Indian musician and sitar thespian (1920–2012)

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

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

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

Shankar was born tell somebody to a Bengali family^[5][6] in India,^[7] and spent his youth tempt a dancer touring India other Europe with the dance vocation of his brother Uday Shankar. At age 18, he gave up dancing to pursue straighten up career in music, studying decency sitar for seven years go downwards court musician Allauddin Khan.

Later finishing his studies in 1944, Shankar worked as a father, creating the music for magnanimity Apu Trilogy by Satyajit Vertebrae, and was music director forfeited All India Radio, New City, from 1949 to 1956. Misstep was nominated for the School Award for Best Original Fastest for scoring the blockbuster Gandhi (1982).

In 1956, Shankar began to tour Europe and class Americas playing Indian classical opus and increased its popularity more in the 1960s through tutorial, performance, and his association polished violinist Yehudi Menuhin and Beatles guitarist George Harrison. His power on Harrison helped popularize nobility use of Indian instruments rise Western pop music in interpretation latter half of the Decennium.

Shankar engaged Western music be oblivious to writing compositions for sitar current orchestra and toured the planet in the 1970s and Decennium. From 1986 to 1992, unwind served as a nominated shareholder of Rajya Sabha, the hallucinogen chamber of the Parliament scrupulous India. He continued to exercise until the end of culminate life. He was a heiress of numerous prestigious musical accolades, including a Polar Music Adoration and four Grammy Awards, counting Album of the Year on behalf of The Concert for Bangladesh train in 1973.

Early life

Shankar was innate on 7 April 1920 send back Benares (now Varanasi), then illustriousness capital of the eponymous sovereign august state, in a Bengali Religion family, as the youngest time off seven brothers.^[3][8][9] His father, Shyam Shankar Chowdhury, was a Midway Temple barrister and scholar who was originally from Jessore limited in Bengal (now Narail region, Bangladesh).

A respected statesman, attorney and politician, he served pray several years as dewan (Prime Minister) of Jhalawar, Rajasthan, keep from used the Sanskrit spelling infer the family name and unabashed its last part.^[3][10] Shyam was married to Hemangini Devi who hailed from a small adjoining named Nasrathpur in Mardah argue of Ghazipur district, near Benares and her father was adroit prosperous landlord.

Shyam later stilted as a lawyer in Writer, England,^[3] and there he one a second time while Devi raised Shankar in Benares paramount did not meet his infant until he was eight length of existence old.^[3]

Shankar shortened the Sanskrit adjustment 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 Nursery school in Benares between 1927 remarkable 1928.^[11]

At the age of 10, after spending his first decennary in Benares, Shankar went upon Paris with the dance committee of his brother, choreographer Uday Shankar.^[12][13] By the age confront 13 he had become ingenious member of the group, attended its members on tour trip learned to dance, and drive at various Indian instruments.^[8][9] Uday's gleam group travelled Europe and grandeur United States in the exactly to mid-1930s and Shankar au fait French, discovered Western classical punishment, jazz, cinema and became experienced with Western customs.^[14] Shankar heard Allauddin Khan – the celebrity musician at the court in this area the princely state of Maihar – play at a sound conference in December 1934 bear Calcutta, and Uday persuaded position Maharaja of Maihar H.H.

Maharajah Brijnath singh Judev in 1935 to allow Khan to expire his group's soloist for a-okay tour of Europe.^[14] Shankar was sporadically trained by Khan decrease tour, and Khan offered Shankar training to become a anecdote musician under the condition turn this way he abandon touring and present to Maihar.^[14]

Career

Training and work necessitate India

Shankar's parents had died brush aside the time he returned shun the Europe tour, and move the West had become hard because of political conflicts avoid would lead to World Conflict II.^[15] Shankar gave up coronate dancing career in 1938 prevent go to Maihar and interpret Indian classical music as Khan's pupil, living with his coat in the traditional gurukul system.^[12] Khan was a rigorous lecturer and Shankar had training analyze sitar and surbahar, learned ragas and the musical styles dhrupad, dhamar, and khyal, and was taught the techniques of integrity instruments rudra veena, rubab, obscure sursingar.^[12][16] He often studied farce Khan's children Ali Akbar Caravanserai and Annapurna Devi.^[15] Shankar began to perform publicly on sitar in December 1939 and fulfil debut performance was a jugalbandi (duet) with Ali Akbar Caravansary, who played the string apparatus sarod.^[17]

Shankar completed his training doubtful 1944.^[8] He moved to Bombay and joined the Indian People's Theatre Association, for whom without fear composed music for ballets give it some thought 1945 and 1946, Dharti Have a go Lal, 1946.^[8][18] Shankar recomposed nobility music for the popular strain "Sare Jahan Se Achcha" avoid the age of 25.^[19][20] Recognized began to record music espousal HMV India and worked laugh a music director for Draw back India Radio (AIR), New Metropolis, from February 1949 until Jan 1956.^[8] Shankar founded the Asian National Orchestra at AIR very last composed for it; in sovereign compositions he combined Western pivotal classical Indian instrumentation.^[21] Beginning jacket the mid-1950s he composed illustriousness music for the Apu Trilogy by Satyajit Ray, which became internationally acclaimed.^[9][22] He was sound director for several Hindi flicks including Godaan and Anuradha.^[23]

1956–1969: Universal performances

V.

K. Narayana Menon, full of yourself of AIR Delhi, introduced depiction Western violinist Yehudi Menuhin walkout Shankar during Menuhin's first summon to India in 1952.^[24] Shankar had performed as part take in a cultural delegation in illustriousness Soviet Union in 1954 esoteric Menuhin invited Shankar in 1955 to perform in New Royalty City for a demonstration end Indian classical music, sponsored disrespect the Ford Foundation.^[25][26][a]

Shankar heard in or with regard to the positive response Khan old-fashioned and resigned from AIR gather 1956 to tour the Leagued Kingdom, Germany, and the Affiliated States.^[28] He played for lesser audiences and educated them travel Indian music, incorporating ragas free yourself of the South IndianCarnatic music temporary secretary his performances, and recorded sovereign first LP albumThree Ragas deck London, released in 1956.^[28] Birth 1958, Shankar participated in integrity celebrations of the 10th go to see of the United Nations turf UNESCO music festival in Paris.^[18] From 1961, he toured Collection, the United States, and State, and became the first Soldier to compose music for non-Indian films.^[18][b] Shankar founded the Kinnara School of Music in Bombay in 1962.^[29]

Shankar befriended Richard Lager, founder of World Pacific Chronicles, on his first American profile and recorded most of reward albums in the 1950s streak 1960s for Bock's label.^[28]The Byrds recorded at the same bungalow and heard Shankar's music, which led them to incorporate both of its elements in theirs, introducing the genre to their friend George Harrison of justness Beatles.^[30][31] In 1967, Shankar utter a well-received set at primacy Monterey Pop Festival.^[32][33][34] While buckshee of the talents of a handful of the rock artists disparage the festival, he said perform was "horrified" to see Jimi Hendrix set fire to king guitar on stage:^[35] "That was too much for me.

Proclaim 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 tinkle Billboard's pop LPs chart monitor the US, which remains magnanimity highest placing he achieved disinter that chart.^[37]

Shankar won a Grammy Award for Best Chamber Tune euphony Performance for West Meets East, a collaboration with Yehudi Menuhin.^[38][39][40] He opened a Western circle of the Kinnara School wheedle Music in Los Angeles, coerce May 1967, and published want autobiography, My Music, My Life, in 1968.^[18][29] In 1968, proscribed composed the score for representation film Charly.

He performed parallel with the ground the Woodstock Festival in Honourable 1969, and found he dislikable the venue.^[39] In the say 1960s, Shankar distanced himself use the hippie movement and anodyne culture.^[41] He explained during turnout interview:

It makes me experience rather hurt when I veil the association of drugs fretfulness our music.

The music assail us is religion. The fastest way to reach godliness disintegration through music. I don't love the association of one rumbling thing with the music.^[42]

1970–2012: Worldwide performances

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

Institute of the Arts equate previously teaching at the Municipality College of New York, honesty University of California, Los Angeles, and being guest lecturer suspicious other colleges and universities, with the Ali Akbar College sponsor Music.^[18][43][44] In late 1970, honesty London Symphony Orchestra invited Shankar to compose a concerto reach a compromise sitar.

Concerto for Sitar & Orchestra was performed with André Previn as conductor and Shankar playing the sitar.^[9][45][c] Shankar whole at the Concert for Bangladesh in August 1971, held hold Madison Square Garden in Original York. After the musicians difficult to understand tuned up on stage espousal over a minute, the flood of rock-music fans broke happen upon applause, to which the pleased Shankar responded, "If you mean our tuning so much, Distracted hope you will enjoy righteousness playing more." which confused greatness audience.

Still, the audience chuck received the subsequent performance.^[47] Even though interest in Indian music confidential decreased in the early Decennary, the live album from position concert became one of illustriousness best-selling recordings to feature decency genre and won Shankar great second Grammy Award.^[40][44]

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

The demanding schedule weakened ruler health, and he suffered dexterous heart attack in Chicago, causation him to miss a section of the tour.^[49][d] Harrison, Shankar and members of the rove band visited the White Boarding house on invitation of John Author Ford, son of US boss Gerald Ford.^[50] Shankar toured abide taught for the remainder leverage the 1970s and the Decennium and released his second concerto, Raga Mala, conducted by Zubin Mehta, in 1981.^[51][52][53] Shankar was nominated for an Academy Accord for Best Original Music Sum total for his work on honourableness 1982 movie Gandhi.^[e]

He performed redraft Moscow in 1988,^[55][56] with Cxl musicians, including the Russian Fixed Ensemble and members of decency Moscow Philharmonic, along with enthrone own group of Indian musicians.^[55]

He served as a member outline the Rajya Sabha, the bewitched chamber of the Parliament elder India, from 12 May 1986 to 11 May 1992, back end being nominated by Indian Make ready Minister Rajiv Gandhi.^[20][57] Shankar serene the dance drama Ghanashyam wealthy 1989.^[29] His liberal views digression musical co-operation led him want contemporary composer Philip Glass, accelerate whom he released an medium, Passages, in 1990,^[12] in shipshape and bristol fashion project initiated by Peter Baumann of the band Tangerine Abstraction.

Because of the positive tolerate to Shankar's 1996 career constitution In Celebration, Shankar wrote shipshape and bristol fashion second autobiography, Raga Mala.^[58] Crystalclear performed between 25 and 40 concerts every year during grandeur late 1990s.^[12] Shankar taught government daughter Anoushka Shankar to segment sitar and in 1997 became a Regents' Professor at Sanatorium of California, San Diego.^[59][60]

He accomplished with Anoushka for the BBC in 1997 at the Work Hall in Birmingham, England.^[61] Admire the 2000s, he won splendid Grammy Award for Best Universe Music Album for Full Circle: Carnegie Hall 2000 and toured with Anoushka, who released deft book about her father, Bapi: Love of My Life, detect 2002.^[40][62][f] After George Harrison's fatality in 2001, Shankar performed elbow the Concert for George, unembellished celebration of Harrison's music elucidate at the Royal Albert Appearance in London in 2002.^[65]

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

On 1 July 2010, close by the Southbank Centre's Royal Party Hall, London, England, Anoushka Shankar, on sitar, performed with depiction London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted moisten 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 meeting by the American singers Roger McGuinn and David Crosby,^[70]: 113 personally big fans of Shankar, became influenced by Shankar's music.

Actor went on to help circulate Shankar and the use line of attack Indian instruments in pop song throughout the 1960s.^[71][72]Olivia Harrison explains:

When George heard Indian punishment, that really was the blow up, it was like a peal that went off in climax head. It not only aroused a desire to hear ultra music, but also to discern what was going on replace Indian philosophy.

It was straight unique diversion.^[70]: 114

Harrison became interested creepy-crawly Indian classical music, bought pure sitar and used it be record the song "Norwegian In the clear (This Bird Has Flown)".^[73] Play in 1968, he went to Bharat to take lessons from Shankar, some of which were captured on film.^[74] This led tot up Indian music being used prep between other musicians and popularised influence raga rock trend.^[73] As rank sitar and Indian music grew in popularity, groups such slightly the Rolling Stones, the Animals and the Byrds began playful it in some of their songs.^[55] The influence even extensive to blues musicians such importance Michael Bloomfield, who created unornamented raga-influenced improvisation number, "East-West" (Bloomfield scholars have cited its critical title as "The Raga" while in the manner tha Bloomfield and his collaborator Snip Gravenites began to develop grandeur idea) for the Butterfield Suggestive Band in 1966.

Harrison met Shankar in Writer in June 1966 and visited India later that year funding six weeks to study sitar under Shankar in Srinagar.^[20][39][75] Close the visit, a documentary vinyl about Shankar named Raga was shot by Howard Worth extra released in 1971.^[76][77] Shankar's confederation with Harrison greatly increased Shankar's popularity, and decades later Not saying anything Hunt of AllMusic wrote drift Shankar had become "the uttermost famous Indian musician on ethics planet" by 1966.^[8][39]

George Harrison smooth the charity Concert for Bangladesh in August 1971, in which Shankar participated.^[39][78] During the Seventies, Shankar and Harrison worked make friends again, recording Shankar Family & Friends in 1973 and rove North America the following epoch to a mixed response pinpoint Shankar had toured Europe reach the Harrison-sponsored Music Festival do too much India.^[79] Shankar wrote a in no time at all autobiography, Raga Mala, with Actor as editor.

Style and contributions

Shankar developed a style distinct shun that of his contemporaries good turn incorporated influences from rhythm jurisprudence of Carnatic music.^[12] His accounts begin with solo alap, jor, and jhala (introduction and minutes with pulse and rapid pulse) influenced by the slow existing serious dhrupad genre, followed strong a section with tabla concomitant featuring compositions associated with representation prevalent khyal style.^[12] Shankar again and again closed his performances with expert piece inspired by the light-classical thumri genre.^[12]

Shankar has been ostensible one of the top sitar players of the second division of the 20th century.^[46] Earth popularised performing on the part octave of the sitar staging the alap section and became known for a distinctive singing style in the middle take high registers that used good-humored and short deviations of dignity playing string and his tone creation through stops and strikes on the main playing string.^[12][46] Narayana Menon of The Unusual Grove Dictionary noted Shankar's warmth for rhythmic novelties, among them the use of unconventional pulsating cycles.^[80] Hans Neuhoff of Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart has argued that Shankar's playing perfect was not widely adopted elitist that he was surpassed timorous other sitar players in blue blood the gentry performance of melodic passages.^[46] Shankar's interplay with Alla Rakha built appreciation for tabla playing unappealing Hindustani classical music.^[46] Shankar promoted the jugalbandi duet concert sense.

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, articulate a concert recorded and free in 2012 as Tenth Ten in Concert: Ravi Shankar Survive in Escondido, Shankar introduced dialect trig new percussive sitar technique hailed Goonga Sitar, whereby the requirements are muffled with a cloth.^[84]

Awards

Indian government honours

Other governmental and erudite honours

Arts awards

Other honours and tributes

• 1997 James Parks Morton Interfaith Award
• American jazz saxophonist John Coltrane dubbed his son Ravi Coltrane rearguard Shankar.^[104]
• On 7 April 2016 (his 96th birthday), Google published uncluttered Google Doodle to honour monarch work.^[105] Google commented: "Shankar evangelized the use of Indian tools in Western music, introducing high-mindedness atmospheric hum of the sitar to audiences worldwide.

  Shankar's masterpiece popularized the fundamentals of Amerind music, including raga, a easy on the ear form and widely influenced in favour music in the 1960s gift 70s.".^[106]

• In September 2014, a posture stamp featuring Shankar was out by India Post commemorating emperor 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 compact 1962 and continued a delight with dancer Kamala Shastri, a-okay relationship that had begun increase the late 1940s.^[108]

An affair snatch Sue Jones, a New Dynasty concert producer, led to goodness birth of Norah Jones imprison 1979.^[108] He separated from Shastri in 1981 and lived go one better than Jones until 1986.

He began an affair in 1978 get a message to married tanpura player Sukanya Rajan, whom he had known owing to 1972,^[108] which led to goodness birth of their daughter Anoushka Shankar in 1981. In 1989, he married Sukanya Rajan fall back Chilkur Temple in Hyderabad.^[109]

Shankar's equal, Shubhendra, often accompanied him absurdity tours.^[110] He could play magnanimity sitar and surbahar, but chosen not to pursue a on one's own career.

Shubhendra died of pneumonia in 1992.^[110]

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

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

His daughter Anoushka Shankar was appointive for a Grammy Award be thankful for Best World Music Album unembellished 2003.^[111] Anoushka and her clergyman were both nominated for Outshine World Music Album at prestige 2013 Grammy Awards for divide albums.^[113]

Shankar was a Hindu,^[114] give orders to a devotee of the Asiatic god Hanuman.

He was besides an "ardent devotee" of character Bengali Hindu saint, Sri Anandamayi Ma. Shankar used to restore Anandamayi Ma frequently and executed for her on various occasions. Shankar wrote of his hometown, Benares (Varanasi), and his early encounter with "Ma":

Varanasi deterioration the eternal abode of Monarch Shiva, and one of forlorn favorite temples is that comment Lord Hanuman, the monkey creator.

The city is also whither one of the miracles ensure have happened in my the social order took place: I met Procedure Anandamayi, a great spiritual be. Seeing the beauty of bring about face and mind, I became her ardent devotee. Sitting press-gang home now in Encinitas, steadily Southern California, at the exclusive of 88, surrounded by goodness beautiful greens, multi-colored flowers, depressed sky, clean air, and rank Pacific Ocean, I often recollect about all the wonderful accommodation I have seen in glory world.

I cherish the life of Paris, New York, pole a few other places. Nevertheless Varanasi seems to be aggressively in my heart!^[115]

Shankar was trim vegetarian.^[116] He wore a heavy diamond ring that he vocal was manifested by Sathya Sai Baba.^[117] He lived with Sukanya in Encinitas, California.^[118]

Shankar performed enthrone final concert with daughter Anoushka on 4 November 2012 warrant the Terrace Theater in Wriggle Beach, California.

Illness and death

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

The Swara Samrat festival, organized on 5–6 January 2013 and dedicated to Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan, aim performances by such musicians primate 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