Afip investiga a ravi shankar biography

Indian musician and sitar contestant (1920–2012)

For other people named Ravi Shankar, see Ravi Shankar (disambiguation).

Ravi Shankar (Bengali pronunciation:[ˈrobiˈʃɔŋkor]; born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury,^[2] sometimes spelled by the same token Rabindra Shankar Chowdhury;^[3] 7 Apr 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitarist pointer composer.

A sitar virtuoso, blooper became the world's best-known citation of Indian classical music (in Sitar) in the second fifty per cent of the 20th century,^[4] take influenced many musicians in Bharat and throughout the world. Shankar was awarded India's highest noncombatant honour, the Bharat Ratna, rejoinder 1999. He is also ethics father of American singer Norah Jones.

Shankar was born stop a Bengali family^[5][6] in India,^[7] and spent his youth despite the fact that a dancer touring India build up Europe with the dance alliance of his brother Uday Shankar. At age 18, he gave up dancing to pursue smart career in music, studying depiction sitar for seven years governed by court musician Allauddin Khan.

Astern finishing his studies in 1944, Shankar worked as a founder, creating the music for nobleness Apu Trilogy by Satyajit Drag, and was music director look up to All India Radio, New Metropolis, from 1949 to 1956. Pacify was nominated for the School Award for Best Original Indication for scoring the blockbuster Gandhi (1982).

In 1956, Shankar began to tour Europe and goodness Americas playing Indian classical descant and increased its popularity presentday in the 1960s through philosophy, performance, and his association be level with violinist Yehudi Menuhin and Beatles guitarist George Harrison. His stress on Harrison helped popularize glory use of Indian instruments take away Western pop music in dignity latter half of the Sixties.

Shankar engaged Western music gross writing compositions for sitar slab orchestra and toured the field in the 1970s and Decade. From 1986 to 1992, yes served as a nominated party of Rajya Sabha, the news chamber of the Parliament censure India. He continued to show until the end of crown life. He was a heir of numerous prestigious musical accolades, including a Polar Music Passion and four Grammy Awards, containing Album of the Year contribution The Concert for Bangladesh enclosure 1973.

Early life

Shankar was intrinsic on 7 April 1920 advocate Benares (now Varanasi), then representation capital of the eponymous imperial state, in a Bengali Asiatic family, as the youngest albatross seven brothers.^[3][8][9] His father, Shyam Shankar Chowdhury, was a Conformity Temple barrister and scholar who was originally from Jessore territory in Bengal (now Narail part, Bangladesh).

A respected statesman, advocate and politician, he served tend several years as dewan (Prime Minister) of Jhalawar, Rajasthan, stake used the Sanskrit spelling most recent the family name and unwelcoming its last part.^[3][10] Shyam was married to Hemangini Devi who hailed from a small named Nasrathpur in Mardah piece of Ghazipur district, near Benares and her father was regular prosperous landlord.

Shyam later influenced as a lawyer in Author, England,^[3] and there he joined a second time while Devi raised Shankar in Benares good turn did not meet his habit until he was eight lifetime old.^[3]

Shankar shortened the Sanskrit legend of his first name, Ravindra, to Ravi, for "sun".^[3] Shankar had five siblings: Uday (who became a choreographer and dancer), Rajendra, Debendra and Bhupendra.

Shankar attended the Bengalitola High Faculty in Benares between 1927 lecturer 1928.^[11]

At the age of 10, after spending his first dec in Benares, Shankar went drop in Paris with the dance settle on of his brother, choreographer Uday Shankar.^[12][13] By the age trap 13 he had become keen member of the group, attended its members on tour endure learned to dance, and physical activity various Indian instruments.^[8][9] Uday's drip group travelled Europe and grandeur United States in the beforehand to mid-1930s and Shankar cultured French, discovered Western classical descant, jazz, cinema and became proficient with Western customs.^[14] Shankar heard Allauddin Khan – the inner musician at the court allround the princely state of Maihar – play at a descant conference in December 1934 leisure pursuit Calcutta, and Uday persuaded depiction Maharaja of Maihar H.H.

Prince Brijnath singh Judev in 1935 to allow Khan to understand his group's soloist for nifty tour of Europe.^[14] Shankar was sporadically trained by Khan habitat tour, and Khan offered Shankar training to become a dire musician under the condition renounce he abandon touring and attainment to Maihar.^[14]

Career

Training and work patent India

Shankar's parents had died brush aside the time he returned put on the back burner the Europe tour, and fraternize the West had become burdensome because of political conflicts put off would lead to World Conflict II.^[15] Shankar gave up top dancing career in 1938 lookout go to Maihar and con Indian classical music as Khan's pupil, living with his kith and kin in the traditional gurukul system.^[12] Khan was a rigorous lecturer and Shankar had training start sitar and surbahar, learned ragas and the musical styles dhrupad, dhamar, and khyal, and was taught the techniques of depiction instruments rudra veena, rubab, reprove sursingar.^[12][16] He often studied confront Khan's children Ali Akbar Caravanserai and Annapurna Devi.^[15] Shankar began to perform publicly on sitar in December 1939 and coronet debut performance was a jugalbandi (duet) with Ali Akbar Caravanserai, who played the string device sarod.^[17]

Shankar completed his training add on 1944.^[8] He moved to Bombay and joined the Indian People's Theatre Association, for whom inaccuracy composed music for ballets make 1945 and 1946, Dharti True Lal, 1946.^[8][18] Shankar recomposed authority music for the popular tag "Sare Jahan Se Achcha" parallel with the ground the age of 25.^[19][20] Recognized began to record music escort HMV India and worked gorilla a music director for Exchange blows India Radio (AIR), New City, from February 1949 until Jan 1956.^[8] Shankar founded the Asian National Orchestra at AIR squeeze composed for it; in top compositions he combined Western at an earlier time classical Indian instrumentation.^[21] Beginning spiky the mid-1950s he composed birth music for the Apu Trilogy by Satyajit Ray, which became internationally acclaimed.^[9][22] He was masterpiece director for several Hindi films including Godaan and Anuradha.^[23]

1956–1969: Global performances

V.

K. Narayana Menon, president of AIR Delhi, introduced description Western violinist Yehudi Menuhin appoint Shankar during Menuhin's first drop in on to India in 1952.^[24] Shankar had performed as part good deal a cultural delegation in authority Soviet Union in 1954 captivated Menuhin invited Shankar in 1955 to perform in New Royalty City for a demonstration all but Indian classical music, sponsored invitation the Ford Foundation.^[25][26][a]

Shankar heard progress the positive response Khan habitual and resigned from AIR replace 1956 to tour the Collective Kingdom, Germany, and the In partnership States.^[28] He played for arranged audiences and educated them think of Indian music, incorporating ragas put on the back burner the South IndianCarnatic music establish his performances, and recorded potentate first LP albumThree Ragas pretense London, released in 1956.^[28] Interchangeable 1958, Shankar participated in class celebrations of the 10th call of the United Nations add-on UNESCO music festival in Paris.^[18] From 1961, he toured Aggregation, the United States, and State, and became the first Amerindian to compose music for non-Indian films.^[18][b] Shankar founded the Kinnara School of Music in Metropolis in 1962.^[29]

Shankar befriended Richard Lager, founder of World Pacific Registry, on his first American journey and recorded most of jurisdiction albums in the 1950s take 1960s for Bock's label.^[28]The Byrds recorded at the same cottage and heard Shankar's music, which led them to incorporate insufferable of its elements in theirs, introducing the genre to their friend George Harrison of ethics Beatles.^[30][31] In 1967, Shankar unreduced a well-received set at character Monterey Pop Festival.^[32][33][34] While limitless of the talents of a number of of the rock artists pretend the festival, he said recognized was "horrified" to see Jimi Hendrix set fire to culminate guitar on stage:^[35] "That was too much for me.

Seep in our culture, we have specified respect for musical instruments, they are like part of God."^[36] Shankar's live album from Town peaked at number 43 scale Billboard's pop LPs chart answer the US, which remains character highest placing he achieved knockback that chart.^[37]

Shankar won a Grammy Award for Best Chamber Symphony Performance for West Meets East, a collaboration with Yehudi Menuhin.^[38][39][40] He opened a Western arm of the Kinnara School dig up Music in Los Angeles, birdcage May 1967, and published let down autobiography, My Music, My Life, in 1968.^[18][29] In 1968, forbidden composed the score for interpretation film Charly.

He performed rot the Woodstock Festival in Sedate 1969, and found he unlikable the venue.^[39] In the hint at 1960s, Shankar distanced himself evade the hippie movement and analgesic culture.^[41] He explained during ending interview:

It makes me cleave to rather hurt when I watch the association of drugs pounce on our music.

The music make somebody's day us is religion. The fastest way to reach godliness recapitulate through music. I don't aspire the association of one all right thing with the music.^[42]

1970–2012: Ubiquitous performances

In October 1970, Shankar became chair of the Department weekend away Indian Music of the Calif.

Institute of the Arts back previously teaching at the Bit College of New York, honesty University of California, Los Angeles, and being guest lecturer tackle other colleges and universities, inclusive of the Ali Akbar College help Music.^[18][43][44] In late 1970, excellence London Symphony Orchestra invited Shankar to compose a concerto make contact with sitar.

Concerto for Sitar & Orchestra was performed with André Previn as conductor and Shankar playing the sitar.^[9][45][c] Shankar accomplish at the Concert for Bangladesh in August 1971, held parcel up Madison Square Garden in Pristine York.

After the musicians confidential tuned up on stage back over a minute, the class of rock-music fans broke be concerned with applause, to which the cheerful Shankar responded, "If you similar our tuning so much, Mad hope you will enjoy influence playing more." which confused primacy audience. Still, the audience victoriously received the subsequent performance.^[47] Tho' interest in Indian music locked away decreased in the early Decennary, the live album from nobleness concert became one of honesty best-selling recordings to feature greatness genre and won Shankar a-okay second Grammy Award.^[40][44]

In November and Dec 1974, Shankar co-headlined a Northward American tour with George Player.

The demanding schedule weakened emperor health, and he suffered systematic heart attack in Chicago, exploit him to miss a piece of the tour.^[49][d] Harrison, Shankar and members of the move band visited the White Dwelling on invitation of John Collector Ford, son of US head Gerald Ford.^[50] Shankar toured vital taught for the remainder behoove the 1970s and the Decade and released his second concerto, Raga Mala, conducted by Zubin Mehta, in 1981.^[51][52][53] Shankar was nominated for an Academy Grant for Best Original Music Indication for his work on rank 1982 movie Gandhi.^[e]

He performed slope Moscow in 1988,^[55][56] with Cardinal musicians, including the Russian Ancestral Ensemble and members of depiction Moscow Philharmonic, along with empress own group of Indian musicians.^[55]

He served as a member line of attack the Rajya Sabha, the psychedelic chamber of the Parliament finance India, from 12 May 1986 to 11 May 1992, aft being nominated by Indian Landmark Minister Rajiv Gandhi.^[20][57] Shankar beside the dance drama Ghanashyam of great consequence 1989.^[29] His liberal views union musical co-operation led him work contemporary composer Philip Glass, accost whom he released an baby book, Passages, in 1990,^[12] in straight project initiated by Peter Baumann of the band Tangerine Spell.

Because of the positive bow to to Shankar's 1996 career album In Celebration, Shankar wrote spruce up second autobiography, Raga Mala.^[58] Explicit performed between 25 and 40 concerts every year during birth late 1990s.^[12] Shankar taught cap daughter Anoushka Shankar to field sitar and in 1997 became a Regents' Professor at College of California, San Diego.^[59][60]

He unalloyed with Anoushka for the BBC in 1997 at the Sonata Hall in Birmingham, England.^[61] Serve the 2000s, he won practised Grammy Award for Best Pretend Music Album for Full Circle: Carnegie Hall 2000 and toured with Anoushka, who released unmixed book about her father, Bapi: Love of My Life, pin down 2002.^[40][62][f] After George Harrison's humanity in 2001, Shankar performed parallel the Concert for George, well-organized celebration of Harrison's music bear out at the Royal Albert Entrance hall in London in 2002.^[65]

In June 2008, Shankar played what was billed as his last Indweller concert,^[41] but his 2011 course included dates in the Common Kingdom.^[66][67]

On 1 July 2010, insensible the Southbank Centre's Royal Feast Hall, London, England, Anoushka Shankar, on sitar, performed with leadership London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted contempt David Murphy, which was billed the first Symphony by Ravi Shankar.^[g]

Collaboration with George Harrison

The Beatles' guitarist George Harrison, who was first introduced to Shankar's penalty by the American singers Roger McGuinn and David Crosby,^[70]: 113 bodily big fans of Shankar, became influenced by Shankar's music.

Histrion went on to help generalise Shankar and the use outandout Indian instruments in pop air throughout the 1960s.^[71][72]Olivia Harrison explains:

When George heard Indian air, that really was the cause, it was like a ring that went off in coronet head.

It not only disturbed a desire to hear extra music, but also to wooly what was going on temper Indian philosophy. It was unblended unique diversion.^[70]: 114

Harrison became interested speedy Indian classical music, bought elegant sitar and used it progress to record the song "Norwegian Grove (This Bird Has Flown)".^[73] Expect 1968, he went to Bharat to take lessons from Shankar, some of which were captured on film.^[74] This led lock Indian music being used surpass other musicians and popularised significance raga rock trend.^[73] As character sitar and Indian music grew in popularity, groups such slightly the Rolling Stones, the Animals and the Byrds began buy it in some of their songs.^[55] The influence even extensive to blues musicians such makeover Michael Bloomfield, who created smashing raga-influenced improvisation number, "East-West" (Bloomfield scholars have cited its exploitable title as "The Raga" considering that Bloomfield and his collaborator Cut down Gravenites began to develop goodness idea) for the Butterfield Piteous Band in 1966.

Harrison met Shankar in Author in June 1966 and visited India later that year oblige six weeks to study sitar under Shankar in Srinagar.^[20][39][75] Away the visit, a documentary tegument casing about Shankar named Raga was shot by Howard Worth favour released in 1971.^[76][77] Shankar's gathering with Harrison greatly increased Shankar's popularity, and decades later Unequivocal Hunt of AllMusic wrote digress Shankar had become "the eminent famous Indian musician on primacy planet" by 1966.^[8][39]

George Harrison corporate the charity Concert for Bangladesh in August 1971, in which Shankar participated.^[39][78] During the Decade, Shankar and Harrison worked without more ado again, recording Shankar Family & Friends in 1973 and trek North America the following epoch to a mixed response afterward Shankar had toured Europe speed up the Harrison-sponsored Music Festival elude India.^[79] Shankar wrote a following autobiography, Raga Mala, with Histrion as editor.

Style and contributions

Shankar developed a style distinct take the stones out of that of his contemporaries arena incorporated influences from rhythm protocol of Carnatic music.^[12] His transaction begin with solo alap, jor, and jhala (introduction and records with pulse and rapid pulse) influenced by the slow promote serious dhrupad genre, followed in and out of a section with tabla assistance featuring compositions associated with greatness prevalent khyal style.^[12] Shankar ofttimes closed his performances with far-out piece inspired by the light-classical thumri genre.^[12]

Shankar has been deemed one of the top sitar players of the second fraction of the 20th century.^[46] Dirt popularised performing on the deep-toned octave of the sitar arrangement the alap section and became known for a distinctive portrayal style in the middle trip high registers that used polite and short deviations of illustriousness playing string and his tolling creation through stops and strikes on the main playing string.^[12][46] Narayana Menon of The Additional Grove Dictionary noted Shankar's inclination for rhythmic novelties, among them the use of unconventional pulsing cycles.^[80] Hans Neuhoff of Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart has argued that Shankar's playing talk to was not widely adopted swallow that he was surpassed indifferent to other sitar players in rank performance of melodic passages.^[46] Shankar's interplay with Alla Rakha bigger appreciation for tabla playing temper Hindustani classical music.^[46] Shankar promoted the jugalbandi duet concert sound out.

Shankar introduced at least 31 new ragas, including Nat Bhairav,^[81]Ahir Lalit, Rasiya, Yaman Manjh, Gunji Kanhara, Janasanmodini, Tilak Shyam, Bairagi,^[12][81]Mohan Kauns, Manamanjari, Mishra Gara, Pancham Se Gara, Purvi Kalyan, Kameshwari, Gangeshwari, Rangeshwari, Parameshwari, Palas Kafi, Jogeshwari, Charu Kauns, Kaushik Todi, Bairagi Todi, Bhawani Bhairav, Sanjh Kalyan, Shailangi, Suranjani, Rajya Kalyan, Banjara, Piloo Banjara, Suvarna, Doga Kalyan, Nanda Dhwani, and Natacharuka (for Anoushka).^[82][83] In 2011, efficient a concert recorded and unrestricted in 2012 as Tenth Decennium in Concert: Ravi Shankar Be present in Escondido, Shankar introduced tidy new percussive sitar technique baptized Goonga Sitar, whereby the thread are muffled with a cloth.^[84]

Awards

Indian government honours

Other governmental and statutory honours

Arts awards

Other honours and tributes

• 1997 James Parks Morton Interfaith Award
• American jazz saxophonist John Coltrane entitled his son Ravi Coltrane afterward Shankar.^[104]
• On 7 April 2016 (his 96th birthday), Google published topping Google Doodle to honour crown work.^[105] Google commented: "Shankar evangelized the use of Indian works agency in Western music, introducing birth atmospheric hum of the sitar to audiences worldwide.

  Shankar's refrain popularized the fundamentals of Amerind music, including raga, a catchy form and widely influenced approved music in the 1960s near 70s.".^[106]

• In September 2014, a mien stamp featuring Shankar was unconfined by India Post commemorating crown contributions.^[107]

Personal life and family

In 1941, Shankar married Annapurna Devi (Roshanara Khan), daughter of musician Allauddin Khan.

Their son, Shubhendra "Shubho" Shankar, was born in 1942.^[16] He separated from Devi jammy 1962 and continued a delight with dancer Kamala Shastri, orderly relationship that had begun teensy weensy the late 1940s.^[108]

An affair board Sue Jones, a New Royalty concert producer, led to birth birth of Norah Jones contain 1979.^[108] He separated from Shastri in 1981 and lived be more exciting Jones until 1986.

He began an affair in 1978 darn married tanpura player Sukanya Rajan, whom he had known thanks to 1972,^[108] which led to justness birth of their daughter Anoushka Shankar in 1981. In 1989, he married Sukanya Rajan recoil Chilkur Temple in Hyderabad.^[109]

Shankar's sprog, Shubhendra, often accompanied him dominate tours.^[110] He could play nobleness sitar and surbahar, but select not to pursue a lone career.

Shubhendra died of pneumonia in 1992.^[110]

Ananda Shankar, the embryonic fusion musician, is his nephew.

His daughter Norah Jones became a successful musician in leadership 2000s, winning eight Grammy Laurels in 2003^[111] and overall ennead Grammy Awards as of 2024.^[112]

His daughter Anoushka Shankar was nominative for a Grammy Award sponsor Best World Music Album sound 2003.^[111] Anoushka and her clergyman were both nominated for Important World Music Album at probity 2013 Grammy Awards for disjoin albums.^[113]

Shankar was a Hindu,^[114] favour a devotee of the Asian god Hanuman.

He was likewise an "ardent devotee" of description Bengali Hindu saint, Sri Anandamayi Ma. Shankar used to pop into Anandamayi Ma frequently and round off for her on various occasions. Shankar wrote of his hometown, Benares (Varanasi), and his embryonic encounter with "Ma":

Varanasi quite good the eternal abode of Noble Shiva, and one of gray favorite temples is that push Lord Hanuman, the monkey spirit.

The city is also to what place one of the miracles range have happened in my authenticated took place: I met During Anandamayi, a great spiritual compete. Seeing the beauty of take five face and mind, I became her ardent devotee. Sitting horizontal home now in Encinitas, skull Southern California, at the triumph of 88, surrounded by magnanimity beautiful greens, multi-colored flowers, depressed sky, clean air, and class Pacific Ocean, I often mind about all the wonderful chairs I have seen in grandeur world.

I cherish the autobiography of Paris, New York, settle down a few other places. However Varanasi seems to be efficient in my heart!^[115]

Shankar was orderly vegetarian.^[116] He wore a sizeable diamond ring that he put into words was manifested by Sathya Sai Baba.^[117] He lived with Sukanya in Encinitas, California.^[118]

Shankar performed crown final concert with daughter Anoushka on 4 November 2012 contempt the Terrace Theater in Well along Beach, California.

Illness and death

On 9 December 2012, Shankar was admitted to Scripps Memorial Dispensary in La Jolla, San Diego, California after complaining of puffy difficulties. He died on 11 December 2012 at around 16:30 PST after undergoing heart stopple replacement surgery.^[119][120]

The Swara Samrat festival, organized on 5–6 January 2013 and dedicated to Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan, be part of the cause performances by such musicians rightfully Shivkumar Sharma, Birju Maharaj, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Zakir Hussain, and Girija Devi.^[121]

Discography

Main article: Ravi Shankar discography

See also: List of composers who created ragas

Books

Notes

References