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|awards = [[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]] <br>Presidential Award<br>[[Padma Bhushan]]
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Ustad '''Amir Khan''' ({{IPA-hns|əˈmiːr ˈxaːn|pron}}) (15 August 1912 – 13 February 1974) was
==Early life and background==
Amir Khan was born in a family of musicians in [[Indore]], [[India]].<ref>[http://www.hindu.com/mp/2008/11/03/stories/2008110351170300.htm Review of music CD "The Legend Lives on... Ustad Amir Khan", by Deepa Ganesh]</ref> His father, Shahmir Khan, a [[sarangi]] and [[veena]] player of the [[Bhendibazaar gharana]], served at the court of the [[Holkars]] of Indore. His grandfather, Change Khan, was a singer in the court of [[Bahadurshah Zafar]]. Amir Ali's mother died when he was nine years old. He had a younger brother, Bashir, who went on to become a sarangi player at the Indore station of [[All India Radio]].<ref name="Chandvankar">[http://courses.nus.edu.sg/course/ellpatke/Miscellany/amir%20khan.htm "Amir Khan: In Memoriam", by Suresh Chandvankar, Society of Indian Record Collectors, Mumbai] Retrieved 20 August 2018</ref>
He was initially trained in the sarangi by his father. However, seeing his interest in vocal music, his father gradually devoted more time to vocal training, focusing on the [[merukhand]] technique. Amir Ali was exposed at an early age to many different styles, since just about every musician who visited Indore would come to their house, and there would be [[mehfil]]s at their place on a regular basis.<ref name="Chandvankar"/><ref name="SusheelaMishra">[http://www.parrikar.org/vpl/profiles/amirkhan_profile.pdf "Ustad Amir Khan", from "Great Masters of Hindustani Music" by Susheela Misra] Retrieved 20 August 2018</ref> He also learned the basics of [[tabla]] playing from one of his maternal uncles, who was a tabla player.
Amir Khan moved to [[Bombay]] in 1934, and there he gave a few concerts and cut about half a dozen [[Shellac disc|78-rpm records]]. These initial performances were not well received. Following his father's advice, in 1936 he joined the services of Maharaj [[Chakradhar Singh]] of Raigadh Sansthan in Madhya Pradesh. He performed at a music conference in Mirzapur on behalf of the Raja, with many illustrious musicians present, but he was hooted off the stage after only 15 minutes or so. The organizer suggested singing a [[thumri]], but he refused, saying that his mind was never really inclined towards thumri. He stayed at Raigadh for only about a year. Amir Khan's father died in 1937. Later, Khansahib lived for some time in [[Delhi]] and [[Calcutta]], but after the [[partition of India]] he moved back to Bombay.<ref name="Chandvankar"/>
==Singing career==
Amir Khan was a virtually self-taught musician. He developed his own ''gayaki'' (singing style), influenced by the styles of [[Abdul Wahid Khan|Abdul Waheed Khan]] (''[[vilambit]]'' tempo), [[Rajab Ali Khan]] (''[[Taan (music)|taans]]'') and [[Aman Ali Khan]] (merukhand).<ref name=ITC/> This unique style, known as the Indore Gharana, blends the spiritual flavour and grandeur of [[dhrupad]] with the ornate vividness of [[khyal]]. The style he evolved was a unique fusion of intellect and emotion, of technique and temperament, of talent and imagination. Unlike other artists he never made any concessions to popular tastes, but always stuck to his pure, almost puritanical, highbrow style.<ref name="SusheelaMishra"/>
Amir Khansahib had a rich baritone open-throated voice with a three-octave range
| author = Thomas W. Ross
|date=Spring–Summer 1993
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| pages = 89–109
| jstor = 834468
}}</ref> followed by gradually speeding up "floating" ''[[Sargam (music)|sargams]]'' with various ornamentations, ''taans'' and ''bol-taans'' with complex and unpredictable movements and jumps while preserving the [[raga]] structure, and finally a ''madhyalaya'' or ''drut laya'' (medium or fast tempo) [[Khyal|chhota khyal]] or a [[Tarana|ruba'idar tarana]]. He helped popularize the tarana, as well as [[khyal]]numa [[Bandish|compositions]] in the Dari variant of [[Persian language|Persian]]. While he was famous for his use of merukhand, he did not do a purely merukhandi ''[[alap]]'' but rather inserted merukhandi passages throughout his performance.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sites.google.com/site/amirkhanikhayal/4-theswaraaspectofgayaki |title=The Swara Aspect of Gayaki (Analysis of Ustad Amir Khan's Vocal Style)|author=Ibrahim Ali|accessdate=20 August 2018}}</ref> He believed that practising ''[[gamak]]'' is essential to mastering singing.▼
▲ }}</ref> followed by gradually speeding up ''[[Sargam (music)|sargams]]'' with various ornamentations, ''taans'' and ''bol-taans'' with complex and unpredictable movements and jumps while preserving the [[raga]] structure, and finally a ''madhyalaya'' or ''drut laya'' (medium or fast tempo) [[Khyal|chhota khyal]] or a [[Tarana|ruba'idar tarana]]. He helped popularize the tarana, as well as [[khyal]]numa [[Bandish|compositions]] in the Dari variant of [[Persian language|Persian]]. While he was famous for his use of merukhand, he did not do a purely merukhandi ''[[alap]]'' but rather inserted merukhandi passages throughout his performance.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sites.google.com/site/amirkhanikhayal/4-theswaraaspectofgayaki |title=The Swara Aspect of Gayaki (Analysis of Ustad Amir Khan's Vocal Style)|author=Ibrahim Ali|accessdate=20 August 2018}}</ref> He believed that practising ''[[gamak]]'' is essential to mastering singing.
Khansahib often used the ''[[Tala (music)|taals]]'' [[Jhoomra]] and [[Ektaal]], and generally preferred a simple ''theka'' (basic tabla strokes that define the ''taal'') from the tabla accompanist. Even though he had been trained in the sarangi, he generally performed khyals and taranas with only a six-stringed [[tanpura]] and tabla for accompaniment. Sometimes he had a subdued [[Pump organ|harmonium]] accompaniment,
While he could do traditional ''layakari'' (rhythmic play), including ''bol-baant'', which he has demonstrated in a few recordings, he generally favored a ''[[swara]]''-oriented and ''alap''-dominated style, and his ''layakari'' was generally more subtle. His performances had an understated elegance, reverence, restrained passion and an utter lack of showmanship that both moved and awed listeners.<ref name=ITC>[http://www.itcsra.org/TributeMaestro.aspx?Tributeid=6 Amir Khan - Tribute to a Maestro] ITC Sangeet Research Academy website, Retrieved 20 August 2018</ref> According to Kumarprasad Mukhopadhyay's book "The Lost World of Hindustani Music", [[Bade Ghulam Ali Khan]]'s music was extroverted, exuberant and a crowd-puller, whereas Amir Khan's was an introverted, dignified ''darbar'' style. Amir Khansahib believed that poetry was important in khyal compositions, and with his pen name, Sur Rang ("colored in swara"), he has left several compositions.
He believed in competition between the genres of classical music and film and other popular music, and he felt that classical renderings needed to be made more beautiful while remaining faithful to the spirit and grammar of the raga ("बाज़ लोग ऐसे थे के जो खूब्सूरती बनाने के लिये वो राग को ज़रा इधर-उधर कर दिया करते थे, लेकिन मै यह कोशीश करता हूं के ज़्यादा से ज़्यादा राग खूब्सूरत हो लेकिन राग अप्नी जगह राग रहे"). He used to say, "नग़मा वही नग़मा है जो रूह सुने और रूह सुनाए" (music is that which originates from the heart and touches the soul).
Characteristics of his style include:
* slow-tempo, leisurely raga development (except with Carnatic ragas, which he typically rendered in medium tempo)
* improvisation mostly in lower and middle octaves
* tendency towards serious and expansive ragas
* emphasis on melody
* clarity of notes
* judicious use of pause between improvisations
* bol alap and sargam using merukhand patterns
* using sargam in taan-ang
* using softer gamaks
* sparing application of [[murki]]
* use of kan swaras ([[Ornament (music)#Acciaccatura|acciaccatura]]) in all parts of performance
* controlled use of embellishments to preserve introspective quality
* rare use of [[tihai]]
* careful enunciation of text of [[bandish]]
* actual bandish as sung may or may not include antara
* multiple laya jatis in a single taan<note>Khansahib demonstrated this in an interview with the tabla player Chatturlal</note>
* mixture of taan types (including chhoot, sapaat, bal, sargam and bol-taan) in a single taan
* use of ruba'idar tarana (considered similar to chhota khyal)
Besides singing in concerts, Amir Khan also sang film songs in ragas, in a purely classical style, most notably for the [[film]]s ''[[Baiju Bawra (1952 film)|Baiju Bawra]]'', ''[[Shabaab (film)|Shabaab]]'' and ''[[Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje]]''. This attempt to introduce classical music to the masses through films significantly boosted Khansahib's visibility and popularity. He also sang a [[ghazal]] ''Rahiye Ab Aisi Jagah'' for a documentary on [[Ghalib]].
Amir Khan was awarded the [[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]] in 1967<ref>{{cite web |title=Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards - Hindustani Music - Vocal |publisher=Sangeet Natak Akademi |url= http://www.sangeetnatak.org/sna/awardeeslist.htm#HindustaniMusicVocal |
==Personal life==
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===78 rpm recordings===
* Adana
* Hansadhwani
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===Public and private recordings===
* [[Abhogi raga|Abhogi]] - three versions
* [[Adana (raga)|Adana]] - longer performance of 'Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje' title song, one other version
* [[Ahir Bhairav]] - three versions
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* [[Ramkali]] - two versions
* Ram Kalyan (a.k.a. Priya Kalyan or Anarkali)
* [[Shahana]] - three versions
* Shahana Bahar
* [[Shree (Hindustani raga)|Shree]]
* Shuddh Kalyan - two versions
* Shuddh Sarang (with drut section in Suha)
* Suha
* Suha Sughrai
* [[Todi (raga)|Todi]] - two versions
* [[Yaman (raga)|Yaman]]
* Yaman Kalyan - three versions
==Awards and recognitions==
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