Akbar, Father of H-M synthesis in modern Indian classical music

by Guest Sun Mar 19, 2017 4:05 pm

Mughal Music during Akbar

Music during Mughal Rule of Akbar : Like Babur, Akbar was devoted to music. Akbar paid much attention to music and was the patron of all who practice this enchanting art.

The Ain-i-Akbari, written by Abu’l-Fazl ibn Mubarak, suggests that there were 36 musicians of high grate in the Mughal court of Akbar. Akbar himself was a learned musician. He further studied Hindu vocalization under Lal Kalawant who taught him “every breathing and sound that appertains to the Hindi language.”

Tansen ( also Mian Tansen) was a great musician of Hindustani Classical music . He held a position of great importance in the court of Akbar. Mian Tansen is also regarded as one of the best musician in the history of India. Tansen is said to have invented some new ragas. He is even credited with the power of stopping the flow of the Yamuna with his music.

Another famous musician was Baba Ram Das.He seems to have been attached to Bairam Khan, who was so pleased with him on one occasion that he conferred upon him a big reward.

Another equally, perhaps more famous singer was Baba Hari Das who, though not mentioned in Abul Fazl’s list, was certainly a contemporary of Tansen and Akbar. Akbar is said to have paid a visit to him incognito at his hermitage in Vrindaban. Legend and folk tale have preserved the memory of this great saint and musician.

Sur Das, son of the celebrated singer Ram Das and one of the greatest Hindi poets of all times, was also a musician of Akbar’s court.

The emperor’s interest in and patronage of music led to great progress in the instrumental as well as the vocal art. At his court Hindu and Muslim music mingled and became one. The Mughals are credited for bringing about a fusion of two diverse systems of music and giving birth to the national Indian music.

http://www.importantindia.com/5264/mughal-music-during-akbar/

by Guest Sun Mar 19, 2017 4:57 pm

Akbar, the greatest of the Moghuls, had 36 court musicians — both Hindus and Muslims. Baz Bahadur, the Malwa king with a Hindu wife Rupmati, was one of them. Tansen was the pride of Akbar's court, and India.

It is now about 500 years since Tansen was born to the Brahmin poet-musician Makarand Pandey in Baher village near Gwalior. His birth itself happened under unique circumstances. His childless parents went to a Sufi fakir, Mohammud Ghaus, and soon after, were blessed with a child, whom they named Tanna. A few years later, the fakir came to Tanna's home, and removed some betel nut from his mouth and put it into Tanna's mouth, claiming the child as his own, renaming him as Ata Mohammed Khan. The child went on to become ‘Miyan' Tansen.

The young Tanna would sing at the local Siva temple. Later on, he composed songs on Siva and Krishna in Braj Basha. As a growing child, he could perfectly imitate bird calls and roar like a tiger to frighten trespassers. Once, some holy men were scared by his ‘roar;' Tanna apologised to them. They then suggested to Pandey that Tanna be sent to Swami Haridas, the famed music teacher-saint of Vrindavan.

An auspicious day was chosen, and Tanna went to live with his guru, learning all that the master had to teach him. He spent 10 years with Swami Haridas. The other students were Baiju Bawra, Ramdas, Raja Sanmukhan Singh of Ajmer, Manadali and Rani Mrignayani of Gwalior. The Raja of Ajmer accompanied Tansen on the veena, his favourite instrument.

It is thought that Emperor Akbar's daughter Meherunnisa was enamoured of Tansen and his music, and was responsible for his coming to Akbar's court. Akbar soon made him one of his Nine Gems at court, and bestowed upon him the title ‘Miyan.'

Codifying ragas

Tansen codified the confusing mass of ragas, making a list of about 400 properly delineated ones. He wrote ‘Sangita Sara' and ‘Rajmala.' Many ragas were composed by him, prefaced by the title Miyan — Miyan ki Todi, Malhar, Sarang, Maund and Rageshri. His Darbari was dedicated to his emperor.

Legend surrounded Tansen. A wild elephant was tamed by his music; flowers bloomed when he sang Bahar; his Megh Malhar brought rain; his Deepak created fires… Many are convinced that Tansen, who died in his 82{+n}{+d} year, was consumed by the flames created when he sang Deepak raga.

Tansen and his wife had five children -- four sons and a daughter, all musicians. His daughter Saraswati became a famous veena player. Tansen's sons played the rhabab, the string instrument modified by Tansen. Dr. Dabir Khan was one of Tansen's last descendants, who was employed by AIR, Calcutta.

Tansen lies buried next to the tomb of the fakir Mohammed Ghaus, in Gwalior. It was this fakir who had predicted his birth and glory. A tamarind tree grows over the grave, and it is believed that those who eat the leaves of this tree will be blessed with a beautiful singing voice. So many singers visit the place, and seek the blessings of Tansen.

http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/music/The-Tansen-legacy/article14958498.ece

by Seva Lamberdar Mon Mar 20, 2017 2:01 pm

Akbar was born and brought up in India and therefore a Hindustani by birth and bringing up. Thus there is no question for his contributions, directly or indirectly, in music or cuisine etc. to be considered as having the mughal connection or labeled as mughalai. They inherently, by virtue of Akbar's birth and bringing up in India, were nothing but Indian / Hindustani.

by MaxEntropy_Man Mon Mar 20, 2017 2:07 pm

The credit goes to the musicians. Thanking Akbar is like thanking Huzefa for the work of GanpatRam or Al Gore for the work of DARPA scientists.

by Guest Mon Mar 20, 2017 2:23 pm

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:The credit goes to the musicians. Thanking Akbar is like thanking Huzefa for the work of GanpatRam or Al Gore for the work of DARPA scientists.

the musicians would not have been able to do their job if Akbar had not sponsored and funded them. The credit goes to Akbar for being a patron of synthesis in Indian classical music.

by Guest Mon Mar 20, 2017 2:32 pm

Seva Lamberdar wrote:Akbar was born and brought up in India and therefore a Hindustani by birth and bringing up.Thus there is no question for his contributions, directly or indirectly, in music or cuisine etc. to be considered as having the mughal connection or labeled as mughalai. They inherently, by virtue of Akbar's birth and bringing up in India, were nothing but Indian / Hindustani.

this is a somewhat inaccurate assessment.

----

from VA Smith's 'Akbar the Great Moghul':

Akbar was a foreigner in India. He had not a drop of
Indian blood in his veins. On the father's side he was
a direct descendant in the seventh generation from Marlowe's
Tamerlane, the great Amir Timur, a Central Asian Turk. In
some manner, the exact nature of which is not known, he
was descended through a female from the same stock as
Chingiz Khan, the Mongol ' scourge of Asia ' in the thirteenth
century. The particular branch of the Turks to which
Akbar's ancestors belonged was known by the name of
Chagatai or Jagatai, because they dwelt in the regions
beyond the Oxus which had formed part of the heritage of
Chagatai or Jagatai, the second son of Chingiz.

The blood of the Turki tribes in Central Asia was much blended with
that of the Mongols. Jahanglr, Akbar's son, recognized the
relationship by priding himself on observing the customs
of Chingiz as well as the regulations of Timur. ' Mogul ',
the designation by which European writers usually indicate
the Timurid dynasty of India, is merely another form of
' Mongol '. Akbar was much more a Turk than a Mongol
or Mogul, and his mother was a Persian.

The character of Akbar, so far as it depended upon
heredity, was thus based on three distinct non-Indian
strains of blood existing in his proximate ancestors, namely,
the Turk or Turki, the Mongol or Mogul, and the Persian
or Iranian strains. The manners and customs of his court
exhibited features which were derived from all the three
sources, Turki, Mongol, and Iranian. During the early
years of his reign Indian influences counted for little, the
officers and courtiers surrounding him being divided into
two parties, the Turks— Mongol or Chagatai and Uzbeg —
on the one side, and the Persians on the other. But after
Akbar had attained maturity the pressure exercised by his
Indian environment rapidly increased, so that in sentiment
he became less and less of a foreigner, until in the later
years of his life he had become more than half an Hindu.
His personal conduct was then guided mainly by Hindu
dharma,* or rules of duty, modified considerably by the
precepts of Iranian Zoroastrianism. The Turki and Mongol
elements in his nature were kept so much in the background
that he was reputed by Hindus to be a reincarnation of
a Brahman sage.

https://archive.org/stream/akbargreatmogul100smituoft/akbargreatmogul100smituoft_djvu.txt

by MaxEntropy_Man Mon Mar 20, 2017 7:51 pm

Rashmun wrote:
MaxEntropy_Man wrote:The credit goes to the musicians. Thanking Akbar is like thanking Huzefa for the work of GanpatRam or Al Gore for the work of DARPA scientists.

the musicians would not have been able to do their job if Akbar had not sponsored and funded them. The credit goes to Akbar for being a patron of synthesis in Indian classical music.

Your obsession and gushing about Akbar is really pathetic. It's one thing to say that he did some positive political things, but it's entirely a different matter to misappropriate credit from musicians, scholars, and artistes and lay it at his feet. This is the height of misplaced adulation. One doesn't give Raja Rajan the credit for the literature, dance, music, and sculpture that flourished and came of age during his reign, or Queen Elizabeth I for Shakespeare's work.

It's a good thing Tansen had a sufficiently large ego that he called his creations Miyan ki Todi and Miya Malhar and not Jalaluddin Todi or Akbar ki Malhar.

I wish NCERT and other organizations entrusted with writing textbooks decreased the emphasis on monarchs a little and used the space savings to inform students about art, literature, mathematics, science, and culture of ancient India a little more. It's really a disservice. The result is a person like you obsessed with personalities from history but not very knowledgeable about things that really matter.

by Guest Mon Mar 20, 2017 8:43 pm

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:
Rashmun wrote:
MaxEntropy_Man wrote:The credit goes to the musicians. Thanking Akbar is like thanking Huzefa for the work of GanpatRam or Al Gore for the work of DARPA scientists.

the musicians would not have been able to do their job if Akbar had not sponsored and funded them. The credit goes to Akbar for being a patron of synthesis in Indian classical music.

Your obsession and gushing about Akbar is really pathetic. It's one thing to say that he did some positive political things, but it's entirely a different matter to misappropriate credit from musicians, scholars, and artistes and lay it at his feet. This is the height of misplaced adulation. One doesn't give Raja Rajan the credit for the literature, dance, music, and sculpture that flourished and came of age during his reign, or Queen Elizabeth I for Shakespeare's work.

It's a good thing Tansen had a sufficiently large ego that he called his creations Miyan ki Todi and Miya Malhar and not Jalaluddin Todi or Akbar ki Malhar.

I wish NCERT and other organizations entrusted with writing textbooks decreased the emphasis on monarchs a little and used the space savings to inform students about art, literature, mathematics, science, and culture of ancient India a little more. It's really a disservice. The result is a person like you obsessed with personalities from history but not very knowledgeable about things that really matter.

My knowledge of history is not obtained from school text books but from my own reading and also because i took a few history courses in college.

We don't know who the architects and builders of the Chola temples were; credit for building these temples is given to the Chola kings:

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/250

Just as the Chola kings get credit for their contribution to Indian architecture, similarly Akbar gets credit for his contribution to Indian music (through his patronage of it).

In several Indian classical and semi-classical songs there is a reference to a certain Muhammad Saab. This is a reference not to the prophet Muhammad but to Muhammad Shah Rangeela, a later Mughal who was a great patron of Indian classical music. So the musicians and poets of the later Mughal and post Mughal period are in agreement with me--a king's contribution to music (through patronage) deserves recognition and respect.

by Guest Mon Mar 20, 2017 8:54 pm

Rashmun wrote:
Seva Lamberdar wrote:Akbar was born and brought up in India and therefore a Hindustani by birth and bringing up.Thus there is no question for his contributions, directly or indirectly, in music or cuisine etc. to be considered as having the mughal connection or labeled as mughalai. They inherently, by virtue of Akbar's birth and bringing up in India, were nothing but Indian / Hindustani.

this is a somewhat inaccurate assessment.

----

from VA Smith's 'Akbar the Great Moghul':

Akbar was a foreigner in India. He had not a drop of
Indian blood in his veins. On the father's side he was
a direct descendant in the seventh generation from Marlowe's
Tamerlane, the great Amir Timur, a Central Asian Turk. In
some manner, the exact nature of which is not known, he
was descended through a female from the same stock as
Chingiz Khan, the Mongol ' scourge of Asia ' in the thirteenth
century. The particular branch of the Turks to which
Akbar's ancestors belonged was known by the name of
Chagatai or Jagatai, because they dwelt in the regions
beyond the Oxus which had formed part of the heritage of
Chagatai or Jagatai, the second son of Chingiz.

The blood of the Turki tribes in Central Asia was much blended with
that of the Mongols. Jahanglr, Akbar's son, recognized the
relationship by priding himself on observing the customs
of Chingiz as well as the regulations of Timur. ' Mogul ',
the designation by which European writers usually indicate
the Timurid dynasty of India, is merely another form of
' Mongol '. Akbar was much more a Turk than a Mongol
or Mogul, and his mother was a Persian.

The character of Akbar, so far as it depended upon
heredity, was thus based on three distinct non-Indian
strains of blood existing in his proximate ancestors, namely,
the Turk or Turki, the Mongol or Mogul, and the Persian
or Iranian strains. The manners and customs of his court
exhibited features which were derived from all the three
sources, Turki, Mongol, and Iranian. During the early
years of his reign Indian influences counted for little, the
officers and courtiers surrounding him being divided into
two parties, the Turks— Mongol or Chagatai and Uzbeg —
on the one side, and the Persians on the other. But after
Akbar had attained maturity the pressure exercised by his
Indian environment rapidly increased, so that in sentiment
he became less and less of a foreigner, until in the later
years of his life he had become more than half an Hindu.
His personal conduct was then guided mainly by Hindu
dharma,* or rules of duty, modified considerably by the
precepts of Iranian Zoroastrianism. The Turki and Mongol
elements in his nature were kept so much in the background
that he was reputed by Hindus to be a reincarnation of
a Brahman sage.

https://archive.org/stream/akbargreatmogul100smituoft/akbargreatmogul100smituoft_djvu.txt

Smith wrote his biography of Akbar in the 19th century. He had therefore perhaps not read the Baburnama (not even in translation) which is why he is unsure of Akbar's connection with Chingiz (Gengis) Khan. Actually Babur, in his autobiography, gives the complete genealogy tracing his relationship to Gengis Khan. Babur was a direct descendant of Timur through his father, and a direct descendant of Chingiz Khan through his mother. Babur's mother was a mongol; his father was a turk.

by MaxEntropy_Man Mon Mar 20, 2017 10:08 pm

Rashmun wrote:
We don't know who the architects and builders of the Chola temples were; credit for building these temples is given to the Chola kings:

You mean you don't know. Make some effort. Find out. Maybe you'll have more time if you spent a little less time obsessing over Akbar. We do know the name of the architect of Brihadeeshwara temple, and we do know the authors of the ThevAram and their life histories in great detail.

by Guest Mon Mar 20, 2017 10:42 pm

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:
Rashmun wrote:
We don't know who the architects and builders of the Chola temples were; credit for building these temples is given to the Chola kings:

You mean you don't know. Make some effort. Find out. Maybe you'll have more time if you spent a little less time obsessing over Akbar. We do know the name of the architect of Brihadeeshwara temple, and we do know the authors of the ThevAram and their life histories in great detail.

do we know who was the architect of the Gangoikonda Cholapuram temple?

by Guest Mon Mar 20, 2017 10:53 pm

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:
Rashmun wrote:
We don't know who the architects and builders of the Chola temples were; credit for building these temples is given to the Chola kings:

You mean you don't know. Make some effort. Find out. Maybe you'll have more time if you spent a little less time obsessing over Akbar. We do know the name of the architect of Brihadeeshwara temple, and we do know the authors of the ThevAram and their life histories in great detail.

The first monarch to have remained a democrat: Collector

King Raja Raja Cholan, who built the Big Temple here, was a secular king and he patronised Buddhism, Jainism apart from Hinduism, said Collector K.Baskaran on Friday.

Inaugurating the sadhaya vizha, birth anniversary celebration of the king at the Big Temple, Mr.Baskaran said that Raja Raja Cholan was the first monarch who remained a democrat and conducted elections through Kudavolai method.

His land administration was legendary and his bent of mind towards art and architecture was marvellous.

The Big Temple, which celebrated its millennium last year, stand as a testimony for the king's architectural skill.

The sculptures and paintings remain proof for his love towards art and his appointment of Othuvars to sing Devarams in the temple exposed his love for Tamil.

S.Ilango, Joint Commissioner, HR and CE said that Raja Raja Cholan ruled for 29 years from 985 to 1014 A.D. his achievements during his period were many.

The fact that grand functions are held to celebrate the birth of a king speaks of his role in the development of arts and culture.

Earlier Thirumurai Arangam by Chidambaram V.S.Trust Devaram school students was held. A seminar headed by T.N.Ramachandran, Tamil scholar, followed the inauguration.

In the evening Kaviyarangam, Thimizhisai by Sirkazhi Dasan, Bhakthi Innisai Pattu Mandram, Thirumurai Nadanam and Thappattam were held.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/raja-raja-cholans-birth-anniversary-celebrated/article2599769.ece

by Seva Lamberdar Tue Mar 21, 2017 9:31 am

Rashmun wrote:
MaxEntropy_Man wrote:
Rashmun wrote:
We don't know who the architects and builders of the Chola temples were; credit for building these temples is given to the Chola kings:

You mean you don't know. Make some effort. Find out. Maybe you'll have more time if you spent a little less time obsessing over Akbar. We do know the name of the architect of Brihadeeshwara temple, and we do know the authors of the ThevAram and their life histories in great detail.

do we know who was the architect of the Gangoikonda Cholapuram temple?

I was working in the MiddleEast and became quite familiar with Local food and music there. They are different from the Indian / Hindustani food and classical music, no matter what Rashmun says about the current Indian / Hindustani food and music having been influenced long ago by Akbar and others with Mughal, Mongol or other outside flavors.

by Guest Tue Mar 21, 2017 9:35 am

Seva Lamberdar wrote:
Rashmun wrote:
MaxEntropy_Man wrote:
Rashmun wrote:
We don't know who the architects and builders of the Chola temples were; credit for building these temples is given to the Chola kings:

You mean you don't know. Make some effort. Find out. Maybe you'll have more time if you spent a little less time obsessing over Akbar. We do know the name of the architect of Brihadeeshwara temple, and we do know the authors of the ThevAram and their life histories in great detail.

do we know who was the architect of the Gangoikonda Cholapuram temple?
I was working in the MiddleEast and became quite familiar with Local food and music there. They are different from the Indian / Hindustani food and classical music, no matter what Rashmun says about the current Indian / Hindustani food and music having been influenced long ago by Akbar and others with Mughal, Mongol or other outside flavors.

Mughals came to India from central asia, not middle east.

by Seva Lamberdar Tue Mar 21, 2017 10:12 am

Rashmun wrote:
Seva Lamberdar wrote:
Rashmun wrote:
MaxEntropy_Man wrote:
Rashmun wrote:
We don't know who the architects and builders of the Chola temples were; credit for building these temples is given to the Chola kings:

You mean you don't know. Make some effort. Find out. Maybe you'll have more time if you spent a little less time obsessing over Akbar. We do know the name of the architect of Brihadeeshwara temple, and we do know the authors of the ThevAram and their life histories in great detail.

do we know who was the architect of the Gangoikonda Cholapuram temple?
I was working in the MiddleEast and became quite familiar with Local food and music there. They are different from the Indian / Hindustani food and classical music, no matter what Rashmun says about the current Indian / Hindustani food and music having been influenced long ago by Akbar and others with Mughal, Mongol or other outside flavors.

Mughals came to India from central asia, not middle east.

what part of central Asia? The link to Indian / Hindustani music and food from that in central Asia (including Mongolia) seems even weaker than from the Middle East etc.

by southindian Tue Mar 21, 2017 1:06 pm

Rashmun wrote:Mughal Music during Akbar

Music during Mughal Rule of Akbar : Like Babur, Akbar was devoted to music. Akbar paid much attention to music and was the patron of all who practice this enchanting art.

The Ain-i-Akbari, written by Abu’l-Fazl ibn Mubarak, suggests that there were 36 musicians of high grate in the Mughal court of Akbar. Akbar himself was a learned musician. He further studied Hindu vocalization under Lal Kalawant who taught him “every breathing and sound that appertains to the Hindi language.”

Tansen ( also Mian Tansen) was a great musician of Hindustani Classical music . He held a position of great importance in the court of Akbar. Mian Tansen is also regarded as one of the best musician in the history of India. Tansen is said to have invented some new ragas. He is even credited with the power of stopping the flow of the Yamuna with his music.

Another famous musician was Baba Ram Das.He seems to have been attached to Bairam Khan, who was so pleased with him on one occasion that he conferred upon him a big reward.

Another equally, perhaps more famous singer was Baba Hari Das who, though not mentioned in Abul Fazl’s list, was certainly a contemporary of Tansen and Akbar. Akbar is said to have paid a visit to him incognito at his hermitage in Vrindaban. Legend and folk tale have preserved the memory of this great saint and musician.

Sur Das, son of the celebrated singer Ram Das and one of the greatest Hindi poets of all times, was also a musician of Akbar’s court.

The emperor’s interest in and patronage of music led to great progress in the instrumental as well as the vocal art. At his court Hindu and Muslim music mingled and became one. The Mughals are credited for bringing about a fusion of two diverse systems of music and giving birth to the national Indian music.

http://www.importantindia.com/5264/mughal-music-during-akbar/

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