|
 Ustad Faiyaz Khan is
still remembered as the
‘Mehfil ka Badshah’ by those
who have been fortunate
enough to hear him live, as
well as those who have at
least heard his recordings.
On the dais he was the
symbol of a dignified
personality, always clad in
a silk sherwani, his chest
blazing with rows of
sparkling gold medals and
chains, and complete with an
immaculate pugree. Flanked
by his disciples on both
sides, together with the sarangi
and tabla players,
he sang with a deep,
masculine, jawaridar voice,
all in keeping with his
grand stage presence. Among
the many titles and awards
that he received, just the
Aftab-e-Mausiqi alone
testifies to the musical
phenomenon that he was, and
the magical and musical
spell he cast over his
audience whenever he
performed.
Faiyaz Khan was born in 1886
at Sikandra in Agra. He
belonged to a family of
great musicians, going back
to Haji Sujaan Khan in the
court of Emperor Akbar. He
was groomed mainly by his
grandfather, Ghulam Abbas
Khan, and granduncle, Kallan
Khan. Both were very eminent
singers of the Agra gharana.
In his formative years,
Faiyaz Khan was also deeply
influenced by Zohra Bai
and
other contemporary ustads.
Later he became the
son-in-law of the great
musician and composer
‘Daraspiya’ Ustad Mehboob
Khan. Faiyaz Khan blended
the styles of his different
gurus giving the Agra gayaki
a new direction. He also
included many thumris,
dadras, ghazals and qawalis
in his repertoire.
Ustad Faiyaz Khan would
render a full scale
‘Nom-Tom’ alap and follow it
up with khayal compositions,
thus blending dhrupad and
khayal and giving his
gayaki
more flexibility. His
bol-banawo, bant, layakari,
and his inimitable style of
reaching the sam are
unmatched even today. His
compositions in raga
Jaijaiwanti, Jog etc. are
treasured by Agra singers to
this day.
Faiyaz Khan was a reformist
among traditionalists and a
traditionalist among
reformists, and his gayaki
is still an example of the
evolution of Hindustani
classical music from dhrupad
to khayal, thumri, dadra and
ghazal. He was an architect
in music with the feeling of
a poet.
He was appointed court
singer at Baroda in 1912.
However, Faiyaz Khan also
performed in various other
darbars, festivals and
conferences. He taught many
students like Ata Hussain
Khan (his brother-in-law),
Latafat Hussain Khan, K. L.
Saigal, Dipali Nag, Dilip
Chandra Vedi, D. T. Joshi,
S. N. Ratanjhankar, Swami
Ballabhdas, Ramrao Naik, R.
N. Chatterjee and Sharafat
Hussain Khan among others. In his last years, he
suffered from tuberculosis.
His demise, in November
1950, marked the end of a
great era in Hindustani
Classical Music. |
Maestros
of India
