The concept of the gharana is deep rooted in the musical culture of the Indian sub-continent. Almost all the leading classical musicians of India and Pakistan associate themselves with a gharana of some sort, taking great pride in the rich heritage of the gharana they represent.

Gharana is a Hindi/Urdu word meaning a family or a household living under one roof. In musical terms, a gharana can have various connotations, apart from meaning a family or household, the word also refers to a line of musicians where musical knowledge, primarily a specific style or repertoire has been passed down from generation to generation. A gharana can therefore be summarized as a symbol of stylistic tradition or a school of thought by which a musical style is preserved within a family and passed down from one generation to the other. The propagation of musical knowledge is not just restricted to one family but also passed to selective non-family members who then further transmit knowledge to their family members and disciples. A gharana can therefore consist of one lineage or several lineages of hereditary musicians.

Ustad Tanras Khan

The emergence of the gharana system has its roots in the Guru-Shishya parampara or the teacher-student tradition which is the hallmark of learning traditional art forms in the Indian subcontinent. The main feature of this highly personalized system is that the teacher is responsible for the personal training of the student, imparting musical knowledge and monitoring the musical development with diligence and patience. Once the student has made sufficient progress in imbibing the teacher’s art, he too can carve a career as a musician and one day forward the knowledge to his students, hence this cycle of assimilation and propagation ensures the growth and expansion of the gharana.  

Although it may seem that the concept of the gharana has been with us since the origins of Indian classical music, the seeds of the gharana system were planted in the 16^th century with the advent of the “Banis” or styles associated with the genre of Dhrupad. The four Banis; Gouhar, Dagar, Khander and Nauhar were based on style rather than lineage but later musicians and their descendants became specialists of a particular Bani. Even today, a number of gharanas trace their origin to these Banis.

Further evolution of the gharana system came from the process of the gradual disintegration of the Moghul empire starting from Nadir Shah’s sacking of Delhi during the reign of Mohammad Shah Rangeelay in 1739 and ending in the Indian rebellion of 1857 which resulted in the last Emperor of India Bahadur Shah Zafar being captured and sent to exile in Burma. During this period of uncertainty, many musicians sought refuge in neighbouring states ruled by the Nawabs and Maharajahs. The centre of musical excellence shifted from Delhi, to principalities such as Gwalior, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Patiala and Rampur. Rulers Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Lucknow, Maharaja Jayaji Rao Scindia of Gwalior and Nawab Hamid Ali Khan of Rampur were some of the great patrons who rewarded musicians handsomely and encouraged them to develop, refine and enrich their individual stylistic traditions. It was during this period that the modern gharana system evolved.

Bahadur Shah Zafar (1775- 1862)

As employment within the courts was of a lucrative nature, competition amongst musicians became fierce and they strived hard to excel each other in front of their patrons in order to gain a higher position in court. This sense of competition resulted in musicians adopting an exclusive and secretive attitude towards their art, restricting it to their family members and selective disciples. The performance style, technique and repertoire remained within a network of close family members and became known as a gharana.

The names of gharanas are mostly derived from the geographical location where the founder came from, mainly due to the ease of transportation during the 19^th century allowing musicians to travel freely and perform before a wider audience where they became known by the place of their origin. The major gharanas of khayal are Qawwal Bacchay, Gwalior, Agra, Kirana, Rampur, Patiala, Delhi, Kirana and Shamchaurasi. A gharana’s success depends on how strongly it retains its distinct style, repertoire and techniques whilst incorporating fresh ideas without altering the authenticity.  Furthermore, gharanas are not just restricted to vocal forms of music but include schools of instrumental music and dance.  

Today, the gharana system is still very much in existence, although the term is now identified more for the musical style rather than a particular lineage. Ease of travel, music conferences and modern technology has meant that musicians are exposed to other stylistic traditions and can imbibe a variety of features to enhance their musicality. Although each gharana is losing its exclusiveness and elements of secrecy, the essential features of musical style are still very much intact. It now remains to be seen how long the gharana system is able to survive in the modern age.

The main features of a gharana can thus be summarized as follows:

1.       A family, where music has been practiced for a number of a generations.

2.       The founders of the gharana are often pioneers in creating a distinct style.

3.       A distinct musical style.

4.       An exclusive repertoire of compositions.

5.    The name of the gharana is often derived from the location where the founder hailed from.

For further details on gharanas of the khayal genre, please click on the above links. Sound files from our archive have been included to highlight the distinguishing features of each musical school.