Ustad Bismillah Khan (born Qamaruddin Khan; 21 March 1916 – 21 August 2006) was a towering figure in Hindustani classical music, celebrated for transforming the shehnai from a folk and ceremonial instrument into a respected concert instrument....
Ustad Vilayat Khan (28 August 1928–13 March 2004) was a legendary Indian sitar maestro, born into the distinguished Imdadkhani (Etawah) gharana—one of the most storied lineages in Hindustani classical music. He began...
Pandit Ravi Shankar was born on April 7, 1920 in Varanasi and initially trained in dance before dedicating himself to music at age 18. He became a disciple of the legendary Ustad Allauddin Khan in...
Pandit Joydeep Ghosh is a distinguished Indian classical musician known for his mastery over the sarod, surshringar, and mohan veena. Born into a musical lineage and beginning his training at the tender...
Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty is one of India’s foremost Hindustani classical vocalists and an acclaimed exponent of the Patiala-Kasur gharana. Born in Kolkata on December 25, 1952, he was first trained by his...
The veena, also known as the been in North Indian languages, is a large plucked lute. It is undoubtedly one of India’s oldest instruments, dating from around the 1st millennium BC –...
Arati Ankalikar Tikekar, born on January 27, 1963 in Karnataka, is one of the most respected vocalists in the realm of Hindustani classical music. Her musical journey began under the tutelage of...
All Indian classical music attempts to imitate the nuances of vocal music, and instruments are often judged by their ability to either sound like human vocal chords or perform the same intricate...
A vocal performance of classical Indian music is ranked higher than a purely instrumental one (see ‘the pecking order’). Nowadays, it is more usual to have performances of khayal, as opposed to...
The sarangi is a short-necked string instrument of North India, played with a bow. It is thought to have evolved from traditional stringed and bowed instruments of Rajasthani folk music with subsequent...