Mian Tansen (born 1493 or
1506 as Ramtanu Pandey – died
1586 or 1589 as Mian Tansen),
He was named Mohammad Ata
Khan. He was a prominent
Hindustani classical music
composer and musician. He was
an extraordinarily gifted vocalist,
known for a large number of
compositions, and also an
instrumentalist who popularized
and improved the plucked rabab
(of Central Asian origin). He was
among the Navaratnas (nine
jewels) at the court of the
Mughal Emperor Akbar. Akbar
gave him the title Mian (an
honorific, meaning learned man).
His contribution to the world of
music is priceless and is still
worshiped by leading singers and
composers of the world.
Early life and background
Tansen as a historical personality
is difficult to extract from the
extensive legend that surrounds
him. It is reasonably certain that
he was born into a Hindu Gaur
Brahmin family, possibly in 1506,
though some legends give it as
1493; [1] possibly in the village
near Gwalior . His father Mukund
Pandey was a poet and
accomplished musician, who for
some time was a temple priest in
Varanasi . Tansen's name as a
child was Ramtanu.[1]
He was born at a time when a
number of Persian and Central
Asian motifs were fusing with
Indian classical music , his
influence was central to creating
the Hindustani classical ethos as
we know today. A number of
descendants and disciples have
also considerably enriched the
tradition. Almost all gharanas of
Hindustani classical music claim
some connection with the Tansen
lineage. According to legend, he
was noted for his imitations of
animal calls and birdsong.
↑Jump back a section
Career
It was only after the age of 5
that Tansen showed any musical
talent. At some point, he was
discipled for some time to Swami
Haridas, the legendary composer
from Vrindavan and part of the
stellar Gwalior court of Raja Man
Singh Tomar (1486-1516 AD),
specializing in the dhrupad style
of singing. His talent was
recognized early and it was the
ruler of Gwalior who conferred
upon the maestro the honorific
title 'Tansen'.Haridas was
considered to be a legendary
teacher in that time. It is said
that Tansen had no equal apart
from his teacher. One legend has
it that Haridas was passing
through the forests when the
five-year old Ramtanu's imitation
of a tiger impressed the musician
saint. Another version is that his
father sent him to Haridas. From
Haridas, Tansen acquired not only
his love for dhrupad but also his
interest in compositions in the
local language. This was the time
when the Bhakti tradition was
fomenting a shift from Sanskrit to
the local idiom ( Brajbhasa and
Hindi ), and Tansen's
compositions also highlight this
trend. At some point during his
apprenticeship, Tansen's father
died, and he returned home,
where it is said he used to sing at
a local Shiva temple.
In any event, Tansen went to
Muhammad Ghaus who
eventually became his spiritual
mentor. He also married Husseini
(lit. beautiful one),
"However, beyond a reference of
Tansen's name in a list of his
disciples Mian Tansen's name is
not found among the names of
the Mureeds (Fans) of the
Shuttari Tariqat - a Sufi spiritual
lineage founded by Shaykh
Muhammad Ghaus of
Gwalior." [ citation needed ]
The burial of Tansen in his
shaykh's mausoleum is thought
to indicate proof of his
conversion to the faith of his
spiritual guide, Islam. Usually,
the most prominent disciples of a
saint are buried near the
master's mausoleum, not much
historical detail is known about
their actual encounter.
The interaction with Ghaus in the
Sufi tradition and the earlier
training with Swami Haridas in
the Bhakti tradition led to a
fusion of these streams in the
work of Tansen. As it is, the
mystic streams of Sufism and
Bhakti had considerable
philosophical and stylistic
overlap; Ghaus in his text Bahr-
ul-Hayat (Ocean of Life) devotes
several chapters to Yoga
practices. In Tansen's music, we
find he continues to compose in
Brajbhasha invoking traditional
motifs such as Krishna or Shiva .
Tansen was also influenced by
other singers in the Gwalior court
and also the musically proficient
queen, Mriganayani (lit. doe-
eyed), whose romance with the
king had been forged on her
singing; she remained a friend
even after the death of the king.
Other musicians at Gwalior may
have included Baiju Bawra.
Eventually, he joined the court of
King Ramachandra Baghela of
Rewa, India , where he remained
from 1555-1562. [2] It appears
that the Mughal emperor Akbar
heard of his prowess and sent his
emissary Jalaluddin Qurchi to
Ramachandra, who had little
choice but to acquiesce, and
Tansen went to Akbar's court in
1562.
Akbar watching as Tansen
receives a lesson from
Swami Haridas. Imaginary
situation depicted in Mughal
miniature painting
(Rajasthani style , c. 1750
AD).
Tansen joined Akbar's court
eventually becoming one of the
treasured Navaratnas (lit.
nava=nine, ratna=jewel) of his
court. It was Akbar who gave
him the honorific title Mian, and
he is usually referred to today as
Mian Tansen. Legend has it that
in his first performance, he was
gifted one lakh (100,000) gold
coins.
The presence of musicians like
Tansen in Akbar's court has been
related by historians to the
theoretical position of making the
empire's audible presence felt
among the population, a
mechanism related to Naubat or
ritual performance.
1506 as Ramtanu Pandey – died
1586 or 1589 as Mian Tansen),
He was named Mohammad Ata
Khan. He was a prominent
Hindustani classical music
composer and musician. He was
an extraordinarily gifted vocalist,
known for a large number of
compositions, and also an
instrumentalist who popularized
and improved the plucked rabab
(of Central Asian origin). He was
among the Navaratnas (nine
jewels) at the court of the
Mughal Emperor Akbar. Akbar
gave him the title Mian (an
honorific, meaning learned man).
His contribution to the world of
music is priceless and is still
worshiped by leading singers and
composers of the world.
Early life and background
Tansen as a historical personality
is difficult to extract from the
extensive legend that surrounds
him. It is reasonably certain that
he was born into a Hindu Gaur
Brahmin family, possibly in 1506,
though some legends give it as
1493; [1] possibly in the village
near Gwalior . His father Mukund
Pandey was a poet and
accomplished musician, who for
some time was a temple priest in
Varanasi . Tansen's name as a
child was Ramtanu.[1]
He was born at a time when a
number of Persian and Central
Asian motifs were fusing with
Indian classical music , his
influence was central to creating
the Hindustani classical ethos as
we know today. A number of
descendants and disciples have
also considerably enriched the
tradition. Almost all gharanas of
Hindustani classical music claim
some connection with the Tansen
lineage. According to legend, he
was noted for his imitations of
animal calls and birdsong.
↑Jump back a section
Career
It was only after the age of 5
that Tansen showed any musical
talent. At some point, he was
discipled for some time to Swami
Haridas, the legendary composer
from Vrindavan and part of the
stellar Gwalior court of Raja Man
Singh Tomar (1486-1516 AD),
specializing in the dhrupad style
of singing. His talent was
recognized early and it was the
ruler of Gwalior who conferred
upon the maestro the honorific
title 'Tansen'.Haridas was
considered to be a legendary
teacher in that time. It is said
that Tansen had no equal apart
from his teacher. One legend has
it that Haridas was passing
through the forests when the
five-year old Ramtanu's imitation
of a tiger impressed the musician
saint. Another version is that his
father sent him to Haridas. From
Haridas, Tansen acquired not only
his love for dhrupad but also his
interest in compositions in the
local language. This was the time
when the Bhakti tradition was
fomenting a shift from Sanskrit to
the local idiom ( Brajbhasa and
Hindi ), and Tansen's
compositions also highlight this
trend. At some point during his
apprenticeship, Tansen's father
died, and he returned home,
where it is said he used to sing at
a local Shiva temple.
In any event, Tansen went to
Muhammad Ghaus who
eventually became his spiritual
mentor. He also married Husseini
(lit. beautiful one),
"However, beyond a reference of
Tansen's name in a list of his
disciples Mian Tansen's name is
not found among the names of
the Mureeds (Fans) of the
Shuttari Tariqat - a Sufi spiritual
lineage founded by Shaykh
Muhammad Ghaus of
Gwalior." [ citation needed ]
The burial of Tansen in his
shaykh's mausoleum is thought
to indicate proof of his
conversion to the faith of his
spiritual guide, Islam. Usually,
the most prominent disciples of a
saint are buried near the
master's mausoleum, not much
historical detail is known about
their actual encounter.
The interaction with Ghaus in the
Sufi tradition and the earlier
training with Swami Haridas in
the Bhakti tradition led to a
fusion of these streams in the
work of Tansen. As it is, the
mystic streams of Sufism and
Bhakti had considerable
philosophical and stylistic
overlap; Ghaus in his text Bahr-
ul-Hayat (Ocean of Life) devotes
several chapters to Yoga
practices. In Tansen's music, we
find he continues to compose in
Brajbhasha invoking traditional
motifs such as Krishna or Shiva .
Tansen was also influenced by
other singers in the Gwalior court
and also the musically proficient
queen, Mriganayani (lit. doe-
eyed), whose romance with the
king had been forged on her
singing; she remained a friend
even after the death of the king.
Other musicians at Gwalior may
have included Baiju Bawra.
Eventually, he joined the court of
King Ramachandra Baghela of
Rewa, India , where he remained
from 1555-1562. [2] It appears
that the Mughal emperor Akbar
heard of his prowess and sent his
emissary Jalaluddin Qurchi to
Ramachandra, who had little
choice but to acquiesce, and
Tansen went to Akbar's court in
1562.
Akbar watching as Tansen
receives a lesson from
Swami Haridas. Imaginary
situation depicted in Mughal
miniature painting
(Rajasthani style , c. 1750
AD).
Tansen joined Akbar's court
eventually becoming one of the
treasured Navaratnas (lit.
nava=nine, ratna=jewel) of his
court. It was Akbar who gave
him the honorific title Mian, and
he is usually referred to today as
Mian Tansen. Legend has it that
in his first performance, he was
gifted one lakh (100,000) gold
coins.
The presence of musicians like
Tansen in Akbar's court has been
related by historians to the
theoretical position of making the
empire's audible presence felt
among the population, a
mechanism related to Naubat or
ritual performance.
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