The Hindu : Sitar maestro Vilayat Khan remembered

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 02, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Sitar maestro Vilayat Khan remembered

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, APRIL 1. Rich tributes were paid to the sitar maestro Ustad Vilayat Hussain Khan at a condolence meeting organised here in the Capital this evening.

Speakers remembered him as one of the greatest sitar players of his generation and one who was "full of sweetness like his sitar".

Organised jointly by the Indian Music Society, the Naina Devi Foundation and the Indian International Centre, the meeting was attended by a large number of artistes, academicians, professors and social activists.

Members of the Sangeet Natak Akademi and the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) were also present.

Renowned musician Asaf Ali Khan said that Ustad belonged to a family of great musicians and his father, Ustad Inayat Hussain Khan, and grandfather, Imdad Hussain Khan, were themselves great sitar players.

Noting that he was best known for using the "gayaki ang" or vocal element in sitar-playing, renowned vocalist Uma Sharma said it was a great tragedy that we were losing so many great musicians in quick succession.

"His music was divine and inspiring. Listening to him play the sitar was an extraordinary experience that went beyond music," observed the noted Bharatnatyam exponent, Yamini Krishnamurthy.

According to another well-known sitarist, Debu Chaudhary, Ustad had his own following which he created with his individual style and sheer mastery over the instrument.

"He changed the way sitar was played and people began expecting more from the other sitarist," he added.

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