SSC
Gangubai Hangal, the renowned Hindustani vocalist, belonged to which gharana?
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Answer: Option A — Kirana gharana
Detailed Solution
Explanation
Gangubai Hangal (1913-2009) was one of the greatest Hindustani classical vocalists of the 20th century, and she was a leading representative of the Kirana gharana of khayal singing.
Gangubai Hangal was born in Dharwad, Karnataka, and was named after the town of Hangal, where her family came from. She learnt music from Sawai Gandharva (Rambhau Kundgolkar), a disciple of Ustad Abdul Karim Khan, the founder of the Kirana gharana. Pandit Bhimsen Joshi was a fellow disciple of the same guru. Gangubai Hangal was known for her deep, powerful voice and her slow, meditative style of developing a raga, which is a typical feature of the Kirana gharana. She faced many difficulties in her early life, including caste discrimination and poverty, but she overcame them to become one of the most respected musicians in India. She performed for more than seven decades. She received the Padma Bhushan (1971), the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1973) and the Padma Vibhushan (2002).
The Kirana gharana takes its name from the town of Kairana in present-day Uttar Pradesh. It was founded by Ustad Abdul Karim Khan and his cousin Abdul Wahid Khan. It is known for its emphasis on swara (the purity and expression of notes) and the slow, gradual development of a raga. Its famous singers include Bhimsen Joshi, Gangubai Hangal, Hirabai Barodekar and Prabha Atre. Karnataka, especially the Dharwad region, became a major centre of the Kirana gharana.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Patiala gharana is linked with Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan.
- ✗Agra gharana is linked with Ustad Faiyaz Khan.
- ✗Mewati gharana is linked with Pandit Jasraj.
💡 Exam tip
The Kirana gharana is the most frequently asked gharana. Remember its founder (Abdul Karim Khan) and its famous singers (Bhimsen Joshi, Gangubai Hangal and Prabha Atre).💬 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.