Farukhabad gharana is one of six prominent playing styles or gharana

Gharana

In Hindustani music, a gharānā is a system of social organization linking musicians or dancers by lineage or apprenticeship, and by adherence to a particular musical style. A gharana also indicates a comprehensive musicological ideology. This ideology sometimes changes substantially from one...

s of North Indian tabla

Tabla

The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...

 drums, in Hindustani classical music

Hindustani classical music

Hindustani classical music is the Hindustani or North Indian style of Indian classical music found throughout the northern Indian subcontinent. The style is sometimes called North Indian Classical Music or Shāstriya Sangeet...

, and derives its name from Farukhabad in Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...

 state.

History

It was created by Ustad Haji Vilayat Ali Khan, disciple of Ustad Miyan Bakshu Khan of Lucknow

Lucknow

Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....

, and it is for his birthplace the gharana is named. Being a prominent composer and performer, he was appointed as court musician in Rampur

Rampur, Uttar Pradesh

Rampur is a city and a municipality located in Rampur District in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Rampur district is located at Longitude 78-0-54 to 69-0-28 East and Latitude 28-25 to 29-10 North and spans an area of 2,367 km².It also gave its name to a former princely state of British...

 and passed his tradition on through his three sons, Nisar Ali Khan, Aman Ali Khan, and Hussain Ali Khan, and their disciples.

There is a huge variety in the repertoire of compositions, owing to the tremendous and creative output of great composers such as Haji Vilayat Ali Khan and Amir Hussain Khan, nephew of Munir Khan, himself a disciple of Hussain Ali Khan. In addition, a large number of Lucknow

Lucknow

Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....

 gats (compositions) were given as dowry by Ustad Miyan Bakshu Khan when his daughter married his disciple and the gharana's founder, Ustad Haji Vilayat Ali Khan.

Repertoire

The Farukhabad Gharana is part of the purbi baj, or "eastern style", which is characterized by an extensive use of resonant strokes played on the sur of the daya. The playing style of the Farukhabad gharana was developed from the strongly dance-influenced style of the Lucknow gharana, and contains similarities to its strong, resonant sounds.

The repertoire is replete with a varied and intriguing compositions, makes great use of open resonant baya strokes, and contains many unique stroke combinations. There is a greater wealth and emphasis of gats, chalan, and rela compositions than on qaida or peshkar. There is a prominent use of certain bols, such as dheredhere, takataka.

Lineage

The lineage is unbroken today; another disciple of Haji Vilayat Ali Khan, claimed to be his son or son-in-law, Nanhe Khan preserved and passed the tradition through his son Masit Khan, who gave it to his son Keramatullah Khan, followed by his son Sabir Khan, and finally to his son Arif Khan. Ustad Sabir Khan and his son Arif perform actively and continue the tradition of their forefathers in Kolkata

Kolkata

Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...

.

Other important performers and teachers of the Farukhabad gharana include Jnan Prakash Ghosh, Pandit Chatur Lal

Chatur Lal

Chatur Lal , was an Indian tabla player. Lal toured with Ravi Shankar, Aashish Khan, Vasant Rai, and Ali Akbar Khan in the 1950s and early 60s and helped popularize the tabla in Western countries. Chatur Lal was born 1925 in Udaipur, Rajasthan. Lal died October 1965...

, Ustad Masit Khan, Ustad Ahmedjan Thirakwa, Pandit Jnan Prakash Ghosh

Pandit Jnan Prakash Ghosh

Pandit Jnan Prakash Ghosh was an Indian tabla player and musicologist.-Early life:Born in a Hindu Kayasth family with musical background in Kolkata, India he was the grandson of Dwarik Ghosh, inventor of the Dwarkin harmonium, popular in West Bengal, India. He was first class first on graduation...

, Pandit Kanai Dutta, Pandit Shyamal Bose, Pandit Shankar Ghosh, Pandit Nikhil Ghosh, Pt.Sadashiv Pawar and his sons Rupak and Nishad Pawar, Pt Pandharinath Nageshkar, Pt. Nayan Ghosh

Nayan Ghosh

-Early life and background:Nayan Ghosh was born in Mumbai, Maharashtra to the legendary Tabla Maestro Padmabhushan Pandit Nikhil Ghosh, the founder of Sangeet Mahabharati....

, Pt. Anindo Chatterjee.