Amir
Hussain Khan was the nephew of Munir Khan of the
Laliyana gharana, although these musicians are commonly
associated with the Farukhabad gharana. Amir Hussain
was very much a player of the old school, with a compendious
knowledge of compositions of the old masters, and an understanding
of the intricacies of fingering that made it possible to play
the old gats. In this excerpt recorded in the 1960s
Amir Hussain demonstrates two wonderful gats. The first
is by Haji Vilayat Ali Khan (fl. mid 19th century), the apical
figure of the Farukhabad tradition, and a prolific composer;
the second is by Rehman Khan of Indore, who was well-known for
his simple but very effective gats. |