The Tradition of Gharana and its significance in Hindustani Music

Abstract

North Indian Classical Music or Hindustani Music is specially based on the „Raga‟ singing. Raga singing holds a very important place in the field of Classical Music. Alike Raga the term „Gharana‟ also plays a very significant role in North Indian style of Classical Music. The tradition of Gharana is very ancient as it has been considered with the tradition of Guru- Shisya Parampara. Basically Gharana is a system of social organization which connects musicians or dancers by lineage. Every Gharana has its own features and characteristics.There are a fair number of Gharanas in Indian Classical Music which are very famous for its unique style of singing. As a result, various styles of singing have been formed by maintaining the Raga structure. It creates a great scope for the learners of Classical Music to understand the characteristics of a raga in different ways and to choose one particular style of raga rendering through the system of Gharana. This also helps to sustain the artistic authority of an artist. Hence, in this article our endeavour shall be upon focusing on the aspects of Vocal Gharanas and its importance.