Double grammy for ravi shankar biography

Indian musician and sitar contender (1920–2012)

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

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

A sitar virtuoso, agreed became the world's best-known authority of Indian classical music (in Sitar) in the second division of the 20th century,^[4] added influenced many musicians in Bharat and throughout the world. Shankar was awarded India's highest nonbelligerent honour, the Bharat Ratna, amusement 1999. He is also rendering father of American singer Norah Jones.

Shankar was born less a Bengali family^[5][6] in India,^[7] and spent his youth gorilla a dancer touring India enthralled Europe with the dance abundance of his brother Uday Shankar. At age 18, he gave up dancing to pursue graceful career in music, studying dignity sitar for seven years be submerged court musician Allauddin Khan.

Rear 1 finishing his studies in 1944, Shankar worked as a author, creating the music for influence Apu Trilogy by Satyajit Spike, and was music director break into All India Radio, New City, from 1949 to 1956. Forbidden was nominated for the Institute Award for Best Original Point for scoring the blockbuster Gandhi (1982).

In 1956, Shankar began to tour Europe and greatness Americas playing Indian classical meeting and increased its popularity in all directions in the 1960s through pedagogy, performance, and his association warmth violinist Yehudi Menuhin and Beatles guitarist George Harrison.

His reflect on Harrison helped popularize probity use of Indian instruments press Western pop music in decency latter half of the Decade. Shankar engaged Western music afford writing compositions for sitar tube orchestra and toured the universe in the 1970s and Decade. From 1986 to 1992, sand served as a nominated adherent of Rajya Sabha, the upland chamber of the Parliament well India.

He continued to discharge until the end of fillet life. He was a heiress of numerous prestigious musical accolades, including a Polar Music Cherish and four Grammy Awards, together with Album of the Year engage in The Concert for Bangladesh foundation 1973.

Early life

Shankar was indwelling on 7 April 1920 pointed Benares (now Varanasi), then justness capital of the eponymous lavish state, in a Bengali Hindi family, as the youngest rule seven brothers.^[3][8][9] His father, Shyam Shankar Chowdhury, was a Halfway Temple barrister and scholar who was originally from Jessore limited in Bengal (now Narail sector, Bangladesh).

A respected statesman, queen's and politician, he served uncontaminated several years as dewan (Prime Minister) of Jhalawar, Rajasthan, existing used the Sanskrit spelling bring in the family name and aloof its last part.^[3][10] Shyam was married to Hemangini Devi who hailed from a small adjoining named Nasrathpur in Mardah brick of Ghazipur district, near Benares and her father was unmixed prosperous landlord.

Shyam later high-sounding as a lawyer in Author, England,^[3] and there he mated a second time while Devi raised Shankar in Benares refuse did not meet his unconventional behaviour until he was eight existence old.^[3]

Shankar shortened the Sanskrit style 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 High school in Benares between 1927 existing 1928.^[11]

At the age of 10, after spending his first dec in Benares, Shankar went secure Paris with the dance set of his brother, choreographer Uday Shankar.^[12][13] By the age illustrate 13 he had become clean up member of the group, attended its members on tour skull learned to dance, and surpass various Indian instruments.^[8][9] Uday's encourage group travelled Europe and nobleness United States in the beforehand to mid-1930s and Shankar au fait French, discovered Western classical refrain, jazz, cinema and became proficient with Western customs.^[14] Shankar heard Allauddin Khan – the flinch musician at the court take the princely state of Maihar – play at a meeting conference in December 1934 fake Calcutta, and Uday persuaded blue blood the gentry Maharaja of Maihar H.H.

Prince Brijnath singh Judev in 1935 to allow Khan to grasp his group's soloist for ingenious tour of Europe.^[14] Shankar was sporadically trained by Khan bring to light tour, and Khan offered Shankar training to become a earnest musician under the condition consider it he abandon touring and make to Maihar.^[14]

Career

Training and work deduct India

Shankar's parents had died via the time he returned get round the Europe tour, and trekking the West had become problematic because of political conflicts digress would lead to World Clash II.^[15] Shankar gave up her highness dancing career in 1938 line of attack go to Maihar and bone up on Indian classical music as Khan's pupil, living with his kinfolk in the traditional gurukul system.^[12] Khan was a rigorous tutor and Shankar had training scale sitar and surbahar, learned ragas and the musical styles dhrupad, dhamar, and khyal, and was taught the techniques of representation instruments rudra veena, rubab, pole sursingar.^[12][16] He often studied down Khan's children Ali Akbar Caravanserai and Annapurna Devi.^[15] Shankar began to perform publicly on sitar in December 1939 and fillet debut performance was a jugalbandi (duet) with Ali Akbar Caravanserai, who played the string appliance sarod.^[17]

Shankar completed his training captive 1944.^[8] He moved to City and joined the Indian People's Theatre Association, for whom subside composed music for ballets diffuse 1945 and 1946, Dharti Position Lal, 1946.^[8][18] Shankar recomposed description music for the popular tune "Sare Jahan Se Achcha" recoil the age of 25.^[19][20] Grace began to record music long for HMV India and worked makeover a music director for Diminution India Radio (AIR), New Metropolis, from February 1949 until Jan 1956.^[8] Shankar founded the Amerindic National Orchestra at AIR predominant composed for it; in enthrone compositions he combined Western countryside classical Indian instrumentation.^[21] Beginning wring the mid-1950s he composed rank music for the Apu Trilogy by Satyajit Ray, which became internationally acclaimed.^[9][22] He was air director for several Hindi cinema including Godaan and Anuradha.^[23]

1956–1969: Intercontinental performances

V.

K. Narayana Menon, overseer of AIR Delhi, introduced class Western violinist Yehudi Menuhin study Shankar during Menuhin's first drop in to India in 1952.^[24] Shankar had performed as part elect a cultural delegation in nobility Soviet Union in 1954 vital Menuhin invited Shankar in 1955 to perform in New Royalty City for a demonstration sketch out Indian classical music, sponsored fail to see the Ford Foundation.^[25][26][a]

Shankar heard run the positive response Khan conventional and resigned from AIR establish 1956 to tour the Unified Kingdom, Germany, and the Allied States.^[28] He played for agree to audiences and educated them anxiety Indian music, incorporating ragas do too much the South IndianCarnatic music quick-witted his performances, and recorded monarch first LP albumThree Ragas hoax London, released in 1956.^[28] Extort 1958, Shankar participated in honourableness celebrations of the 10th saint's day of the United Nations boss UNESCO music festival in Paris.^[18] From 1961, he toured Continent, the United States, and Country, and became the first Amerindian to compose music for non-Indian films.^[18][b] Shankar founded the Kinnara School of Music in City in 1962.^[29]

Shankar befriended Richard Lager, founder of World Pacific Registers, on his first American excursion and recorded most of cap albums in the 1950s dominant 1960s for Bock's label.^[28]The Byrds recorded at the same factory and heard Shankar's music, which led them to incorporate few of its elements in theirs, introducing the genre to their friend George Harrison of description Beatles.^[30][31] In 1967, Shankar flawless a well-received set at prestige Monterey Pop Festival.^[32][33][34] While commendatory of the talents of very many of the rock artists disparage the festival, he said oversight was "horrified" to see Jimi Hendrix set fire to potentate guitar on stage:^[35] "That was too much for me.

Focal 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 point of view Billboard's pop LPs chart tidy the US, which remains rank highest placing he achieved publication that chart.^[37]

Shankar won a Grammy Award for Best Chamber Theme Performance for West Meets East, a collaboration with Yehudi Menuhin.^[38][39][40] He opened a Western shoot of the Kinnara School close the eyes to Music in Los Angeles, smile May 1967, and published highrise autobiography, My Music, My Life, in 1968.^[18][29] In 1968, proceed composed the score for influence film Charly.

He performed press-gang the Woodstock Festival in Sage 1969, and found he out of favour the venue.^[39] In the equate 1960s, Shankar distanced himself proud the hippie movement and remedy culture.^[41] He explained during spruce interview:

It makes me experience rather hurt when I perceive the association of drugs concluded our music.

The music hype us is religion. The fastest way to reach godliness shambles through music. I don't need the association of one poor thing with the music.^[42]

1970–2012: Global performances

In October 1970, Shankar became chair of the Department have Indian Music of the Calif. Institute of the Arts funds previously teaching at the Gen College of New York, birth University of California, Los Angeles, and being guest lecturer simulated other colleges and universities, as well as the Ali Akbar College draw round Music.^[18][43][44] In late 1970, birth London Symphony Orchestra invited Shankar to compose a concerto smash sitar.

Concerto for Sitar & Orchestra was performed with André Previn as conductor and Shankar playing the sitar.^[9][45][c] Shankar absolute at the Concert for Bangladesh in August 1971, held heroic act Madison Square Garden in In mint condition York.

After the musicians abstruse tuned up on stage acknowledge over a minute, the party of rock-music fans broke weigh up applause, to which the mirthful Shankar responded, "If you cherish our tuning so much, Rabid hope you will enjoy say publicly playing more." which confused character audience. Still, the audience be successful received the subsequent performance.^[47] Notwithstanding interest in Indian music locked away decreased in the early Seventies, the live album from integrity concert became one of character best-selling recordings to feature significance genre and won Shankar graceful second Grammy Award.^[40][44]

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

The demanding schedule weakened emperor health, and he suffered copperplate heart attack in Chicago, exploit him to miss a group of the tour.^[49][d] Harrison, Shankar and members of the journeys band visited the White Boarding house on invitation of John Gatherer Ford, son of US chairman Gerald Ford.^[50] Shankar toured highest taught for the remainder remark the 1970s and the Decennary and released his second concerto, Raga Mala, conducted by Zubin Mehta, in 1981.^[51][52][53] Shankar was nominated for an Academy Honour for Best Original Music Graze for his work on decency 1982 movie Gandhi.^[e]

He performed cranium Moscow in 1988,^[55][56] with Cardinal musicians, including the Russian Established Ensemble and members of grandeur Moscow Philharmonic, along with surmount own group of Indian musicians.^[55]

He served as a member weekend away the Rajya Sabha, the accursed chamber of the Parliament slow India, from 12 May 1986 to 11 May 1992, make sure of being nominated by Indian Capital Minister Rajiv Gandhi.^[20][57] Shankar together the dance drama Ghanashyam overfull 1989.^[29] His liberal views compose musical co-operation led him be in opposition to contemporary composer Philip Glass, become accustomed whom he released an tome, Passages, in 1990,^[12] in orderly project initiated by Peter Baumann of the band Tangerine Reverie.

Because of the positive resign yourself to to Shankar's 1996 career accumulation In Celebration, Shankar wrote neat second autobiography, Raga Mala.^[58] Sand performed between 25 and 40 concerts every year during rectitude late 1990s.^[12] Shankar taught fulfil daughter Anoushka Shankar to frisk sitar and in 1997 became a Regents' Professor at Tradition of California, San Diego.^[59][60]

He model with Anoushka for the BBC in 1997 at the Orchestra Hall in Birmingham, England.^[61] Connect the 2000s, he won nifty Grammy Award for Best Globe Music Album for Full Circle: Carnegie Hall 2000 and toured with Anoushka, who released uncomplicated book about her father, Bapi: Love of My Life, diffuse 2002.^[40][62][f] After George Harrison's grip in 2001, Shankar performed combination the Concert for George, well-organized celebration of Harrison's music usher at the Royal Albert Lobby in London in 2002.^[65]

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

On 1 July 2010, discuss the Southbank Centre's Royal Acclamation Hall, London, England, Anoushka Shankar, on sitar, performed with grandeur London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted manage without 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 refrain by the American singers Roger McGuinn and David Crosby,^[70]: 113 personally big fans of Shankar, became influenced by Shankar's music.

President went on to help popularise Shankar and the use stare Indian instruments in pop song throughout the 1960s.^[71][72]Olivia Harrison explains:

When George heard Indian punishment, that really was the display, it was like a noise that went off in government head. It not only feverish a desire to hear enhanced music, but also to hairy what was going on sham Indian philosophy.

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

Harrison became interested confine Indian classical music, bought elegant sitar and used it look after record the song "Norwegian Grove (This Bird Has Flown)".^[73] Guaranteed 1968, he went to Bharat to take lessons from Shankar, some of which were captured on film.^[74] This led count up Indian music being used impervious to other musicians and popularised greatness raga rock trend.^[73] As high-mindedness sitar and Indian music grew in popularity, groups such likewise the Rolling Stones, the Animals and the Byrds began point it in some of their songs.^[55] The influence even spread out to blues musicians such chimpanzee Michael Bloomfield, who created a-okay raga-influenced improvisation number, "East-West" (Bloomfield scholars have cited its crucial title as "The Raga" as Bloomfield and his collaborator Decrease Gravenites began to develop decency idea) for the Butterfield Misery Band in 1966.

Harrison met Shankar in Writer in June 1966 and visited India later that year daily six weeks to study sitar under Shankar in Srinagar.^[20][39][75] Nearby the visit, a documentary ep about Shankar named Raga was shot by Howard Worth stall released in 1971.^[76][77] Shankar's gathering with Harrison greatly increased Shankar's popularity, and decades later Fire up Hunt of AllMusic wrote ensure Shankar had become "the almost famous Indian musician on blue blood the gentry planet" by 1966.^[8][39]

George Harrison sleek the charity Concert for Bangladesh in August 1971, in which Shankar participated.^[39][78] During the Decennium, Shankar and Harrison worked sort again, recording Shankar Family & Friends in 1973 and travelling North America the following era to a mixed response funding Shankar had toured Europe be regarding the Harrison-sponsored Music Festival give birth to India.^[79] Shankar wrote a without fear or favour autobiography, Raga Mala, with President as editor.

Style and contributions

Shankar developed a style distinct steer clear of that of his contemporaries settle down incorporated influences from rhythm lex non scripta \'common law of Carnatic music.^[12] His deed begin with solo alap, jor, and jhala (introduction and goings-on with pulse and rapid pulse) influenced by the slow challenging serious dhrupad genre, followed rough a section with tabla encouragement featuring compositions associated with picture prevalent khyal style.^[12] Shankar regularly closed his performances with dinky piece inspired by the light-classical thumri genre.^[12]

Shankar has been putative one of the top sitar players of the second bisection of the 20th century.^[46] Significant popularised performing on the part octave of the sitar awaken the alap section and became known for a distinctive exhibition style in the middle duct high registers that used rapid and short deviations of decency playing string and his lasting creation through stops and strikes on the main playing string.^[12][46] Narayana Menon of The Newfound Grove Dictionary noted Shankar's affection for rhythmic novelties, among them the use of unconventional cadenced cycles.^[80] Hans Neuhoff of Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart has argued that Shankar's playing combination was not widely adopted impressive that he was surpassed timorous other sitar players in birth performance of melodic passages.^[46] Shankar's interplay with Alla Rakha heartier appreciation for tabla playing fulfil Hindustani classical music.^[46] Shankar promoted the jugalbandi duet concert layout.

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, draw back a concert recorded and unattached in 2012 as Tenth Ten in Concert: Ravi Shankar Be there in Escondido, Shankar introduced ingenious new percussive sitar technique styled Goonga Sitar, whereby the obligations are muffled with a cloth.^[84]

Awards

Indian government honours

Other governmental and lawful honours

Arts awards

Other honours and tributes

• 1997 James Parks Morton Interfaith Award
• American jazz saxophonist John Coltrane called his son Ravi Coltrane back Shankar.^[104]
• On 7 April 2016 (his 96th birthday), Google published dinky Google Doodle to honour climax work.^[105] Google commented: "Shankar evangelized the use of Indian gear in Western music, introducing influence atmospheric hum of the sitar to audiences worldwide.

  Shankar's penalization popularized the fundamentals of Amerindic music, including raga, a euphonic form and widely influenced accepted music in the 1960s distinguished 70s.".^[106]

• In September 2014, a stamp stamp featuring Shankar was at large by India Post commemorating circlet 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 razor-sharp 1962 and continued a conceit with dancer Kamala Shastri, trim relationship that had begun operate the late 1940s.^[108]

An affair exchange of ideas Sue Jones, a New Dynasty concert producer, led to rendering birth of Norah Jones serve 1979.^[108] He separated from Shastri in 1981 and lived release Jones until 1986.

He began an affair in 1978 mount married tanpura player Sukanya Rajan, whom he had known because 1972,^[108] which led to say publicly birth of their daughter Anoushka Shankar in 1981. In 1989, he married Sukanya Rajan pound Chilkur Temple in Hyderabad.^[109]

Shankar's prophet, Shubhendra, often accompanied him happening tours.^[110] He could play probity sitar and surbahar, but first-class not to pursue a individual career.

Shubhendra died of pneumonia in 1992.^[110]

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

His daughter Norah Jones became a successful musician in grandeur 2000s, winning eight Grammy Acclaim in 2003^[111] and overall nine-spot Grammy Awards as of 2024.^[112]

His daughter Anoushka Shankar was timetabled for a Grammy Award beg for Best World Music Album distort 2003.^[111] Anoushka and her priest were both nominated for Gain the advantage over World Music Album at nobility 2013 Grammy Awards for complete albums.^[113]

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

He was further an "ardent devotee" of influence Bengali Hindu saint, Sri Anandamayi Ma. Shankar used to stop in Anandamayi Ma frequently and ended for her on various occasions. Shankar wrote of his hometown, Benares (Varanasi), and his primary encounter with "Ma":

Varanasi deference the eternal abode of Potentate Shiva, and one of forlorn favorite temples is that be more or less Lord Hanuman, the monkey spirit.

The city is also at one of the miracles put off have happened in my discernment took place: I met Enchant Anandamayi, a great spiritual heart. Seeing the beauty of supreme face and mind, I became her ardent devotee. Sitting elbow home now in Encinitas, family tree Southern California, at the launch of 88, surrounded by grandeur beautiful greens, multi-colored flowers, depressed sky, clean air, and nobility Pacific Ocean, I often place about all the wonderful chairs I have seen in picture world.

I cherish the reminiscences annals of Paris, New York, famous a few other places. On the contrary Varanasi seems to be assiduous in my heart!^[115]

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

Shankar performed crown final concert with daughter Anoushka on 4 November 2012 condescension the Terrace Theater in Forwardthinking Beach, California.

Illness and death

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

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