SSC
Before joining Akbar's court, Tansen served as a court musician to which ruler?
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Answer: Option B — Raja Ramchandra of Rewa
Detailed Solution
Explanation
Tansen, one of the greatest musicians in Indian history, served as the court musician of Raja Ramchandra Singh (Ramchandra Baghela), the ruler of the kingdom of Rewa (Bandhavgarh), in present-day Madhya Pradesh, before he joined the court of the Mughal emperor Akbar in about 1562.
According to tradition, Akbar heard of Tansen's fame and asked Raja Ramchandra to send him to the Mughal court. Tansen became one of the "Navaratnas" (nine jewels) of Akbar's court, and Akbar gave him the title "Mian". Tansen was born in Gwalior and, according to tradition, learnt music from Swami Haridas of Vrindavan and was also influenced by the Sufi saint Muhammad Ghaus of Gwalior. He was a master of the Dhrupad style of singing. He is credited with creating several ragas, such as Miyan ki Malhar, Miyan ki Todi, Darbari Kanada and Miyan ki Sarang, and many legends are told about him, such as the story that his singing of Raga Deepak could light lamps and his Raga Megh Malhar could bring rain. His tomb is in Gwalior, where the Tansen Samaroh, a major festival of Hindustani classical music, is held every year.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Raja Man Singh Tomar of Gwalior (ruled 1486-1516) was a great patron of Dhrupad music, but he died before Tansen's career began.
- ✗Rana Sanga of Mewar was a Rajput king who fought Babur in the Battle of Khanwa (1527).
- ✗Raja Todar Mal was Akbar's finance minister, known for his land revenue reforms, and one of the Navaratnas.
💡 Exam tip
Link Tansen with Raja Ramchandra of Rewa, Akbar's Navaratnas, the title "Mian", his guru Swami Haridas, Dhrupad and the Tansen Samaroh at Gwalior.💬 Discussions on this question
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Music & Musical Instruments — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Music & Musical Instruments, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers Indian classical music, its two main traditions (Hindustani and Carnatic), gharanas, ragas and talas, folk music styles, and the musical instruments of India along with the artists who are famous for playing them. It also includes the four classes of instruments: string (tata), wind (sushira), percussion (avanaddha) and solid (ghana). Exam questions usually pair an instrument with its maestro, such as the sitar with Pandit Ravi Shankar, the shehnai with Ustad Bismillah Khan or the santoor with Pandit Shivkumar Sharma. Other common questions ask about the origin of a gharana, the instrument a folk style uses, or the class an instrument belongs to. Making a two-column list of instruments and artists is the quickest way to revise. Practise the music and musical instruments questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.