The Sitar and its Evolution

INTRODUCTION:

Art is the spark that flies from the contact of the individual soul with the universal soul of nature. Art is Man added to Nature. It is something that reaches the innermost depths of the human being. A human being when he is stirred to the core, expresses himself by no other means but through sound. The sound may be an expression of joy or it may reflect the anguish of deep sorrow. At such highly emotional moments, sound is the only channel for communication of feelings. From such sounds of sorrow, joy, pain, fear, love or anger, music is born. We Indians nurtured on an ancient tradition of oral transmission of knowledge were one of the first civilised peoples to make significant contribution to the art of Music.

So highly did our ancestors value music that the “Sam-Veda” is recognised as a part of our musical literature and Lord Siva is credited with invention of our oldest musical instrument, “The Rudra Veena”. The Music of India has been enriched by a magnificent variety of musical instruments. Strings, Percussion and Wind instruments of almost all conceivable sizes and shapes are to this day found in use in this country. Of all the instruments, the Indian genius has been poured especially into the Percussion instruments and into those string instruments where the strings are plucked.

CATEGORIES OF INDIAN MUSIC

Indian Music is categorised into 3 groups classical, light classical and light music.

The Classical Music strictly adheres to the grammar of the raga and discipline of the form. Even though the element of improvisation forms an integral part of classical music, deviation from the tenets of raga, tala, and the form is strictly prohibited.

In classical vocal music the age-old tradition of Drupad and the relatively modern form of Khayal are the two main forms of expression used at present. In the North Indian classical music, traditional vocal music has many clearly defined styles. Drupad was expressed through different styles called bani-s (Khandhar, Naubar, Dagur & Gauhar). Khayal form is represented by different gharana-s (Kirana, Agra, Jaipur-Atrauli, Patiala, Gwalior, etc.. etc.). On other hand, there are no clearly defined or labelled gharana-s in instrumental music. Though in recent times, different styles have been identified with an outstanding performer of a particular style, we normally do not find recognised names of distinct gharana-s as in the case of vocal music.

2. Light classical music also follows the basic raga structure but a considerable degree of liberty to depart from the strict raga grammar’s permitted. However, the thumri form is closely related to and based on a raga form. It is because of this that we have ‘Tilang-ki-Thumri’, ‘Tilakkamod-ki-Thumri’ etc.. depending upon the base of a particular raga on which the Thumri is composed.

3. Light musical forms enjoy much greater freedom than the above two categories. It may or may not be based on a particular raga structure. Usually these forms tend to give greater importance to the literary content.

Depending upon the technique used for producing sound, we can divide the music instruments into 4 categories.

Plucking (Sitar, Surbahar, Veena, etc.)

Bowing (Sarangi, Violin, Dilruba etc.)

Blowing (Flute, Bansuri, Shehnai, etc.)

Percussion (Tabla, Jal-Tarang, Santoor, etc.)

Following chart illustrates this clearly

The ‘Veena’ is the oldest of our plucked-string instruments. In fact it is surmised that all other plucked-string instruments have been derived in one way or other from the ‘Veena’. The Sitar falls into this large category of the off-springs of ‘Veena’. The Sitar and in what follows, I shall consider in details, its physical and stylistic evolution. Initially, would like to discuss the physical aspects of the Sitar. We would outline the series of transmutations by which this instrument has been revolutionised by the great masters who had spent almost their lives in perfecting it. Sitar has been metamorphised many a time in the last several decades of its existence.

SITAR PHYSICAL EVOLUTION

Theories relating to origin

1) Sehtar was the instrument brought by Yemannudin Abul Hasan or Amir Khusro from Iran. Seh meaning 3 and Sehtar meaning the instrument with 3 strings. According to this theory, it is believed that the Sehtar was modified to suit Indian musical requirements and the Sitar was thus invented by Amir Khusro in the 13th Century.

2) According to some Scholars, Sitar was the modified version of another plucking instrument called ‘Tri-tantri Veena’, which was very popular at that time. Some Scholars believe that this change was brought about by Amir Khusro while some others maintain that it was somebody other than Amir Khusro, since this modification was brought about much later than Amir Khusro’s time.

3) According to very recent findings, Sitar was invented by Sadarang’s brother, Fakir Khusro Khan who lived in the 18th Century.

However, well-known Scholars and musicologists have raised several doubts about the theory that Amir Khusro invented the Sitar

They argue that there is no reference to Sitar in any of the well known and acknowledged treatises until 18th Century. In fact, Sitar does not appear in any of the paintings, sculptures, etc. pertaining to period prior to 18th Century. On a perusal of literature pertaining to Akbar’s darbar, we note the names of many eminent musicians and musical instruments, but no mention of Sitar or it’s exponents is noticed. It is therefore surmised that Sitar could not have been invented prior to 18th Century

b) Some Scholars maintain that Sitar can’t be a modification of Iranian “Sehtar” as the two instruments are completely different in character, shape, size and technique of playing. It is difficult therefore to accept the theory that Sitar was a modified version of “Sehtar”.

In view of the above, one is tempted to accept the theory that Sitar is a relatively recent invention i.e. during the period of 18th Century and. it could well be that Khusro Khan, brother of Sadarang who lived during this period, was the inventor. Factually, if we trace the family tree of present Sitar players, we are unable to go back in the history beyond 200 years. Therefore, this theory seems to be the most

plausible and acceptable.

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENTS:

The evolution in the physical form of Sitar relates to the shape, size, material used for making the Sitar, number of strings used, methods of tuning, number of frets, etc.

1) It is believed that until the later part of the 19th Century, the instrument was totally made of wood. In some regions, Sitars made of papermache were also used. However. later on, dried pumpkin was used to make the tumba or the resonator. This enhanced the resonance of the instrument. Additions of one more resonators also facilitated the amplification of sound.

2) Originally, Sitar had three strings. They were tuned to ‘Ma’, ‘Sa’ and ‘Sa’ or ‘Ma’, ‘Sa’, ‘Pa’. Later on, two more strings were added which were tuned to ‘Sa’ and higher octave ‘Sa’. During the second half of the 18th Century, two more strings were added and the complete 7 strings tuning was in this order – ‘Ma’, Sa, Sa, Pa, Pa (Kharaj), Sa and Sa (one octave higher). By the beginning of 20th Century, thirteen additional sympathetic or “tarab” strings were introduced. They are located underneath the main strings in a parallel direction to the main strings over a small, flat bridge. These are tuned to correspond with various notes of the rag to be played. In accordance with the principle of resonance, the tarab strings vibrate in tune with the vibrations of the notes played on the main strings. Thus, the resultant sound is enriched in both quality and volume. At present. two different methods of tuning the main strings are being employed depending upon the musical requirements. One of them uses three brass strings tuned to lower octave notes to facilitate improvisation in the lower register. The tuning thus, is as follows:

The other tuning method involves only 6 strings since the 3rd and 4th copper/bronze strings were replaced by a single steel string.

The tuning is as follows : –

A slightly smaller size of the tumba and a specific jowari treatment of the bridge helps the performer to meet the desired tonal requirement of the performance style that lays emphasis on vocalism. Fourth and Fifth strings, called Gandhar and Pancham, could also be tuned to Pa and Pa, Re and Pa, Ga (Koma 1) and Dhe (Koma1) etc.. depending upon the raag being played.

3) Until the 19th Century, 2 types of fret arrangements were in vogue. Sitar with ‘Achala-that’, or arrangement which did not require movements of frets, had 24 frets tuned to half steps from ‘tivra madhyam’ of the lower octave to the ‘madhyam’ of the upper octave. ‘Chala-that’ (requiring movement of frets) had 17 frets. By the end of the 19th Century, the number of frets was increased to 20 on the ‘Chala-that’ Sitar. The frets tuned to ‘Komal Ni’ in both the lower and middle octave as well as the fret tuned to ‘Komal Ga’ in the middle octave were introduced.

Thus, we see that the physical evolution of Sitar was influenced by several factors, such as, material used, manner of arrangement of strings, number of tumbas used and the number of frets employed. Today, the Sitar in it’s present form is a highly developed and versatile instrument.

STYLISTIC EVOLUTION

After having traced the physical evolution of Sitar, we would now refer in the following, to the various stages through which the styles of Sitar playing have been developed.

1) It appears that initially. Sitar was used as an accompanying instrument, to be played during Qawali performances. The left hand rested on a particular note while the right hand played bols like dirdir, dara dara etc.. in quick succession, with a view to fill gaps between the melodic phrases sung by the performing vocal musician. This style was known as ‘Poorak baj’.

2) Over the years, Sitar emerged as a solo instrument and hence amorphous gats were introduced in it’s repertoire. Gradually. pakhawaj bol-s were incorporated in Sitar playing. The melody was played by left hand while the right hand played the bols representing the rhythm.

3) During the next stage of development, small phrases known as “Fikre'” were introduced to aid the improvisation of pre-composed gats. Thus, the role played by the left hand became slightly more significant, though it still remained subsidiary to that of the right hand.

4) Gradually, small meend-s were introduced to embellish the notes and as a result, the prominence of the left hand was further elevated. . The “alap” phrases were of rather simple nature devoid of any ornamental elements and major melodic movements were on frets. Around this time, it is believed that Surbahar was invented. It is said, that the great masters of Sarasvati Veena or Been did not teach this instrument to anybody outside their family. Therefore, to teach the students outside family, Surbahar could have been evolved from the base of Sitar. This instrument incorporates the elements of both the Veena and the Sitar. It is larger in size when compared to Sitar only the pitch is much lower.

5) Next phase was the introduction of drut gat-s faster tempo. All Masit-khani gat-s are played slow tempo but not vice-versa. Similarly all Raza-Khani gat-s are played in faster tempo but the reverse is not true. During Mohamad Shah Rangile’s time, a lot of “Bandish ki Thumris” were composed. These were sung in Madhyalaya to accompany Kathak dance. These compositions according to one theory were adopted to play on Sitar and thus was established the origin of Razakhani gat-s. One finds more of these in ragas like Kh amaj. Kafi, Pilu, Zila, etc. To-day, however, any fast gat played in Tritcal is called Raza-khani, which is not necessarily a correct nomenclature.

6) The next stage represented a judicious presentation of alap, jods, vilambit and drut gat and jhala. The rag was now projected comp lately through all these stages and Sitar achieved a status very near to vocal music performances. Well-known Sitar players of this period were Inayat Khan, Yusuf Ali Khan, etc.

PROMINENT SITAR PLAYERS – 18th Century onwards

1) The name of Ustad Masit Khan is well known for the establishment of a specific style of gat-playing. Available references from books as well as from eminent musicians indicate that he was one of the pioneers of the present day Sitar style. It is believed, that he lived in the latter half of the 18th Century.

2) Another notable name is Ustad Bahadur Khan. According to one version, he was the son of Ustad Masit Khan. However. some believe that he was his grandson. He was considered to be one of the most prominent Sitar players of his time. He is also credited to have composed several gat-s. some of which are popular even today. According to some references, there were two other prominent Sitar players by the same name who were also credited to have composed excel1lent “Masit Khan i” gat-s.

3) Ustad Dulhe Khan is believed to be the nephew of Ustad Masit Khan. Basically a Veena player and Drupad singer, he learnt Sitar from Ustad Masit Khan and popularised it.

4) Ustad Rahim Sen was the Son-in-law of Ustad Dulhe Khan. He is believed to be a descendent of Tansen. Though Sitar was not a very popular and respected instrument during his time, he achieved proficiency in Sitar playing in addition to learning Veena from Ustad Dulhe Khan. He established Sitar as an eminent concert instrument and developed the “Masit Khani”style of Sitar playing considerably. He introduced, several new techniques of mizrab. He was an excellent teacher as well and amongst various names of the pupils, the most prominent is his son Ustad Amrit Sen. He also composed several popular gat-s.

5) Amrit Sen (1830-1893) was the son of Rahim Sen, born at Jaipur. Though he had two brothers, it was left to him to popularise Sitar in the music world and further elevate its status. Rahim Sen and Amrit Sen the father and son pair were considered to be the greatest exponents of “Masit Khani” style, which was developed on the basis of Veena. Drupad and to some extent the Khayal style. Short musical phrases were introduced by them in thee development of gats in addition to intricate bols of mizrab. This period saw many musicians being attracted to Sitar playing and the instrument was in demand at the courts of several prominent Nawab-s and Raja-s.

6) Amongst the disciples of Ustad Amrit Sen, we come across the names of Hafiz Khan, Niyamat Sen (hiss brother), Amir Khan and Nihal Sen, who was the adopted son of Ustad Amrit Sen. He was considered to be a very i11ustrious Sitar player and versatile Veena player. He was a court musician of Maharaja Madhosingh of Jaipur. He died in 1950.

7) At this stage, it is essential to introduce Sitar players of Etawah Gharana.. The ‘adipurush’ of this Gharana was a Rajput vocalist named Sarojan Singh. His son, Turab Khan was also a famous musician. Sahabdad Khan, the son of Turab Khan represented the next generation. He was a sarangi player who later became a prominent Surbahar player. It is believed, that he made many modifications in Surbahar to improve the techniques. It is also said that taking inspiration from Sarangi, he added ‘tarab’ strings to Surbahar and Sitar, thereby enriching the quality of sound.

Ustad Imdad Khan, the son of Sahabdad Khan was born in 1848. From avai lable gramophone records, we can easily discern the stage of stylistic evolution that Sitar had reached by the middle of 19th Century. Its characteristics of simple alap-s, very intricate right hand bol-s and style of jhala development indicate that the left hand had not yet been used to execute complicated and involved techniques during the rag development. Ustad Imdad Khan was known for his extreme devotion to music and rigorous riyaz. He perfected a specific style of Sitar playing to a level which marked the beginning of a Gharana known as “Imdad Khani” Gharana or Itawah Gharana. Apart from developing the technique of jhala playing (including the arrangement of chikari strings), Ustad Imdad Khan perfected the art of presentation of the raga completely through the stages of al ap. jod, gat and jhala. In other words, he was the pioneer of the present day style and presentation of Sitar playing.

8) Ustad Barkatullah Khan was a great Pakhavaj player and had developed several techniques of mizrab bols bạsed on Pakhavaj bols. He developed many rhythmic patterns to be executed by the right hand and established a style based on the existing “senia baj”. Only one record’ of Ustad Barkatullah Khan is available which indicates that. whilst concentrating on the right hand technique, he developed bols played on the main string but did not make use of chikari strings. (Apparently, Ustad Imd ad Khan perfected the use of chikari strings).

9) Ustad Inayat Khan (born 1895) was an illustrious son of an illustrious father. Based on the Imdad Khani baj, his style was replete with beauty and perfect execution of notes. Though he died at a relatively young age, he was responsible for making Sitar one of the most popular instruments, specially in Bengal. Among scores of students that he had, several were prominent and establ1ished players of this Century. He had an excellent command, both over sur and laya and it is believed that he introduced the technique of ‘tihai’ in Sitar playing.

10) Ustad Wahid Khan was the brother of Ustad Inayat Khan. He was a proficient Surbahar and Sitar player. Several of his gramophone records that are available today, project him as a worthy son of Ustad Imdad Khan. He follgwed the Imdad Khani baj with added dimensions of precomposed gat-s and tan-s executed with clarity and grace. His sons Aziz Khan and Hafiz Khan were talented Sitar players. Hafiz Khan, also known as H Khan Mastana was a very popular playback singer as well. Aziz Khan ‘s son Shahid Parvez is a popular Sitar player among the young musicians today.

11) Ustad Vilayat Khan is described as one of the foremost Sitar players of the contemporary period. Inheriting a great cultural heritage from his forefathers like Ustad Imdad Khan and Ustad Inayat Khan, he perfected the art of Sitar playing and made it a very versatile instrument. In addition to the stylistic techniques already developed, he added several new dimensions including the famous gayaki ang’. Though he lost his father at a very young age, he was already trained thoroughly in the style of his gharana. He was influenced by the vocalism of his maternal grandfather Ustad Bande Hasan Khan of Nahan State. This proved to be the basic inspiration for his developing the ‘gayaki ang’ at a later stage. He introduced several new features in the physical structure of the Sitar and stylistic expressions to suit his own idiom which included a bolder approach to stroke playing, lyrical flow of music with execution of five note meends, development of alap and tans in the khayal style, introduction of several varieties of light classical musical forms (such as Thumri, Bhatiyali, Chaiti, Barsati, tappa). One of the most significant and noteworthy contribution of Ustad Vilayat Khan is the change effected in the arrangement of Sitar strings. He replaced the lower octave brass string tuned to Pancham (lower octave) by a steel string tuned to Gandhar (middle octave). Introduction of the “Ga’ string added a completely new and ‘Gandhar gram’ based impact and dimension to Sitar playing. He trained his younger brother Imrat Khan and many other students in Calcutta and Bombay including Pt. Arvind Parikh, Kalyani Roy. Kashinath Mukherjee, etc. His son Shujaat Hussain Khan has also been receiving rigorous and thorough taleem from him.

12) Pt Ravi Shankar is also one of the most popular Sitar players of our times. He has developed a style of his Having received extensive taleem from the legendary Ustad Allauddin Khan, along with his brother- in-law Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Pt. Ravi Shankar evolved an individual style of Sitar playing by adding new dimensions of greater depth through playing in the lower octaves, sophisticated and modern approach to music, gracefull and highly sensitive treatment of the raga form, executing gat-s in several taal etc. He is the real ambassador of Indian music in making it popular all over the world and achieving for Indian music as a whole, a status of respect, awe and admiration.

13) Ustad Mushtaq Ali Khan resides in Calcutta and continues the tradition of Sitar playing in Senia style. Having learnt from his father, Ustad Ashiq Ali Khan, he is a traditionalist and has great regard for conventional values. Amongst his noted pupils the name of Deburat Chaudhary is prominent.

14) In the death of Pt. Nikhil Banerjee, the world of Indian music has lost a Sitar player of extraordinary merit. Having had disciplined training from Ustad Allauddin Khan and his daughter Smt. Annapurnadevi, Pt. Nikhil Banerjee developed an individual trend of his own within the basic style. His performances projected deep meditative qualities in the alap stages. His bold and, clear mizrab bols coupled with execution of swift and intricate taans made him a remarkable and popular player.

15) Ustad Imrat Khan is the younger son of Ustad Inayat Khan and brother of Ustad Vilayat Khan. He is equally proficient in playing Surbahar and Sitar. Added to the thorough taleem received from Ustad Vilayat Khan. His continuous and disciplined riyaz made him into a player of unusual merit. He had the good fortune of learning the technique of playing Surbahar from his uncle Ustad Wahid Khan. He has taken great pains in training his four sons with great affection and care. The eldest son Nishat Khan is already an established Sitar player, while Irshat Khan has won the admiration of music lovers both as a Sitar and Surbahar performer. Miyandad Khan is a promising Sarod player while Vajahat Hussain is a tabla player of merit.

16) Ustad Rais Khan is the illustrious son of Ustad Mohamad Khan Beenkar. He is a Sitar player of great merit, notable for his melodic and technical excellence.

Apart from the above mentioned names of Sitar players, we have several popular Sitar players in the country. Prominent amongst these are Shamim Ahmed, Kartick Kumar, Umashankar Misra and Jaya Biswas, all students of Pt. Ravi Shankar. Budhaditya Mukherjee is the son of Bimalendu Mukherjee who learnt from a disciple of Ustad Inayat Khan. Among the younger Sitar players, he occupies a very prominent and respect-worthy place.

CONCLUSION:

It is apparent from the manner in which we have traced the development of the Sitar that the important elements in so far as it relates to the physical aspect have witnessed:

1) Gradual increase in the number of strings

2) Improvement in the resonance and the tonal quality of the instrument by the change over from wooden to pumpkin gourd, by the addition of the second gourd at the upper end and the introduction of the Tarabs.

3) By the decrease in the number of frets in the Achal-That.

In so far as the stylistic aspect is concerned, it will be noted that the most important element is the increasing freedom of the left hand. We have now reached the stage when both the left and the right hands are of equal importance. In the exposition of the Gaiki Ang it has been felt that the left hand has to play a role as important as the right.