Krishna Bhatt
Encyclopedia
Krishna Mohan Bhatt (born 1949) is a sitar
player, teacher and scholar from Jaipur
, India
.
He comes from a family of musicians in Jaipur. His father, the late Shashi Mohan Bhatt, a sitarist of great repute and a professor at the University of Rajasthan, Jaipur trained many musicians in the family including Krishna Bhatt, Manju Mehta in Ahmedabad and Vishwa Mohan Bhatt
. Krishna Bhatt’s forefathers migrated from the south of India (Andhra Pradesh) to the state of Rajasthan in the northwest, a princely state then, to seek employment in the “Gunijankhānā” (department of learned scholars) of the Maharaja of Jaipur. They were Sanskrit scholars, poets, and musicians.
In his teens, Krishna’s musical grooming was further enhanced by many years of study under the tutelage of his Guru Pt. Ravi Shankar
, and musicians Pt. Nikhil Banerjee
and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan
, who had a strong impact on Krishna's musical growth. While developing his own individual style, Krishna’s music was greatly influenced by twentieth century stalwarts such as the vocalists Amir Khan
, Bade Gulam Ali Khan, Abdul Karim Khan, Begum Akhtar, Shobha Gurtu as well as folk singers of Rajasthan. Krishna’s repertoire in performance includes a wide variety of rare and old traditional compositions from these masters of music.
Krishna Bhatt has received numerous awards and honors including the Sangeet Kalaratna (Jewel of Music) in 2009. He was also presented the “Gunijan” award by the President of India Mrs. Pratibha Patil in 2005 and was conferred the “Kalashiroman” samman by the Maharaja of Jodhpur Shri Gajsinghji and Shri John Singhji of Jaipur Virasat Foundation in 2007 in Rajasthan, India. Krishna Bhatt has been twice the recipient of the AIIS fellowship awards in 1998 and 2004 in the category of performing arts.
In addition to performing Hindustani classical music
, Bhatt has also performed and recorded with the American composer Terry Riley
(working on the score for the Alain Tanner film No Man's Land), Zakir Hussain
, the Kronos Quartet
, Jody Stecher
, jazz saxophonist George Brooks, and Rajasthani folk musicians.
He divides his time between Jaipur
, Rajasthan
and New York City
, where he continues to perform and teach.
Sitar
The 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
player, teacher and scholar from Jaipur
Jaipur
Jaipur , also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, the city today has a population of more than 3.1 million....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
He comes from a family of musicians in Jaipur. His father, the late Shashi Mohan Bhatt, a sitarist of great repute and a professor at the University of Rajasthan, Jaipur trained many musicians in the family including Krishna Bhatt, Manju Mehta in Ahmedabad and Vishwa Mohan Bhatt
Vishwa Mohan Bhatt
Vishwa Mohan Bhatt also known as V. M. Bhatt is an Indian slide guitar player. Bhatt is the creator of the Mohan Veena...
. Krishna Bhatt’s forefathers migrated from the south of India (Andhra Pradesh) to the state of Rajasthan in the northwest, a princely state then, to seek employment in the “Gunijankhānā” (department of learned scholars) of the Maharaja of Jaipur. They were Sanskrit scholars, poets, and musicians.
In his teens, Krishna’s musical grooming was further enhanced by many years of study under the tutelage of his Guru Pt. Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar , often referred to by the title Pandit, is an Indian musician and composer who plays the plucked string instrument sitar. He has been described as the best known contemporary Indian musician by Hans Neuhoff in Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart.Shankar was born in Varanasi and spent...
, and musicians Pt. Nikhil Banerjee
Nikhil Banerjee
Nikhil Ranjan Banerjee was a Hindustani classical musician of the Maihar Gharana who played the stringed instrument sitar.-Early life and background:...
and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan
Ali Akbar Khan
Ali Akbar Khan , often referred to as Khansahib or by the title Ustad , was a Hindustani classical musician of the Maihar gharana, known for his virtuosity in playing the sarod...
, who had a strong impact on Krishna's musical growth. While developing his own individual style, Krishna’s music was greatly influenced by twentieth century stalwarts such as the vocalists Amir Khan
Amir Khan
Amir Khan may refer to:*Amir Khan , British boxing world champion*Amir Khan , Indian classical singer*Amir Khan , alternate name of Mohammed Jawad, Guantanamo captive 900*Amir Khan , fictional character...
, Bade Gulam Ali Khan, Abdul Karim Khan, Begum Akhtar, Shobha Gurtu as well as folk singers of Rajasthan. Krishna’s repertoire in performance includes a wide variety of rare and old traditional compositions from these masters of music.
Krishna Bhatt has received numerous awards and honors including the Sangeet Kalaratna (Jewel of Music) in 2009. He was also presented the “Gunijan” award by the President of India Mrs. Pratibha Patil in 2005 and was conferred the “Kalashiroman” samman by the Maharaja of Jodhpur Shri Gajsinghji and Shri John Singhji of Jaipur Virasat Foundation in 2007 in Rajasthan, India. Krishna Bhatt has been twice the recipient of the AIIS fellowship awards in 1998 and 2004 in the category of performing arts.
In addition to performing 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...
, Bhatt has also performed and recorded with the American composer Terry Riley
Terry Riley
Terrence Mitchell Riley, is an American composer intrinsically associated with the minimalist school of Western classical music and was a pioneer of the movement...
(working on the score for the Alain Tanner film No Man's Land), Zakir Hussain
Zakir Hussain (musician)
Zakir Hussain , , is an Indian tabla player, musical producer, film actor and composer.-Early life:Hussain was born in Mumbai, India to the legendary tabla player Alla Rakha. He attended St...
, the Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet
Kronos Quartet is a string quartet founded by violinist David Harrington in 1973 in Seattle, Washington. Since 1978, the quartet has been based in San Francisco, California. The longest-running combination of performers had Harrington and John Sherba on violin, Hank Dutt on viola, and Joan...
, Jody Stecher
Jody Stecher
Jody Stecher is an American singer and musician, who plays bluegrass and old-time music on banjo, mandolin, fiddle and guitar, and Dagar-vani dhrupad on the sursringar, a rare Indian instrument that is a baritone relative of the sarod....
, jazz saxophonist George Brooks, and Rajasthani folk musicians.
He divides his time between Jaipur
Jaipur
Jaipur , also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, the city today has a population of more than 3.1 million....
, Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he continues to perform and teach.