Sitar Repertoire of Ancient Jaipur-Senia Sitarists

Structural Changes on Sitar:

Perhaps the most popular ancient string instrument of India, Sitar has reached an unparallel height over the time. The word ‘Sitar’ comes from Persian word ‘She-tar’ the literal meaning of which is ‘Instrument of three strings’. But this is far from sufficient to describe the current form of the instrument.

Opinions differ regarding the origin of Sitar. Some of musicologists think that Indian ‘Veena’ was popular as Sitar in Middle East. Others say, Indian three-stringed Veena was called Sitar. In 13^th century, the court musician of Khilji Empire Ala Uddin Khilji was Hazrat Amir Khusro (Bulbul-E-Hind). He was a great poet of that time and writer of many famous books which are regarded as most authentic.

It is believed by forefathers of Etawah Gharana that Hazrat Amir Khusro himself was inventor of Sitar. Perhaps, he added three more strings with the four strings of Veena of South India.

In Veena, strings were rotated on the peg in opposite direction with respect to the present system. It was Khusro who changed the direction of the same.

There were wooden frets present in Veena. Khusro introduced the metal frets which he tied with thread. This made more pin pointed and penetrating sound effect.

The Sitar that Khusro created was necessarily the most ancient form of Sitar which had three main strings and 14 frets. First one was tuned to ‘Madhyam’, other two were tuned to ‘Sadaj’ and ‘Pancham’ respectively. Sitar was played by the ‘Mizrab’ (plectrum) on the fore finger of right hand. But there was no ideal posture for sitting with the instrument.

Samrat Mohammad Shah Sadarangile (eighteenth century) was very famous for his knowledge and patronage for Indian Classical Music. The famous Sadarang (Niyamat Khan) and Adarang (Firoz Khan) were his court musicians. They were peerless masters of traditional Khayal Gayaki. Another jewel of Mohammad Shah’s court was Shah Sadarang Ji, who made significant structural changes of Sitar. He added 6 strings on sitar as used in Been at that time.

According to another opinion, Taansen’s decedent Masit Khan (Masit Khani gat is named after him only) introduced five strings on Sitar.

In twentieth Century, the structure of Sitar was redefined by Ustad Enayet Khan of Etawah Gharana. Instrument maker Kanai Lal Das of Kolkata helped him to implement those changes. His modification made the instrument as the perfect medium of beautiful Alap, crystal clear execution of highly complicated bol with great elegance and resonating Jhala.

Enayet Khan Sahab’s son Ustad Vilayat Khan and world renowned Sitarist Pt. Ravi Shankar had further modified sitar according to their own style of playing. Ustad Vilayat Khan style Sitar is called ‘Gandhar Pancham Sitar’ and Pt. Ravi Shankar’s one is called ‘Kharaj-Pancham Sitar’. These two are most accepted forms of Sitar today.

Masit Khan:

The evolution of Sitar was a long process and it involved contribution of several musicians and instrument makers. Younger brother of Nayamat Khan (Sadarang) was Khasru Khan, who was said to be first ‘Star’ sitar-player. They were descendant of Miyan TaanSen. Masit Khan was grandson of Khasru Khan. He started an entirely new playing style of Sitar which is very popular even in our time. This is a baaj which was started for Sitar only. But due to its wide popularity and appeal, this has been adopted by others instrumentalists, who were not Sitarists. These gats were based on Teentaal (16 Maatra). There was a bol-pattern specified by Masit Khan for these gats. This is:

|DeRe |Da |DeRe |Da |Ra |Da |Da |Ra |DeRe |Da |DeRe |Da |Ra |Da |Da |Ra

It is said that, these Masit Khani Gats were simpler in compairion to the old Complex gats of Jaipur Gharana. According to Late Pt. Bimal Mukherjee Masit Khan was not only inventor of Masit Khani Gat, he was creator of Alap, gat and Thok Jhala. He formed his gats in structure of contemporary Dhrupads and Khayals. Masit Khan’s baaj is called Dehli Baaj or Paschimi Baaj. In his style, the entire gat was played with four of its essential parts: Sthayi, Antara, Sanchari, Amad. Then vistaar of raga was done with emphasis on notes. But the quality of ‘Vistaar’ is difficult to be known. But it can be safely said that, he was the pioneer of the Sitarists who tried to give Sitar a new dimension.

Masit Khani Gats were played in such a laya which is not ‘Vilambit’ nor ‘Madhya Laya’. Now it is played in Vilambit Laya. Pt. Ravi Shankar says, the laya in which Masit Khani gats were played were basically ‘Madhya Vilambit’.

Pt. Bimal Mukherjee was taught the Masit Khani Baaj and Jaipuri Baaj by his gurus Abid Hussain Binkaar and Sitarist Samsuddin Khan. The laya of Bimal Mukherjee justifies Ravi Shankar’s view point.

Firoz Khan:

He was son of Khasru Khan an paternal uncle of Masit Khan. His own gats were popular with the name Firoz Khani Gat. There was high influence of Dhrupad on his gats. Those gats were composed on Chautaal (12 beats) and played Pakhawaj. There were some particular bols fixed as was for Masit Khani Gats. But this Firoz Khani Gats were not popular like Masit Khani Baaj.

Ghulam Reza Khan:

Ghulam Reza Khan was creator of different kind of baaj, who was disciple of Masit Khan. His baaj was called as ‘Lukhnow Baaj’ or ‘Purbi Baaj’…These gats are played in drut laya. There is not such ‘Gravity’ as Masit Khani Gat, but it has stunning effect.

Reza Kani gats were based on Teentaal (16 Maatra). There was a bol-pattern specified by Ghulam Reza Khan for these gats. This is:

7
|DeRe |DeRe 
9
|Da- |RaDa |-Ra |DeRe 
13
|Da |DeRe |Da |Ra 
1
|Da  |- |Da |Ra 
5
|Da |Ra

Ustad Vilayat Khan comments on these three great Ustads: ‘Firoz Khani, Masit Khani, Raza Khani styles have created such an impact, not only instrumentalists, but also vocalists are utilizing their innovations in own music…Masit Khan, Raza Khan were innovator of such a high quality, that any one will not be able to be their at per’

Pt. Ravi Shankar says, ‘Now there have been a more modifications in Madhya laya and drut gats and they are only called ‘Drut Gats’.

Jaipur Sitar Gharana and Sitar Style

Bahadur Sen, son of legendary Masit Khan used to stay in Jaipur and continued to play Sitar. They used to use title ‘Sen’ after their names as they claimed themselves to be descendants of Miyan Taan Sen, i.e. member of Senia Gharana. Masit Khan’s nephew, Dulha Khan was n extraordinary Sitarist of his time.

Rahim Sen, (right hand side photo) son of Sukh Sen, the ‘mul-purush’ of Senia Gharana , married the daughter of Dulha Khan. Rahim Sen got talim from both, father Sukh Sen and father-in-law Dulha Khan. Rahim Sen and his brother Hussain Khan were very popular Sitarists of their time. Amrit Sen(1813-1893), son of Rahim Sen was a Sitarist of very high caliber. He was patroned by Ram Singh Maharaja. Amrit Sen tried to imitate ‘Karak-Bijli’ taan of Gowalior exponents Haddu-Hassu Khan. He used to create tremendous impact on listeners by presenting difficult banishes (compositions). There were two prime disciples of Amrit Sen (Left hand side photo):

1) Nihal Sen (adopted son)

2)Amir Khan (nephew)

It is said that Amrit Sen had much contribution in evolution of Sitar baaj. Laikari, Chhand, Toda-Fikre (played in the same way as Fikar-Bandi) were very popular in his hands.

Niyamat Sen, elder brother of Amrit Sen also used to play Sitar.

Sudarshanacharya Sashtri was disciple of Amrit Sen.

Whatever flavor today we get in this century, has been transmitted through Nihal Sen.(Right hand side photo)

Pran Krishna Chattopadhyay was direct disciple of Nihal Sen.

Fida and Fazal Hussain, son-in-laws of Nihal Sen were descendents of this gharana.

Haidar Hussain Khan Sahab was younger brother of Fazal Husain who popularized Jaipuri Baaj in last century.

Mamud Mirza was nephew of Fida-Fazal Hussain. Another good artist of Jaipur gharana was Wahid Khan (he is neither younger brother of sitar giant Ustad Enayet Khan, nor the Kirana giant).

Due to substantial effect of Rabab, the right hand craft was done more extensively compared to left hand. Meends were hardly used. Due to absence of Chikari string in Sitar Jhala was absent in their rendition. (Great sitar maker Kanai Lal Das received a Jaipuri Sitar for repair – which did not have any chikari peg at all.)

Pt. Ravi Shankar says, ‘Wahid Khan’s sitar playing was very ordinary, Haidar Hussain was staff artist of Delhi radio...he used to create an unique effect by making friction on frets with left hand fingers, while playing ‘dir-dir’ with right hand…He hardly used meend on sitar’.

Ustad Vilayat Khan also had listened to Haidar Hussain Khan and comments: ‘their right hand work was very strong’.

Jaipur tradition of sitar playing is the oldest style of sitar playing, it had more influence of Rabab style, so bol-vani of Sitar was very prominent in that style. Alap / Meend work was almost absent from that style of sitar playing in that era. Jhala was absent from that style, as chikari string was not developed in Jaipuri Sitar.

Gwalior Sitar Gharana (A Branch of Jaipur-Senia Gharana):

This Sitar-gharana was originated form Jaipur Gharana itself.

Amir Khan (photo below) - nephew of Jaipur Sitarist Amrit Sen was pioneer of this Gharana. He was court musician of Gwalior Palace. So, this gharana is named after the place Gwalior. Amir Khan became Rajguru (the teacher of the king) - Jayajidav's own son, Madhavarajji.

Amir Khan's most famous disciple was Barkatulla Khan, who also learned from Alladiya Khan (legendary vocalist of Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana).

His son-in-law Fazal Hussain was also reputed Sitarist.

Ustad Barkatullah Khan was a famous disciple of Amir Khan. One of the available recordings by Barkatullah Khan on raag Bhupali exemplifies the Gwalior style of Sitar playing. The resonance of strings other than Main and Jod strings are not audible at all in that recording. There is no stroke on Chikari string during rendition of Gat. Barkatullah Khan later moved to Mysore and was appointed a court musician of Mysore palace.

Ustad Ashiq Ali Khan (father and guru of famous and respected Sitarist Ustad Mustaq Ali Khan) of Varanashi was a famous disciple of Barkatullah Khan. (photo right hand side corner) As Amir Khan did not have any direct descendent, Fida Hussain and Fazal Hussain upheld the tradition of Gwalior Tradition. It is said that Fida Hussain returned back to Jaipur later.

Entire Gwalior players used to play ragas in lighter mood as well and their ‘Gat-Lahra’ was very famous among listeners.

A brief description of the Senia Sitar-Surbahar style is as below:

1. Alap was played in the Been-Style (Veena). Short length meends were pulled and it was prohibited to pull longer meend than that.
2. Two / three fingers of right hand were used (similar to Veena playing technique). ‘Da’ – used to be played with index finger upward stroke and ‘Ra’ - used to be played with middle finger downward stroke. Chikari string of Surbahar was played using little finger nail of right hand.
3. Ornamental materials and decorative elements were almost absent in that Sitar / Surbahar Style.
4. There was least possible use of Chikari in Surbahar style and Jhala was absent in the Jaipuri-Senia Style of Sitar playing.
5. Gamak / Halak Taan / Tihai were almost absent in that style and Alap-style Vistar used to dominate the entire recital.
6. Silsilah (direction of music) was not of very high quality in old Jaipuri Style of Sitar. Gat and Vistar type ang were only content in the whole performance.

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