Ali Akbar Khan

Ali Akbar Khan was a master of Hindustani classical music. He was a virtuoso, or an expert, on the sarod. The sarod is a stringed instrument used in Indian music. Khan belonged to the Maihar gharana, which is a specific musical tradition or school. He was a performer, a composer, and a teacher. He wrote many ragas, which are melodic patterns used in Indian classical music. He also composed music for many famous films. His work helped people all over the world discover this art form.

Learning to play the sarod required intense training. His father, Allauddin Khan, was his primary teacher. Allauddin was a strict taskmaster who demanded perfection. Khan's lessons often began before dawn. He sometimes practiced for 18 hours every day. He also studied other instruments like the tabla and pakhavaj. He learned these from his uncle, Aftabuddin Khan. This rigorous training prepared him for a professional career.

Khan's musical life involved many different roles. He was a solo performer and a composer of film scores. He also participated in jugalbandis. A jugalbandi is a musical duet between two performers. He famously performed these duets with the musician Ravi Shankar. In 1939, he accompanied Shankar during a debut performance in Allahabad. Khan also worked as a music director for All India Radio in Lucknow. He was responsible for solo performances and composing for the radio orchestra.

His career moved through many different places and eras. He was born in Shibpur, in what is now Bangladesh. His family later moved to Maihar in India. In 1943, his father recommended him for a position as a court musician. He served the Maharaja of Jodhpur, Umaid Singh. The Maharaja gave him the title of Ustad, which is a term of respect for a master. After India gained independence in 1947, Khan moved to Bombay. There, he became a successful composer for the film industry.

Khan's work in film was very significant. He composed scores for movies like Aandhiyan in 1952. He also scored the film Devi in 1960. For the film Kshudhita Pashan, he won a "Best Musician of the Year" award. In 1993, he composed music for the film Little Buddha. He even recorded 78 rpm disks at His Master's Voice studios. One of his most famous creations was Raga Chandranandan. This raga was based on four evening ragas: Malkauns, Chandrakauns, Nandakauns, and Kaushi Kanada. This composition gained a worldwide audience.

Khan was also a dedicated educator. He wanted to spread Indian classical music to new students. In 1956, he founded the Ali Akbar College of Music in Calcutta. He later founded a school in Berkeley, California, in 1967. This school eventually moved to San Rafael, California. He also opened a branch in Basel, Switzerland, in 1985. He served as an adjunct professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Through his schools, he taught many students the traditions of the Maihar gharana.

His influence reached many different cultures and famous people. He was the first Indian musician to play sarod on American television. In 1971, he performed at the Concert for Bangladesh at Madison Square Garden. He played alongside musicians like George Harrison and Bob Dylan. He even taught the drummers of the Grateful Dead, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann. Khan received many high honors for his skill. He won the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian honor, in 1989. He was also the first Indian musician to receive a MacArthur Fellowship, often called a "genius grant."