Awareness about the Kirana Gharana grew with the rising status of BeenkarBande Ali Khan in the Gwalior Court and Indore Court in the mid-19th Century.[3] Due to his fame, members of his extended family, such as vocalists Abdul Karim Khan and Abdul Wahid Khan, began describing themselves as from the same gharana. The Kirana Gharana takes its name from the birth place of Bande Ali Khan, Kairana, though the family is said to originate from Saharanpur District.[4][5] Bande Ali Khan is arguably the most influential Hindustani Classical instrumentalist of the 19th Century.[6] In its initial decades, the importance of Kirana Gharana was derived from his status. Since, the fame of Abdul Karim Khan and Abdul Wahid Khan extended the gharana's name which came to be associated with singing.
The Kirana Gharana includes an extensive family of musicians and their traditions which can be distinguished by four lineages: that of Bande Ali Khan, Abdul Karim Khan, Abdul Wahid Khan, and Fayyaz Ahmed & Niyaz Ahmed Khan.
Bande Ali Khan
Bande Ali Khan was one of the most influential musicians in the 19th Century. Though he directly taught few musicians, his influence expanded to many other musicians and their gharanas. Those claiming to be his disciples come from Mewati Gharana, Etawah Gharana, Sonipat-Panipat Gharana, Indore Gharana, and others.
Abdul Karim Khan
Bhimsen Joshi, among the most famous members of the Kirana Gharana and heir of Abdul Karim Khan's style.
Abdul Karim Khan was one of the most influential classical musicians in the 20th Century. He was an extremely popular musician across the subcontinent. His success proved highly influential in popularizing the Kirana Gharana.
A frequent visitor to the Court of Mysore, Abdul Karim Khan was also influenced by Carnatic music.
Owing to his popularity, most contemporary Hindustani musicians from Karnataka are exponents of Kirana gharana, and Kirana gharana in turn has absorbed many of the features of the Carnatic tradition. The border region between Karnataka and Maharashtra is particularly associated with this gharana.[2]
Brothers Fayyaz Ahmed & Niyaz Ahmed Khan became popular in the 1960s due to their jugalbandi performances.[8] The duo earned much appreciation and respect from musicians, critics, and audiences.[9] They represent a branch of the Kirana Gharana family distinct from Bande Ali Khan, Abdul Karim Khan, and Abdul Wahid Khan, but share the same ancestors.
Philosophy
Aesthetics
Vocalism
Photograph of Abdul Karim Khan who was celebrated for the extraordinary sweetness and tunefulness of his voice.
The central concern of the Kirana style is swara, or individual notes, in particular precise tuning and expression of notes. In the Kirana Gayaki (singing style), the individual notes (swaras) of the raga are not just random points in the scale, but independent realms of music capable of horizontal expansion. Emotional pukars in the higher octaves form a part of the musical experience. Another unique feature of this gharana is the intricate and ornate use of the sargam taan (weaving patterns with the notations themselves) introduced by Abdul Karim Khan under influence from the Carnatic classical style.[1][2]
Tempo
In the late nineteenth century Abdul Karim Khan and Abdul Wahid Khan revolutionized the khayal gayaki by introducing the vilambit (a slow tempo section) to delineate the structure of the raga note by note.[7]
Repertoire
Ragas
Photograph of Gangubai Hangal with her daughter and student, Krishna Hangal. Both have become regarded for bringing feminine sensibilities to the Kirana style.
^Divekar, Hindraj; Tribhuwan, Robin D. (2001). Rudra Veena: An Ancient String Musical Instrument. Discovery Publishing House. p. 34. ISBN9788171415816.
^Neuman, aniel M. (1990). The Life of Music in North India: The Organization of an Artistic Tradition. University of Chicago Press. p. 268. ISBN9780226575162.
^Sanyal, Ritwik; Widdess, Richard (2023). Dhrupad: Tradition and Performance in Indian Music. Taylor & Francis. p. 117. ISBN9781000845433.
^ abcde"Kirana gharana". ITC Sangeet Research Academy website. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
^Nadkarni, Mohan (1999). The Great Masters: Profiles in Hindustani Classical Vocal Music. HarperCollins Publishers India. p. 29. ISBN9788172232849.
^Mukherjee, Kumar Prasad (2006). The Lost World of Hindustani Music. Penguin Books. p. 292. ISBN9780143061991.
^Mukherjee, Kumar Prasad (2006). The Lost World of Hindustani Music. Penguin Books. p. 292. ISBN9780143061991.
^Dasasarma, Amala (1993). Musicians of India: Past and Present Gharanas of Hindustani Music and Genealogies. Naya Prokash. pp. 133, 134, 142, 143, 145, 222. ISBN9788185421186.
^Khanna, Amit (2019). Words. Sounds. Images.: A History of Media and Entertainment in India. HarperCollins India. p. 1846. ISBN9789353573522.
^Shafi, Afshana (2017). The Legacy of Gangubai Hangal. Horizon Books. p. 93. ISBN9789386369567.
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