R.K. Bijapure was a well-known player of which musical instrument?

Explanation

Pandit R.K. Bijapure (1917-2010) was one of the most respected harmonium players of Hindustani music. He came from the Belagavi (Belgaum) region of Karnataka and was known both as a skilled accompanist to vocalists and as a solo player and teacher.

R.K. Bijapure spent most of his long life in Karnataka, which has a rich tradition of Hindustani music, especially in the northern districts such as Dharwad, Belagavi and Kalaburagi. This region produced many great singers, such as Bhimsen Joshi, Gangubai Hangal, Mallikarjun Mansur, Basavaraj Rajguru and Kumar Gandharva, and harmonium players were in great demand as accompanists. Bijapure was admired for his clean and sweet playing, his understanding of ragas, and his ability to support singers during concerts. He trained many students in the harmonium, some of whom became well-known performers. He continued to play and teach until a great age, and he received several honours from the state of Karnataka for his contribution to music.

The harmonium is a free-reed keyboard instrument. The player pumps air into it with bellows, worked by one hand, while playing the keys with the other, and the air passes through metal reeds to produce sound. It was brought to India by Europeans in the 19th century and became very popular, because it is portable, easy to learn and easy to tune. It is used widely in Hindustani classical and semi-classical music, in bhajans, qawwalis, ghazals, folk music and theatre. For some years, All India Radio did not allow the harmonium in its broadcasts, because some critics felt that its fixed notes could not show the fine shades of pitch used in Indian music. Other famous harmonium players include Tulsidas Borkar, Appa Jalgaonkar and Govindrao Tembe.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Sitar is linked with Ravi Shankar and Vilayat Khan.
• ✗Shehnai is linked with Bismillah Khan.
• ✗Sarod is linked with Amjad Ali Khan and Ali Akbar Khan.