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Abstract:
For centuries dhrupad, the ancient and stately genre of North India, had been nurtured in
the refined atmosphere of the princely courts. With Indian Independence in 1947 and the
changing of the old order dhrupad was thrown to the mercy of less discerning audiences. A
style of singing and playing that was austere, and which demanded considerable listening
acuity and patience from its audience, dhrupad could have vanished had it not been for the
Dagar familyıs determination to uphold their Dagar bani tradition. Thus, of the four original
bani (or vani, i.e., "schools" of dhrupad - Gaudhari, Khandari, Nauhari, and Dagar) only
one style survived the metamorphosis into a relatively lighter khayal tradition (e.g., the style
of the Agra gharana [family-based musical tradition] of khayal is derived from the Nauhari
bani).
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