Ustad Faiyaz Khan
| Faiyaz Khan | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1880 Sikandara near Agra, Uttar Pradesh, British India |
| Died | 5 November 1950 (aged 69–70) Baroda, Gujrat, India |
| Other names | Aftaab-e-Mauseeqi ( the Sun of Music) |
| Occupation | Vocalist of Hindustani classical music |
| Years active | 1924 – 1950 |
| Spouse(s) | His wife died soon after their marriage. He never remarried. |
| Family | Childless |
Ustad Faiyaz Khan was an Indian classical vocalist, an exponent of the Agra Gharana of classical music. According to SwarGanga Music Foundation website, "By the time he died at Baroda, he had earned the reputation of being one of the greatest and most influential vocalists of the century."
Born at Sikandara near Agra in 1880, he was the son of Safdar Hussain, who died three months before his birth. He was brought up by his maternal grandfather, Ghulam Abbas (1825-1934), who taught him music up to the age of 25. He was also a student of Ustad Mehboob Khan "Daraspiya", his father-in-law, Natyan Khan and his uncle Fida Hussain Khan. According to an article on a music website titled, 'Great Masters of Hindustani Music', "Faiyaz Khan's musical lineage goes back to Tansen himself. His family is traced back to Alakhdas, Malukdas and then to Haji Sujan Khan (son of Alakhdas who became a Muslim)."
Faiyaz Khan served for a long time as the court musician of Sir Sayajirao Gaekwad III, the Maharaja of Baroda, where he was awarded the "Gyan Ratna" (Gem of Knowledge). The Maharaja of Mysore awarded him the title "Aftab-e-Mauseeqi" (the Sun of Music) in 1908. Faiyaz Khan's specialities were dhrupad and khyal, but he was also capable of singing thumri and ghazal. According to the well-known musicologist Dr. Ashok Ranade, who was a former Director of Music Centre, University of Bombay, "There was no chink in his armour". "He was a frequent performer in the musical conferences and circles of Lucknow, Allahabad, Calcutta, Gwalior, Bombay and Mysore and in concerts organised by provincial princes." These princes often vied with one another to have the Ustad perform in their respective courts. The rulers of Baroda held him in high esteem and he was offered the seat to the right of the Maharaja of Baroda during the official functions of the royal court. He also performed at Jorasanko Thakurbari, the residential abode of Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), who was an admirer of the Ustad. It is known that he had held a musical session at Jorasanko a few years before the passing away of Tagore. Other well-known admirers include tabla maestros such as Ahmed Jan Thirakwa, Ustad Amir Khan, Ali Akbar Khan, Vilayat Khan and Pandit Ravi Shankar. Some of his best-known students were Dilip Chand Bedi, Sohan Singh, famous rudra veena player Asad Ali Khan, Dhruvatara Joshi and Shrikrishna Ratanjankar, apart from in-house disciples such as Khadim Hussain Khan, Vilayat Hussain Khan, Latafat Hussain Khan, Ata Hussain Khan and Sharafat Hussain Khan. Faiyaz Khan himself was an admirer of Abdul Karim Khan of Kirana gharana. S. N. Ratanjankar was perhaps the last of his pupils who excelled both as a teacher and as a performer.
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Wikipedia