Pandit Pran Nath
(Hindustani Vocalist)
 Photo Copyright © Macioce 1991 |
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Profile
Pandit Pran Nath was an important Kirana Gharana vocalist and one of the few vocalists who settled and taught in the west.Pandit Pran Nath was born in Lahore. He lost his father early in his life, forcing his mother to move to her father's place. Pran Nath's grand father was a rich man interested in spirituality and music and used to have musicians and saints at his place daily. Thus Pran Nath became deeply interested in learning music. As his mother was opposed to a career in music, he left his home at an young age to seek out a teacher. He eventually found the guru in Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan, great Kirana master and nephew of the more famous, Ustad Abdual Karim Khan. He lived with and learnt from Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan for a number of years. His deep interest in mysticism also had profound impact on his life. He became part of a Shaivite cult in Dehra Dun. Upon the advice of his guru he left the cult, got married and settled down in Delhi.
Pran Nath's career began as an All India Radio artist in 1937. But like his guru, he was not interested in commercially exploiting his music and stuck to an austere style. He would never become a commercially successful concert artist in India. He used to teach a lot of students to financially support himself. He also taught Hindustani music in Delhi University between 1960 and 1970.
In 1970 he was persuaded to come to US by composer La Monte Young and visual artist Marian Zazeela. They also became his disciples along with composer Terry Riley. After his successful visit, Pt Pran Nath decided to settle down in the US and in 1972 setup Kirana Center for Indian Classical Music in New York. He also made connections with many Sufi devotees like Shabda Kahn and composer Allaudin William Mathieu. In this sense, he was the later day Sufi Inayat Khan. He became associated with several universities and taught music. After 26 years in the US he died in California in 1996. He has left a deep impression on all his disciples.
Related Artists
| Teachers & Influences | Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan |
| Disciples & Followers | Sheila Dhar, Karunamayee, Shabda Kahn, La Monte Young, Marian Zazeela, Terry Riley |
| Similar Artists | Sureshbabu Mane, Bhimsen Joshi, Feroz Dastur, Basavraj Rajguru |
| Worked With | Fayyaz Khan (tabla), Mohammed Ahmed Bane (sarangi), Prem Waleb (tabla), Krishna Bhatt (tabla) |
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