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Aftab-e-Mausiqi - Ustad Faiyaz Khan
"The Sun of Music" |
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The passing of Aftab-e-Mausiqi Ustad Faiyaz Khan marks the end of a great era in Music. Though be was 70 years old, his music had a youthful vigour, a characteristic gusto and a variety, which age could not wither. Nor did new styles in music ever push his into the background. His had a peerless glory all its own. One can have an idea of the versatility of his musical genius when one remembers how he could render anything from a Dhrupad to a Ghazal with equal case and mastery, and how he was always in his element whether in a crowded conference Hall, a grand old royal Durbar, or in a friend's drawing-room. He was really one of the musical giants of this century. Khan Saheb's musical lineage goes back to Tansen himself. Genius and talim (training) combined to give us this wonderful artist-certainly the greatest and best- known exponent of Hindustani classical music in modern times. He had the exceptional good fortune of receiving his talim in Dhrupad-singing from his grandfather Ghulam Abbas Khan, and in Dhamar from his grand uncle, Ustad Kallan Khan-both of whom were the leading musicians of the Rangile Gharana, in the second half of the last century. Kallan Khan was the younger brother of Ghulam Abbas Khan and, therefore, the grand uncle of Faiyaz Khan Sahib. Faiyaz Khan belonged to the Rangile family. Ghulam Abbas Khan was his mothers' father. Faiyaz Khan's father's family were known as "Rangilas". "Rangila" Ramzan Khan was Faiyaz Khan's paternal great grand-father. His father's name was Safdar Hussain and his Uncle's name was Fida Hussain who was a Darbar Gayak at Tonk (Rajputana). Ustad Faiyaz Khan's father died very early, and his grandfather adopted him and brought him up as his own child. By the time he was eighteen, Faiyaz Khan had become such a finished artist that the grandfather began to take him about to all the important centres of music, like Gwalior, Bombay and Calcutta, for concerts. Once at Bombay, when he was just 24 years old, he heard the great Miyanjan Khan. Immediately after him, Faiyaz Khan Was asked to sin-. At first he copied Miyanjan Khan's Multani and then demonstrated his own style-both in such a masterly way, that Miyanjan Khan embraced the young Faiyaz Khan and exclaimed in genuine appreciation, ("Tumhi ustad ho!"-,Really you are the master.) There was a similar incident when certain mischievous people tried to manoeuvre a competition between the great veteran Bhasker Rao Buwa and the young Faiyaz Khan. The former is reported to have been so impressed with Faiyaz's performance that he refused to stand up as a rival, and embraced him as a brother. In 1908, a grand competition was arranged in Mysore between Ustad Faiyaz Khan and Ustad Hafiz Khan of the Mysore Durbar. Both sang for hours, and sang so splendidly that it became difficult to allot the prize-it had to be divided! Nevertheless, the Maharaja, who felt enraptured by Ustad Faiyaz Khan's music, conferred on him the title of "Aftab-e-Mausiqi" meaning "The Sun of Music" Soon after, the Lahore All-India Music Conference gave him the title of "Sangeet Chudamani". At another famous All-India Music Conference, organised by Pandit Bhatkhande, Faiyaz Khan was selected as the best Khyal- singer of the day. It was small wonder that Pandit Bhatkhande chose Ustad as guru for Ratanjankar, and took him to Kashmir, from where his fame spread far and wide. At a later A. 1. M. Conference in Indore, attended by 400 and odd singers, Ustad so captivated the audience, that they showed their appreciation by handing over to him a gift of 33,000 rupees Though he had settled down in Baroda as one of the court- musicians there, he was always on the move. No music- conference was complete without his manly voice ; and, thanks to All India Radio, his thousands of fans all over India used to thrill to his masterly music-now from Bombay, now from Delhi, now from Calcutta or Lucknow. To the last, he was the President of the All India Society for Contemporary Music. Aftab-c-Mausiqi Ustad Faiyaz Khan has enriched the Agra school of music as no one else has done. His style, though essentially of the rangila-Gharana, is a superb blend of the characteristics of that school with traces of the Gwalior style, enlivened by his own creative inspiration. Though his music had its roots in time-honoured tradition, he was no conservative. "Of course", he confessed, "you must realise that our present-day music has fallen from ' the heights of its past glory. Yet I am an inveterate optimist and believe that some good will come out of the present revival." Ustad's music had certain distinguishing traits. Blessed with a manly and melodious voice capable of many minute modulations, he could easily sway his audiences by its power. His rich velvety voice was capable of varied expressions and suitable alike for dignified Dhrupads, artistic Khayal.-,, playful Horis, or tuneful Dadras. Entering with such command into the emotion or rasa of a song, it was no wonder that he could put such feeling into his music. The dignity of his Khyal-singing was reminiscent of the grand style of musicians like Haddu Khan and Hassu Khan. His renderings of Thumri and Dadra are said to have been like those of the great Mozzuddin. As a discerning music-critic has said : "He converted even Ghazals into very presentable things .... From Alap to Thumri, his genius occupied a range which mediocre talents cannot even survey." Ustad's deep knowledge of, and long practice in, each rag, can be guessed when one hears how during his stay in Kashmir with Pandit Bhatkhande, he sang Rag Yaman for hours daily, for one full month ! His style of Alap- singing, Bant, Barhat and Tankartab were indeed remark- able. He has composed many songs under the pseudonym "Prem Piya" and contributed many old songs to the Kramik Pustakmala. Though fully aware of the limitations of text- book teaching in music schools and colleges, he was sensible enough to admit : "I recommend text-books for beginners. But a text-book cannot produce a musician. . Music institutions should concentrate more on Gayaki or style. How can the music of Tansen be turned into a text t- book?.. Music in this country was handed from generation to generation with the help of memory and tradition, and has lived up to this time." His opinion on broadcasting was characteristically humorous-"I like it immensely. Except for its red light, which is the signal for a forced landing, I enjoy being on the Air." Although he had to take part in more conferences' than any other classical musician probably ever did, he did not think much of them, owing to their lack of organised effort in the cause of classical music. Among the well-known pupils that the great Ustad has left behind ' the most eminent are Principal Ratanjankar of whom be always spoke very highly and proudly, Khadim Hussain, I,atafat Hussain, Dilip Chandra Vedi, Ata Hussain, and young Sharafat Hussain. In spite of his short stature, Ustad had a dignified pers- sonality. It is said that in his younger days he used to look so courtly in his gold-embroidered black a chkan, black cap, etc., that once he was mistaken for the ruler himself in a certain durbar! Though he bad no school-education, he had an innate sense of culture which enabled him to appreciate the good things of life. Modest and unassuming, courteous and polite, he combined greatness with child-like simplicity. As one of the privileged few in whose drawing-room the great Ustad gave several musical soirees, the present writer has had the good fortune of hearing him at his best. It was during such sittings that the true qualities of the man and his music were revealed fully. No amateur's music was too insignificant to be altogether ignored by him. He had a word of encouragement for every beginner in the art who showed any promise. He was magnanimous as only really great men can be. A widower for years, he left behind no child, but is mourned by thousands of admirers. His gramophone-records do scant justice to his glorious voice. The electrical-recordings by the various stations of A. I. R. are all that we have..
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