Gharanas of Hindustani music
A gharana is a lineage of musicians with a shared style, usually named after the city or court where it grew.
What the paper can ask
- Ten prominent khayal gharanas include Gwalior, Agra, Kirana, Patiala and Jaipur-Atrauli, differing in ornamentation, improvisation and rhythm.
- Dhrupad traditions include Dagar, Bishnupur and Darbhanga; thumri, the lighter romantic form, has its own regional styles, the Benares and Lucknow styles being the best known.
- Six tabla gharanas are widely accepted: Delhi (the oldest), Lucknow, Benares, Punjab, Farrukhabad (the youngest) and Ajrada.
- The word comes from ghar, 'house'; lineages grew from hereditary families into chains of disciples (silsila) under the guru-shishya tradition.
Why exams ask
Which singer belongs to which gharana, who founded it and where, and which drum goes with which genre are the usual questions.
The full story
In Hindustani (north Indian) classical music a gharana (from ghar, house) is a lineage of musicians linked by family or by teacher-student descent, and above all by a shared musical style: its ornamentation, its way of improvising and its sense of rhythm. Gharanas took their names from the places or courts that nurtured them after musicians moved from Delhi to princely courts in the late 1600s.
Test yourself
1.Which Kathak gharana is known for grace, elegance and a greater emphasis on abhinaya (acting)?
Correct. Lucknow stresses grace and expression; Jaipur stresses technique and spins; Banaras footwork and Krishna stories.
Not quite. Lucknow stresses grace and expression; Jaipur stresses technique and spins; Banaras footwork and Krishna stories. It goes into your error book.
2.Which fretless lute of Hindustani music is associated with Ali Akbar Khan and Amjad Ali Khan?
Correct. The sarod is a fretless lute with a metal fingerboard, which allows continuous glides (meend).
Not quite. The sarod is a fretless lute with a metal fingerboard, which allows continuous glides (meend). It goes into your error book.
3.Which barrel-shaped drum is the main percussion accompaniment in the dhrupad style?
Correct. The pakhawaj accompanies dhrupad and also kathak and odissi.
Not quite. The pakhawaj accompanies dhrupad and also kathak and odissi. It goes into your error book.