Hindustani classical music is the classical music of the Indian subcontinent's northern regions. It may also be called North Indian classical music or Uttar Bhartiya shastriya sangeet. The term shastriya sangeet literally means classical music, and is also used to refer to Indian classical music in general. It is played on instruments like the veena, sitar and sarod. It diverged in the 12th century CE from Carnatic music, the classical tradition of Southern India. While Carnatic music largely uses compositions written in Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindustani music largely uses compositions written in Hindi, Urdu, Braj, Avadhi, Bhojpuri, Bengali, Rajasthani, Marathi and Punjabi.
The Kirana Gharana is a Hindustani music apprenticeship tradition (gharana) made popular by Bande Ali Khan in the 19th Century and his cousins Abdul Karim Khan and Abdul Wahid Khan. Evolved from the instrumental and vocal Gauharbani dhrupad lineages of medieval music maestros Nayak Gopal, Nayak Dhondu, and Nayak Bhanu. Later, this tradition came to be reputed for khayal, thumri, dadra, ghazal, bhajan, abhang, and natya sangeet. This gharana is known for producing acclaimed musicians like Sawai Gandharva, Sureshbabu Mane, Hirabai Barodekar, Amir Khan, Gangubai Hangal, Bhimsen Joshi, Roshanara Begum, Mohammed Rafi, Prabha Atre, Kaivalya Kumar Gurav, Anand Bhate, and Jayateerth Mevundi. Consequently, this gharana developed a reputation for its distinctly sweet, devotional, and intense vocalism.
The Mewati gharana is a musical apprenticeship tribe of Hindustani classical music. Known for being Pandit Jasraj's musical lineage, the gharana was founded by brothers Ghagge Nazir Khan and Wahid Khan (beenkar) of Indore in the late 19th century at the Holkar Court. Members of this gharana have had an active influence in Indian cinema for over half a century.
Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar was a Hindustani musician. He sang the original version of the bhajan Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram, and founded the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya on 5 May 1901. He is also credited with arranging India's national song, Vande Mātaram, as it is heard today. His original surname was Gadgil, but as they hailed from the village Palus, they came to be known as the "Paluskar" family.
Vasantrao Deshpande was a Hindustani classical vocalist renowned for his contribution to Natya Sangeet.
The Gwalior Gharana is one of the oldest Khyal Gharana in Indian classical music. The rise of the Gwalior Gharana started with the reign of the Mughal emperor Akbar (1542–1605).
Pandit Dattatreya Vishnu Paluskar, was a Hindustani classical vocalist. He was considered a child prodigy.
Vamanrao H. Deshpande, was an Indian music critic, musicologist and a prolific writer on the subject of Hindustani classical music.
Bhaskar Raghunath Bakhale was a Hindustani classical vocalist, a composer, and a teacher.
Ustad Badruddin "Manji" Khan (1888–1937) was a Hindustani Classical vocalist of the Jaipur-Atrauli Gharana founded by his father, Ustad Alladiya Khan. "He was called 'Manji' because he was his father's Manjhala (middle) son."
Pandit Omkarnath Thakur, was an Indian music teacher, musicologist and Hindustani classical singer. A disciple of classical singer Vishnu Digambar Paluskar of Gwalior gharana and the founder of Akhil Bharatiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal he became the principal of Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, Lahore, and later went on become the first dean of the music faculty at Banaras Hindu University.He also wrote book "sangeetanjli" vol 1 to 6
Arvind Parikh is an Indian classical sitar player.
Rajab Ali Khan was an Indian classical vocalist and poet.
Vishwanath Jadhav was an Indian classical khyal singer and a disciple of Abdul Karim Khan, the founder of Kirana gharana.
Professor B. R. Deodhar was an Indian classical singer, musicologist and music educator. He was a vocalist of Khayal-genre of Hindustani classical music.
Vasundhara Komkali (1931–2015), popularly known as Vasundhara Tai, was an Indian classical musician and one of the leading exponents of the Gwalior gharana, an old Khyal tradition of Hindustani music. She was the wife of renowned musician, Kumar Gandharva, and was a recipient of the 2009 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award. The Government of India awarded her the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2006, for her contributions to Indian classical music.
Gaan Maharishi Pt. Krishnarao Shankar Pandit (1893–1989) was an Indian musician, considered by many as one of the leading vocalists of the Gwalior gharana. He authored several articles and 8 books on music and was the founder of Shankar Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, a music college based in Gwalior. The Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan, in 1973, for his contributions to music. He was also a recipient of several other honors, including the 1959 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award and the 1980 Tansen Award of the Government of Madhya Pradesh.
Vinayak Ramchandra Athavale, better known as V. R. Athavale or Vi. Ra. Athavale, was a Hindustani classical vocalist and one of the foremost Hindustani classical musicologists of the 20th Century, alongside Vamanrao Deshpande and Sharadchandra Arolkar. He composed using the pen name "Naad Piya". He is known for his critique of traditional ideas and modern aesthetics. He was trained primarily by Vinayakrao Patwardhan and Vilayat Hussain Khan and is considered a representative of Gwalior and Agra traditions.
Ramkrishnabuwa Vaze, also known as Vazebuwa, was a Hindustani Classical musician of the Gwalior tradition known for his impact on popularizing classical music and its impression on Natyageet in the early half of the 20th century.
Bhaiyya Ganpatra, alias "Sughar-piya", (1852–1920) was a member of the Gwalior royal family and known for pioneering the harmonium as an accompanying instrument. He was a member of the Gwalior gharana school of classical music.
