Patiala gharana

The Patiala gharana is one of the vocal gharanas (tradition, school, or style of music) of Hindustani classical music, named after the city of Patiala in Punjab, India where it was established.^[1] The gharana was founded in the mid to late 19th century by Mian Kallu^[2][3] (also known as Kalu-miya Khan),^[4] a sārangi player of the Jaipur durbar.^[4] He received his musical training from the last Mughal king Bahadur Shah Zafar's court musician Qutub Bakhsh 'Tanras' Khan (Delhi gharana) and went on to become the court musician to the Maharaja of Patiala. Eventually, the mantle was passed on to his son, 'General' Ali Baksh Khan and his close friend 'Colonel' Fateh Ali Khan, both of whom became court musicians in the court of Maharaja Rajinder Singh.^[5] The titles of 'general' and 'colonel' of music were bestowed upon them by the Victor Alexander Bruce, the 9th Earl of Elgin, after the duo had enthralled him with their performance.^[2] Their pairing was popularly referred to as 'Ali-a-Fattu ki Jodi.'^[5][6]

Although the Patiala gharana was originally founded by Mian Kallu, it is widely acknowledged that it was Ali Baksh Khan and Fateh Ali Khan who popularised the Patiala singing tradition^[5] by bringing its acclaim and attention across the subcontinent.^[1][7] The Patiala gharana was inspired and influenced by four musical gharanas – Delhi, Gwalior, Riva, and Jaipur,^[8][9] and it is particularly noted for its ghazal, thumri, and khayal singing styles.^[1] Of the numerous vocal gharanas in Hindustani classical music, the Patiala gharana is estimated to have the broadest and most prominent representation on both sides of the India-Pakistan border.^[9][10]

In the latter half of the 20th century, the Patiala style of khayal singing took on two distinct forms.^[8] The first form was originated by siblings Ustad Amanat Ali Khan (1922 – 1974) and Ustad Bade Fateh Ali Khan (1935 – 2017). The other, originating from Kasur, Pakistan, was produced by siblings Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan (1902 – 1968) and Ustad Barkat Ali Khan (1907 – 1963). Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan is generally acknowledged to be the most influential exponent of the Patiala gharana,^{[5][11][12][13][14]} while Ustad Amanat Ali Khan is widely considered its most prominent scion.^[15][16] The gharana is now generally referred to as the Kasur-Patiala gharana.^{[8][10][13][17]}