History
During the time of Mughal kings Ustad Nathan Pir Bakhsh and his maternal grandsons were the legendary Haddu, Hassu and Nathu Khan. The main musician in the court at the time was Ustad Bade Mohammad Khan who was famous for his taanbaazi. Both Ustad Bade Mohammad Khan and Ustad Nathan Pir Bakhsh belonged to the same tradition of Shahi Sadarang.
Some sources believe that Ustad Nathan Pir Bakhsh settled in Gwalior and evolved the style features that led to this gharana. Others claim that individuals named Nathan Pir Bakhsh and Nathu Khan founded the gharana. The accepted version is that Nathan Pir Baksh left Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh to escape the professional rivalry with Ustad Shakkar Khan that had taken an ugly turn. He arrived in Gwalior with his maternal grandsons Haddu Khan and Hassu Khan.
Another great khyal singer, also originally from Lucknow, was Ustad Bade Mohammed Khan who brought the Taan into khyal singing. Haddu Khan and Hassu Khan further enhanced the style of the Gwalior gharana as we recognize it today. Hassu Khan died prematurely. Haddu Khan's son, Rehmat Ali Khan (1852–1922) was a widely acclaimed singer who liberated the Gwalior style from the methodical form it followed to the emotional style that he preferred.
Read more about this topic: Gwalior Gharana
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