Famous Indian Musicians

Famous Indian Musicians.

( i ). Ustad Bismillah Khan. Bismillah Khan originally named Qamruddin Khan, (born March 21,1916 Dumraon , Bihar and Orissa province, British India and died on August 21,2006 Varanasi Uttar Pradesh, India)Indian musician who played the shehnai a ceremonial oboelike North Indian horn, with such expressive virtuosity that he became a leading Indian classical music artist. His name was indelibly linked with the woodwind instrument Khan was born into a family of court musicians in Bihar. He was apprenticed to his uncle, Ali Baksh , who played the shehnai in Visvanatha , a hindu temple in Vanarasi . He accompanied his uncle in playing in ceremonies for Hindu deities as well as at weddings. Khan learned numerous musical forms and ragas, and he improvised patterns that had been considered impossible for the shehnai . His concert performance at the All-India Music Conference in Kolkata in 1937 gained him public respect, and the shehnai , traditionally used only in a ceremonial capacity , came to be seen as a classical music instrument . Years of concert and radio performances and recordings followed. Khan was a devout Muslim but played at both Hindu and Muslim ceremonies and was considered a symbol of religious harmony. His fame was such that he was selected to perform for the ceremony at Delhi’s Historic Red Fort as the Indian Flag unfurled at the hour of India’s independence on August 15,1947; music was played on television every Independence Day. He turned down invitations to perform in other countries before 1966, when the Indian government insisted that he play at the Edinburgh International Festival . This gained him a following in the West, and he continued to appear in Europe and North America thereafter. In 2001 Khan was awarded the Bharat Ratna , India’s highest civilian honour, and the country observed a national day of mourning following his death in 2006..

(ii). Pandit ravi shankar.

(iii). Hariprasad chaurasia.

(iv).R.D Burman. Rahul Dev Burman , better known as R.D. Burman , was a famous Bollywood music director during the 60's through the early 90's. He was known for introducing an upbeat, Western copied music that defined much of the music of the 1970's. This style has influenced generations of music directors even to today. R.D. Burman was born in Calcutta on June 27th, 1939, in Calcutta. His father was the legendary music director S.D. Burman and his mother was named Meera . His music education began very early on. Naturally there was the influence of growing up in his father's home, with constant music surrounding him. Furthermore after the family moved from Calcutta to Bombay, he started to learn sarod from the famous Ali Akbar Khan. He also learned to play the harmonica. With such a musical environment, it is not surprising that he started to compose music very quickly. He was only nine years old when he composed his first song; this was Aye Meri Topi Palat Ke Aa and his father used it in the film " Funtoosh " 1956). His professional career began in 1958. He began assisting his father on films such as " Solva Saal " (1958), " Chalti Ka Naaam Gaadi " (1958), and " Kaagaz ka Phool " (1957). His first film as music director was Guru Dutt's film " Raaz " (1959); unfortunately, this film was shelved in the middle of the project. His first released film as a music director was Mehmood's " Chote Nawaab " (1961). From there his career was firmly launched..

A.R. Rahman , in full Allah Rakha Rahman , original name A.S. Dileep Kumar , (born January 6, 1966, Madras [now Chennai], India), Indian composer whose extensive body of work for film and stage earned him the nickname “the Mozart of Madras.” Rahman’s father, R.K. Sekhar , was a prominent Tamil musician who composed scores for the Malayalam film industry, and Rahman began studying piano at age four. The boy’s interests lay in electronics and computers , and his father’s serendipitous purchase of a synthesizer allowed him to pursue his passion and to learn to love music at the same time. Sekhar died when Rahman was 9 years old, and by age 11 he was playing piano professionally to help support his family. He dropped out of school, but his professional experience led to a scholarship to study at Trinity College , Oxford , where he received a degree in Western classical music..