RASHID KHAN
The Most Incredible Exponent of the Rampur Sahaswan Gharana
Born in 1966, Rashid Khan comes from the great lineage of traditional musicians, amongst whom Ustad Mushtaq Husain Khan and Ustad Nisar Husain Khan are the well known masters, who brought fame to the Rampur-Sahaswan Gharana.
Groomed under the tutelage of Ustad Nisar Husain Khan, Rashid has already developed into an artist of great maturity, and is considered to be one of the torch-bearers of the new generation of singers in the world of Hindustani Classical Music.
Rashid's grooming under Ustad Nisar Husain Khan began as early as 1972. A perfect example of the traditional Gurukul system, Rashid is acknowledged to be one of the perfect exponenents of the Rampur-Sahaswan Gharana.
Rashid appeared for his first public performance in 1977. Since then he has performed regularly at various important classical concerts. Amongst these the notables are ITC Sangeet Sammelan at Delhi in 1979, Bombay Gharana Sammelan in 1981,
Sawai Gandharva Sammelan in 1987 and 1990, Tansen Sangeet Sammelan in 1988. In 1989 the maestro visited the United States and Canada. He has also performed in the United Kingdom, France, Italy and Japan.
Rashid's steadiness in rendition, clarity of "Taans" and precision of "Swaras" are truly remarkable. The essential characteristics of his approach include the permutation and the rare combination of a raga elaboration with step-by-step progression with the introduction of a
brilliant variety of subtle grace notes.
Connoisseurs have been wonderstruck by the fine balance between his technical virtuosity and his aesthetic creativity,
as also by his sense of symmetry and logic in musical effects. The depth of his rich and sonorous voice, remarkable
for its grave tonal reserve and stamina, reverberates among music lovers and his legion of fans throughout India and
across the world. Rashid has been winning accolades for all aspects of his performance - voice, phrasing, virtuosity,
sensitivity and excelling himself in every facet of KHAYAL singing, be it in ALAP, slow or fast tempo BANDISHES,
BOL-BANTH or TAAN, besides exercising absolute control over SUR and TAAL. A performance of his usually ends
with a TARAANA on popular demand.
His sense of loyalty and pride in belonging to the Rampur-Sahaswan Gharana notwithstanding, Rashid has always
been prepared to learn and incorporate the best from other gharanas into his renditions... many feel that it is this
attitude of his towards music which lends a personal touch to his renditions of various RAGAS with just the right kind
of improvisation. Above all, Rashid has, in abundant measure, that rare quality called TAASIR, that indescribable
ability to create a genuine impact on listeners. This ability has endeared Rashid to connoisseurs and laymen alike,
and made him a great favourite of Indian classical music lovers.
For all the heady success Rashid has achieved, he wears his fame lightly, remaining withdrawn and publicity-shy. An
embodiment of humility, Rashid Khan believes that he is very much in the process of learning, and still has a long way
to go....(from www.rashidkhan.com)
The Rampur Sahaswan Gharana
The Rampur-Sahaswan gharana,as it has now come to be known,was established by Ustad
Inayat Hussain Khan Saheb (1849-1919),the son-in-law of the legendary Usatd Haddu Khan
Saheb of the Gwalior gharana.
Ustad Inayat Khan's father,Ustad Mahboob Khan,was a well-known khayal singer in the court of
the Nawab of Rampur.Ustad Inayat Khan received his "taalim" from Ustad Bahadur Hussain
Khan, a direct descendent of Mian Tansen.Subsequently, he also learnt his music from Ustad
Haddu Khan of Gwalior.It is for this reason that the Rampur-Sahaswan gharana is considered
as an offshoot of the Gwalior gharana.
Ustad Inayat Hussain
Khan
Rampur, in those days, was the centre of the 'dhrupad' tradition in both the forms of
music-vocal and instrumental. Ustad Inayat Hussain Khan's brother-in-law, Ustad Haider Khan
(1857-1927), was another prominent Sahaswan gharana singer who was a musician in the court
of the Nawab of Rampur. As Ustad Inayat Hussain Khan hailed from the nearby Sahaswan
village, this tradition came to be known as the Rampur-Sahaswan gharana which owes its
allegiance to the senia traditions and has a great lineage of vocalists like Ustad Wazir Khan,
Ustad Bahadur Hussain Khan, Ustad Inayat Hussain Khan, Ustad Fida Hussain Khan, Ustad
Mushtaq Hussain Khan, Ustad Nissar Hussain Khan, Ustad Jaffar Hussain Khan, Ustad Ghulam
Mustafa Khan,Sulochana Brihaspati and Rashid Khan.----from www.rashidkhan.com
The characteristic features of the Rampur gharana are that the alaap follows the structure of the bandish and is almost sung as part of it, rather than as separate element in itself. The stress in alaap is to develop the emotional content of the raga. Again borrowing from Gwalior gayaki is the emphasis on literary content that is the bandish itself rather than solely the notes of the raga, as followed by the Kirana tradition. Other features of distinction include speed in taan execution as well as the ability to conclude a taan on the note ‘sa’ to bring out tonal clarity. The tăns of this gharana are executed in the characteristic style, and end on the shadja. The number of tăns popular in the Rampur-Sahaswan style is far more than in the other gharanas, and includes sapat-tăns, halaq-tăns, chut-tăns, bol-tăns, and tappa tăns. Tarana singing involves the use of non-meaning symbols, and is a part of the vocal repertoire of this gharana. Ragas often sung under the Rampur Sahaswan tradition include, Bhupal -Todi, Bahaduri-Todi, Gaud - Sarang.
Discography
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