Bhaskarbuwa Bakhale
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17 October 1869
Bhaskar Raghunath Bakhale | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Bhaskarrao, Bhaskarbua, Bhaskarbuwa |
| Born | Bhaskar Raghunath Bakhale 17 October 1869 |
| Died | 8 April 1922 (aged 52) |
| Genres | Hindustani classical music |
| Occupations | Hindustani classical vocalist, composer, teacher |
Bhaskar Raghunath Bakhale (17 October 1869 – 8 April 1922) (also known as Bhaskarrao or Bhaskarbua or Bhaskarbuwa) was a Hindustani classical vocalist, a composer, and a teacher.[1][2]
Bhaskar Bakhale was born in a Karhade Brahmin family in Kathor, a village in Gujarat, India. His early training was in dhrupad and kirtan from Vishnubuwa Pingale in Vadodara. The royal family of Vadodara arranged for musical lessons in the school run by its court musician Maula Baksha.[3] He then became a child artist at Kirloskar Natak Mandali, a musical theatre troupe of Annasaheb Kirloskar where he had the ganda-bandhan ceremony with Bande Ali Khan, a Rudra Veena performer from Kirana employed by the court of Indore.[3] Faiz Mohammed Khan of Gwalior gharana taught him in Vadodara 1886–1897 and then recommended further training from Natthan Khan of Agra gharana, a court musician at Jaipur and Mysore, and the father of Vilayat Hussain Khan.[2] This apprenticeship continued in Mysore and Dharwad till the demise of Natthan Khan in 1901. In 1899, Natthan Khan recommended further training from Alladiya Khan, the founder of Jaipur-Atrauli gharana and a court musician of Kolhapur. Starting in 1901, Bakhale learnt from Alladiya Khan, his brother Haider Khan, and his nephew Natthan Khan. His apprenticeship with Alladiya Khan continued interrupted until Bakhale's own death in 1922.[4] Overcome with Bakhale's memories, Alladiya Khan broke down and abruptly ended his 1922 Mumbai recital at the residence of Seth Vitthaldas; the recital was to celebrate the birthday of Seth Vitthaldas and was attended by Shahu Maharaj, the king of Miraj, the king of Dewas, and other dignitaries.[4] [5] Dilip Chandra Vedi has noted that, like Abdul Karim Khan, Bakhale was influenced by the style of Rahimat Khan (1856–1922), the younger son of Haddu Khan of Gwalior Gharana.[6]
Career
During 1883–1885, Bakhale performed as a child artist in the stage plays of Kirloskar Natak Mandali where Bhaurao Kolhatkar, Moroba Wagholikar, and Balakoba Natekar earned much fame as singers of folksy and light classical stage songs. After completing his training in classical music, Bakhale returned as a classical vocalist in 1899 or so.[4] During 1897–1901, he served as a professor of music at a training college in Dharwad. Starting in 1901, he was based in Mumbai and Pune but performed throughout India and Nepal. He was given the honorary title "Deva Gandharva" (God Among Celestial Musicians).[7] His notebook lists dhrupads and dhamars learnt by him but he rarely performed those in public. His typical recital comprised khyal ragas and an assortment of dadra, tappa, thumri, bhajan, songs from Marathi stage plays, and traditional Marathi light classical forms. He also had a successful career as the music director of Kirloskar Natak Mandali and, afterwards, of Gandharva Natak Mandali.[8] Govindrao Tembe benefited from Bakhale's advisement in composing music for the stage play Sangeet Manapman (1911).[9] Bakhale then composed music for new Marathi musical theatre stage plays such as Sangeet Vidyaharan (1913), Sangeet Swayamwar (1916), and Sangeet Draupadi (1920) by adopting compositions from classical Hindustani music. These compositions continue to be performed on stage and in Hindustani classical recitals. Several musicians, including Kumar Gandharva, Vasantrao Deshpande, and Anand Bhate, have released recordings presenting their interpretations of Bal Gandharva's renditions of these compositions. Bakhale taught and mentored Bal Gandharva from 1906 until his own death, and also brought Ahmed Jan Thirakwa to Gandharva Natak Mandali as its tabla maestro. In 1911, Bakhale started Bharat Gayan Samaj, an institute to teach music in Pune; the institute had its centenary in 2011.