Introduction
Ancient Indian music centered on vocal music, with instruments meant primarily for accompaniment. These instruments, known as "anushanga yantra," were designed to enhance the vocal performance. Indian music scholars classified these instruments into four categories: string (tantri), percussion (charma), metal (ghana), and aerophonic (vayu).
There are many references to dance, drama, and vocal recitals in the court of Lord Indra, the king of heaven. Celestial beings played various instruments at these soirees. Sometimes, these gatherings ended on a bitter note due to mistakes made by the artistes like gandharvas (singers), kinnars (players), and apsaras (exquisite female dancers), or due to favoritism or unauthorized attendance. Such mishaps often resulted in curses from the connoisseurs. Mythologies are filled with unhappy stories of apsaras like Urvashi, Menaka, Rambha, Tilottama, and Ghritachi.
Story of Ahankarnath
Ego clashes and hot tempers among artistes often led to dramatic incidents. One such story involves the great vocalist Pandit Omkarnath Thakur at the Vikramaditya Conference in Mumbai in 1943. The event took place at the Convocation Hall of Bombay University. Before the concert, Omkarnathji inquired about his accompanists and was informed that a young man would be playing the violin. Omkarnathji remarked, "What will this child do with me? Call somebody who is experienced."
The young maestro, offended, pledged to accompany Omkarnathji’s entire recital on just one string. He did so successfully, impressing everyone. The young man was none other than the versatile violin maestro MS Gopalakrishnan, renowned for his expertise in both Carnatic and Hindustani music. Following this incident, some opponents nicknamed Omkarnathji "Ahankarnath" (proud one).
Anecdote of Hafiz Ali and Darshan Singh
Another story involves the sarod maestro Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan, father of Amjad Ali Khan, during a concert in Calcutta. After finishing his sarod recital with a tabla player, another tabla player, Darshan Singh, challenged him to play again. Initially reluctant due to fatigue, the Ustad accepted the challenge. Starting at a medium tempo, he gradually increased the speed to such a crescendo that the exertion caused the tabla player to die on the spot.
Anecdotes of Allauddin Khan
Ustad Allauddin Khan, a gurubhai (fellow disciple) of Hafiz Ali Khan, was famous for his command over rhythm and technical virtuosity, and infamous for his intolerance toward tabla players. He often demonstrated strokes on the hide of the sarod cover or forcibly took the tabla from accompanists to show them how to provide quality accompaniment.
In one incident in Calcutta, tabla accompanist Jnan Prakash Ghosh was so hurt by Allauddin Khan’s behavior that he announced he would file a lawsuit. However, the most serious counterstrike against Allauddin Khan occurred at a concert in Mumbai. Tabla player Kamurao Mangeshkar, already derided a few times, loudly corrected the maestro, asserting the proper timing of the rhythm cycle.
Anecdote of Sharad Chandra Arolkar and Shakoor Khan
Pandit Sharad Chandra Arolkar, an eminent master of the Gwalior gharana, experienced an awkward situation during a radio recording in Delhi. Unaware of the identity of his sarangi accompanist, Arolkar was taken aback when the accompanist, Ustad Shakoor Khan, put down his bow after the first cycle and exclaimed, "Great! Panditji, this is what you sang called reet ka gana (systematic singing). Congratulations!" It turned out that the radio staff musicians had orchestrated this awkward encounter for their amusement, knowing Shakoor Khan’s notorious temper.
Anecdotes of Sadarang and Others
Nyamat Khan Sadarang, the favorite bin player and vocalist of Mughal ruler Muhammad Shah Rangile (1719-1748), faced jealousy from his colleagues at the royal court. They persuaded the Badshah to request Sadarang to accompany courtesans or play duets with sarangi players. Finding the proposals disparaging, Sadarang left the court.
Gwalior doyen Krishnarao Shankar Pandit often encouraged sarangi maestro Pandit Ram Narayan to showcase his prowess during vocal performances, helping him gain recognition as a solo artiste.
Anecdote of Siddheshwari Devi
Thumri queen Siddheshwari Devi, known for her outspoken nature, once had a young sarangi player repeatedly miss his tunes during a radio recording because he was distracted by her appearance. Annoyed, she tore off her blouse and exclaimed, "Fulfill your craves of looking at me but play your sarangi at least in tune and don’t spoil the recital."
Anecdote of Alladiya Khan
Ustad Alladiya Khan, the pioneer of the Jaipur style of khayal, was initially a dhrupad singer. When an excellent pakhawaj player, Barkatulla Khan, derided his repertoire, Alladiya retaliated by performing in an unusual tal (rhythmic cycle), exposing Barkatulla’s ignorance in front of music scholars. Barkatulla, embarrassed, requested Alladiya to sing something simpler.
Anecdote of Bundu Khan
At the 1931 Allahabad music conference, Ustad Bundu Khan accompanied the vocal recital of Narayanrao Vyas on the sarangi. He seamlessly transitioned to accompany the next artiste, Hirabai Barodekar, without retuning his sarangi, impressing the connoisseurs with his genius.
These anecdotes reflect the rich and sometimes tumultuous history of accompanists in Indian classical music, showcasing the interplay of ego, talent, and tradition.
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