Tansen
Hindustani classical musician and one of Akbar's nine jewels.
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The performer known as Mian Tānsen or Sangeet Samrāt was a Hindustani classical musician whose family background was Hindu Gaur Brahmin and who was born in Gwalior.[1] Stories about Tansen that combine factual elements with fictional ones are numerous, and the reliability of these accounts as historical truth is questionable.[2]
Key facts and history
His childhood name was Ramtanu, and his father Mukund Ram was a wealthy poet and accomplished musician of Gwalior.[3] Akbar considered him one of the Navaratnas (nine jewels) and gave him the title Mian, meaning learned man.[2] Tansen married a girl named Hussaini from Gwalior, and they had four sons and one daughter, all of whom became proficient musicians.[4] The year of his death is unclear, with some sources giving 1586 and others 26 April 1589.[5]
Scholars generally place Tansen's birth around 1493 CE or within the range of 1493 to 1506, though the exact date remains uncertain.[6] Tansen's initial professional opportunity as a musician and composer came in the court of Raja Man Singh Tomar of Gwalior, and for the majority of his adult years he served under Raja Ramchandra Singh Baghel, the Hindu king of Rewa.[7] Around 1562, when he was approximately sixty years old, Tansen became a member of Akbar's court.[7] The first musical gharana, called the "Gwalior Gharana," was established with Tansen playing a key role.[8]
What the cited sources add
Bonnie Wade, a professor of Music specializing in South Asia Studies, states that Swami Haridas is widely accepted to have been Tansen's counterpart at Gwalior court.[9] José Luiz Martinez's research indicates that Tansen's musical compositions employed Dhrupad and were mostly derived from the Hindu Puranas, composed in Braj Bhasha.[10] According to Bruno Nettl, Tansen's impact was fundamental in shaping what is now recognized as the Hindustani classical music tradition.[8] Nettl observes that numerous Hindustani classical music gharanas assert some link to Tansen's lineage.[8]
References
- Wikipedia, "Tansen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bonnie C. Wade, "Imaging Sound: An Ethnomusicological Study of Music, Art, and Culture in Mughal India", University of Chicago Press, 1998, p. 108–110; "Tansen, Famous Hindustani Classical Singer Tansen", indiaonline.in (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Tansen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Nazir Ali Jairazbhoy, "The Rāgs of North Indian Music: Their Structure and Evolution", Popular Prakashan, 1995, p. 19–20; Davar, "Tansen – The Magical Musician", National book trust, 1987 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Tansen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Maryam Juzer Kherulla, "Profile: Tansen — the mesmerizing maestro", Dawn newspaper, 12 October 2002; Sunita Dhar, "Senia gharana, its contribution to Indian classical music", Reliance, 1989, p. 19; Maryam Juzer Kherulla, "Profile: Tansen — the mesmerizing maestro", Dawn newspaper, 12 October 2002 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Tansen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Haldar, "Miya Tansen", The Modern Review, February 1964, p. 131; Dhar, "Senia Gharana, Its Contribution to Indian Classical Music", Reliance Publishing House, 1989, p. 24 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Tansen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Maryam Juzer Kherulla, "Profile: Tansen — the mesmerizing maestro", Dawn newspaper, 12 October 2002; Stephen F. Dale, "The Muslim Empires of the Ottomans, Safavids, and Mughals", Cambridge University Press, 2009, p. 160; Bonnie C. Wade, "Imaging Sound: An Ethnomusicological Study of Music, Art, and Culture in Mughal India", University of Chicago Press, 1998, p. 115; Fazl, "Akbarnama", Asiatic Society of Bengal, p. 816 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Tansen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bonnie C. Wade, "Imaging Sound: An Ethnomusicological Study of Music, Art, and Culture in Mughal India", University of Chicago Press, 1998, p. 113–114 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Tansen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bonnie C. Wade, "Imaging Sound: An Ethnomusicological Study of Music, Art, and Culture in Mughal India", University of Chicago Press, 1998, p. 108–110 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Tansen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bruno Nettl, "Heartland Excursions: Ethnomusicological Reflections on Schools of Music", University of Illinois Press, 1995, p. 68 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Tansen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bonnie C. Wade, "Imaging Sound: An Ethnomusicological Study of Music, Art, and Culture in Mughal India", University of Chicago Press, 1998, p. 113–114; "Tansen" (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Tansen" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: José Luiz Martinez, "Semiosis in Hindustani Music", Motilal Banarsidass, 2001, p. 186–187; Françoise Delvoye (1990), Tânsen et la tradition des chants dhrupad en langue braj, du XVIe siècle à nos jours, Thèse d'État non publiée. Paris : Université de ; José Luiz Martinez, "Semiosis in Hindustani Music", Motilal Banarsidass, 2001, p. 186–187 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Tansen (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Tansen (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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