Taan, some on Bol-Taan and some on difficult Layakari and so on. When they become proficient artiste, they begin to teach in their own way wherein differences start to appear in the style of teaching and performance. The styles of every Guru will bear their individuals mark and hence is different. Hence the vocal Gharanas started to develop based on this organic nature of teaching and performing music. From the singing style or Gayaki, evolved the concept of Gharanas. There was no permission to hear other singers or without the Guru, the student cannot perform anywhere. In this way there was not much pressure on the student and his thoughts will not wander away. But this was also bad as in case the student was under a bad teacher; he will never be able to realize the problem till it’s too late. 

The Guru Shishya Parampara tradition of teaching and propagating music lead to the sustenance of Gharanas, where teacher trains students, who later train many more students and so on. This propagation of tradition, style in music is called as Gharana or Bani. Only through years of practice can a worthy student be able to emulate the singing or playing style of their Guru. Music of the Gharana grew disciple by disciple. The practitioners of a single gharana bring in much of their individual styles yet keeping the framework of their Guru’s style, which over the years become an ocean by itself. 

According to Shri. Deshpande, a Gharana can be called so, if it has existed for at least 3 generations. It is only through Gharana, the correct application of Swar and Shruti can be transmitted to students.

According to Prof. Ramanlal Mehta, Gharana has an important place in the context of Indian music. There are many skills and arts in this country which even today some castes and families have preserved within their fixed scope. As a result, the arts of India have been protected for thousands of years and through this system many fine, priceless, arts have been protected. Similarly, some specific traditions of music continue to be preserved and developed from generation to generation in a particular family. Such tradition is named 'Gharana'. 

According to Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Music was something divine and therefore, highly individualistic. while it had to be taught in a rigorous manner to an enlightened Shishya, the style of an Ustad in many cases, did work as an inhibiting factor in ultimately developing the Shishayas own genius. Music is like an ocean and the individual can master every technique though the medium of Gharana only.

It is said Vansho Dvividhaajanma Vidhyayaa cha

It has been said, "Dynasties are two-pronged, through learning and through birth."  meaning, the descendants run in two ways, one from birth and the other from learning. 

All persons born in a house have a family or household, similarly all the disciples who have received knowledge from a Guru also run a family. 

Shri Vamanrao Deshpande has defined Gharana as a Family, a term applied to a school of music, comprising a creative innovating Founder, his pupils and those who follow in the line of discipleship. Every upcoming artist always possesses some heritage handed down by tradition to which he makes his own addition. If he achieves eminence and sets up his own school of followers, he becomes a pioneer of a new style.

Dr. Aban A. Mistry has given a very beautiful definition of Gharana, according to him, an extraordinary, talented, powerful, ambitious and capable person of something special, when building an innovative imagination in his traditional lore. In the creation of his art, the full characteristic of a different approach emerges, which will later be contracted by certain rules and principles. The style of other people makes such a difference in the confines of that style that the isolation can be recognized instantly, then that style becomes the gharana, played with pride and fanatics by the disciple tradition. Respect, love and sense of courtesy to the giver of the family can be considered as the basic source of the traditional development of the gharana, the ability to follow their rules verbally and the pride, and instinct of pride.

Even today when the word Gharana evokes feelings of the nobility and dignity with which musicians of yesteryears have practiced and passed on the art form. Gharanedar singing is a prominent feature of Hindustani music, where the singer does not recognize his character or son with blood, but rather with his voice. 

Gharana has proved to be a high school for the promotion of Indian singing. The music of the Gharanas has been especially related to the Dhrupad tradition of Tansen and the Khayal tradition of Sadarang and Adarang. It is only through Gharana that we can evaluate music, historically.

According to Dr. Jayashree Banerjee, The traditional method of teaching our classical music has generally been informed by the philosophy and methodology of the Guru - Shishya - Parampara. Indeed, the musical proficiency blossomed largely through an accumulation of technique and skill being handed down from father to son or from Guru to Shishya. Thus, emerged in India a self-immersed musical culture usually confined to the charmed circle of a few Gharanas. The Gharanas stressed mainly on the performed music, practical. They dwell relatively little on theoretical ideas and concepts of history. Musicians memorized the traditions handed down by their musical ancestors. Customarily the Shishya or disciple, absorbed without question all that his Guru taught, and so analytical and objective judgement was never developed in the students.

When the topic of Gharana is discussed there are various facets which come to one’s mind on how one associates a musical piece to a specific Gharana. Some of the key discerning pointers towards tracing a Gharana are listed below

1. For a tradition to be called a Gharana, it must be at least 3 generations old.

2. Students of a Gharana must observe the voice and absorb the Gayaki of their Guru in their practice.

3. Every Gharana has its own tastes for Ragas and Bandishes which is popularized by the proponent.

4. The concept of Gharana is based upon Gayaki and hence students must imbibe all the characteristics of Gharana 

5. Production of sound and vocal techniques

6. Emphasis on Swar and intonation

7. Treatment of Vowels Aakaar and Eekaar

8. The Vazan or weight with which the vowels are employed with or without the word

9. Treatment of Anunasik or nasal swars

10. The beginning Aochar 

11. Raga Vistaar and Alaap

12. Emphasis on Laya and Taal

13. Affinity to certain Taals and Laya

14. Affinity to Ragas

15. Employment of musical ornaments

16. Usage of Taan patterns

17. Importance to Bandish and construction of Bandish

18. Method of progression from Vilambit to Drut section

There were many individuals whose singing or playing was considered a Gharana  itself. They had used their own thoughts and styles like Ustad Alladiya Khan Gharana. Pandit Omkarnath Thakur, Pt Vinayakrao Patwardhan, Pt Ravishankar, Kumar Gandharv, Bhimsen joshi were all considered a Gharana by themselves.

In the world of rhythm, Ustad Ahmed Jaan Thirakwa was a mighty tablist. Pt Kishan Maharaj and Ustad allah rakha were world famous bringing new thoughts and ideas in their playing styles.

Breaking away from the Gharanedar Gayaki, VN Paluskar and VN Bhatkande had started a revolution by bring music to the masses by starting colleges across the country. 

Today there are musicians who claim to belong to a Gharana in spite of not having been trained under it, purely by imitating the style. Then there are musicians who have learnt under a Gharana only but do not consider themselves to belong to it and sometimes branch off to form a new Gharana . Many artistes have learnt from masters of different Gharana and perform a mixed style and appear as individual artsites. 

Hence Gharana as a concept is constantly evolving and a lot of variability is hence evident.

Gharanas in the Vocal Tradition

1. Gwalior

2. Delhi

3. Jaipur

4. Kirana

5. Agra

6. Patiyala

7. Benaras

8. Mewati

Tabla Gharanas

1. Delhi

2. Lucknow

3. Benaras

4. Nana Panse

5. Kudau singh

6. Mangal Bedekar

Sitar Gharanas

1. Seniya

2. Imdadkhan

3. Lakhanvi

The decline in tradition of Gharana has started many years ago. The artists faced a lot of difficulty when the zamindari ended. To satisfy different types of listeners, many artists did not remain fixed in their own style, they also adopted the characteristics of other Gharana. Apart from this, even today in the education system, there are teachers of different styles in schools, so no one style takes root. 

Today there are few musicians who are actual representatives of the original Gharana. The reason for this decline in patronage is due to the continuity of teaching by the guru and learning from the student. Both these have invariably changed over time.

Music Education through Varsity

There has not been as much emphasis on the Gharana in the modern period due to the introduction of music as a subject in music schools and educational institutions. Attention is being paid to the development of music through the establishment of music schools, development of Sabhas, compilation of ancient compositions, use of scientific instruments, Notation system, curriculum fixation etc and in the end the concept of Gharana is losing its presence. With a fixed curriculum and learning period in schools and colleges, students gain theoretical knowledge with some practical knowledge. But further nuances of Ragadari can only be learnt under a Guru. In a school or College, the duration of course is fixed with multiple teachers belonging to different gharanas. Hence there is no possibility of developing a specific style in such schools. 

Music Education from different Gurus

Artistes of today learn from many gurus who belong to different gharanas and try to present a unique aspect of their Gayaki which mixes the best of various masters. Hence the artiste themselves do not wish to associate with a particular Gharana.

Recorded Music & Media 

Major changes have happened in the way music training is imparted. Other influences such as TV, Radio and recorded music has led to easy access for music of all gharanas at a click of a button. Hence the rigidity and orthodoxy of Gharanas are getting reduced. An artiste can now listen and adopt the intricacies of various
Gharanas in his or her Gayaki. Hence todays artistes are imbibing the various aspects of other Gharanas to develop their own unique style which reflect their emotions and sentiments. 

With the advent of Radio and other forms of media, the lines between gharanas are slowly disappearing as musicians have started to imbibe the aspects of various Gharanas. The rigidity and orthodoxy of Gharana is fast disappearing because they are no longer closed systems. One can imbibe the various features and intricacies of other Gharanas, and a novel performance can be made by mixing all the elements of various Gharanas.

Changes in Audience & Taste

From the perspective of the audience, the ability to appreciate and identify the Gharanedar Gayaki has also reduced over time with the general taste of the audience being influenced by Tayyari and good voice.

Students also have different capabilities from the perspective of voice and heart. They imbibe what they can by listening to various artistes and suit their mentality and capability. As time goes, individualistic styles which incorporate various features of Gharanas will be heard. This itself will bring new innovative ideas in presentation of music.