Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, who passed away on 23 April 1968, aged 66, was an Indian vocalist, from the Kasur-Patialia Gharana and hailed from a family of musicians. Following partition of India in 1947, Kasur Tehsil was allocated to Pakistan.
He received his early training in vocals from his uncle Kale Khan
— who had been a court singer in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. He
also familiarised himself with the sarangi. Subsequently, he was trained by his
father Ali Baksh Khan.
His musical might first became evident when he found an audience for his “all-night riyaaz” in Kasur. His brothers Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan, Ustad Bharat Ali Khan and Ustad Amanat Ali Khan were also well-known contributors to the Kasur-Patiala gharana.
The most common epithet used to describe Ustad Ghulam Ali Khan is ‘Tansen of the 20th century’. Often referred to as Bade (older) Ghulam Ali Khan to differentiate him from other maestros of the same name, the genius musician was one of the most legendary thumri vocalists of all time, who took the Patiala Gharana, one of the schools of Hindustani classical music, to new heights.
Born in undivided Punjab, Bade
Ghulam Ali Khan found his home in India many years after Partition — he lived
in Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad, where he eventually passed away.
No comments:
Post a Comment