A Profile of Lucknow Tabla Gharana by James Kippen

---

For more information on the history of the Lucknow tabla gharana, its repertoire, and playing techniques, see James Kippen's The Tabla of Lucknow: a Cultural Analysis of a Musical Tradition (Cambridge University Press, 1988 - reprint, from Manohar, coming soon in 2004).

---

Miyan Bakhshu Khan migrated from Qasur in the Punjab, perhaps via Delhi, to the city of Lucknow around 1780. Nawab Asaf-ud Daula (1775-97) had shifted the court of Awadh there from Faizabad, and was offering abundant patronage to musicians and dancers. Bakhshuji was a skilled player whose name was mentioned many times by Mohammad Karam Imam in his book Ma'adan al Mausiqi (1860s). Bakhshuji had two sons: Mammu Khan and Kesri Khan. Some think he had another son, Salari Miyan, though he was probably only a more distant relative. Salari Miyan and Haji Vilayat Ali Khan (founder of the Farukhabad gharana) were prominent disciples, and Salari Khan was known for playing gat and rang: a kind of rela using light, bouncing strokes from side to side.

Mammu Khan had two sons: Mammad Khan (d.1879) and Najju Khan. Najju's three sons (Zakir Hussain "Zakkan" Khan, Chuttan Khan, and Ladle Khan) had no sons of their own, although Chuttan Khan taught the young Akbar Hussain "Ballu" Khan (d.1997), who identified himself with the Kothiwal gharana of Lucknow.

It was during the middle of the nineteenth century, particularly under the patronage of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, that the prototype for what would become modern Kathak dance emerged. Since Lucknow tabla players were closely connected to the families of dancers, both female courtesans and male Hindu Kathaks from the Benares region, they developed a bold, open style with a great variety of strokes, called khula baj. There is more reliance on the sur (centre portion of the drumhead) than the kinar (rim), though both are liberally mixed in its vast repertoire of pieces. To distinguish this style from the style prevalent in Delhi to the west, this became known as Purab baj (Eastern style). Lucknow is especially known for its gats and relas, many requiring the most virtuoso technique to play effectively.

Mammad Khan had three sons: Munne Khan (d.1890), Nadir Hussain, and Abid Hussain (1867-1936). Munne Khan, a magnificent player, died young, and it was left to Abid Hussain to assume the mantle of Khalifa of the gharana. He did so by embarking on a chilla (disciplined practice) of 12 hours daily for twelve years. He emerged as an undisputed master of tabla. He played all over India, winning medals, prizes, and considerable wealth. He became the first Professor of Tabla at the Marris Music College (later, the Bhatkhande Music College). Abid Hussain had many students, among them Hirendra Kumar Ganguli of Calcutta (whose disciple, Santosh Krishna Biswas, taught Swapan Chaudhuri).

Abid Hussain had no son, but he married his daughter to his nephew, Nadir Hussain's son, Wajid Hussain Khan (1900-78). Khalifa Wajid Hussain was one of the fastest and most powerful soloists of his time, and, like his uncles Munne Khan and Abid Hussain, a great composer of gat and rela. His remarkable 1971 solo can be heard on the recording by Robert S. Gottlieb in "Solo Tabla Drumming of North India" (Motilal Banarasidass, 1993), and is discussed in an article by James Kippen called "Wajid Revisited" (Asian Music, 33, 2, 2002, pp.111-74).

Wajid Hussain had one son: Afaq Hussain Khan (1930-90). Afaq Hussain was one of the greatest players of the twentieth century, combining a vast knowledge with phenomenal technique and a peerless sweetness of tone. He moved to Calcutta in 1958 to further his career. While there he recorded some of the greatest performances of the century with the legendary vocalist Amir Khan (Hansadhwani, Megh, Lalit, Malkauns). He returned to Lucknow in 1971, and was employed at Sangeet Natak Akademi and then at the Doordarshan Kendra for many years until his death in 1990 from an apparent heart attack.

Currently, Afaq Hussain's son Ilmas Hussain (b.1957) is the Khalifa of the Lucknow tabla gharana. He studied mainly under his grandfather, Wajid Hussain, and subsequently under his father. After many years at the Sangeet Natak Akademi in Lucknow, he took his father's position at Doordarshan. He is currently on assignment by the ICCR to Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Afaq Hussain's second son, Ilyas (b.1978) lives and plays in Lucknow. He studied under his father and then his older brother. Ilmas's children, a girl Gulzar and a boy Amir are both learning tabla.