Every Spring for the past two years, Indian Classical music lovers of  New England eagerly await the announcement of the line-up of world class musicians who will perform at the annual music conference presented by LearnQuest Academy of Music. Indeed unique in the USA, this is one of a kind music festival, that presents Hindustani, Carnatic and Indian-Western Fusion music under one comprehensive canopy.  Presenting 15 performances in a span of 3 days, speaks to the complexity and enormity of this annual event.  As in the previous years, this year’s conference too offers a wide range of music performances, a heady mix of vocal and instrumental music, such as violin, sitar, veena, flute , shehnai, saxophone, keyboard, mridangam and tabla.  Of these instruments shehnai is a rare instrument that is played by very few classical musicians. This year, LearnQuest is fortunate to have an esteemed shehnai player Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain play once again at their annual Music Conference.

Story of Shehnai

Originating in the Kashmir Valley region of India, the shehnai’s original use is believed to be an improvement upon the pungi, an instrument primarily used for snake-charming. Although many myths exist concerning the beginnings of the shehnai, the most well-known story is about a Shah who disliked the pungi because of its high-pitched, shrill sound. Striving to create a new instrument, one of the Shah’s barbers invented the shehnai (named after the Hindi word for barber, “nai”) to be played in the court. Others argue that the instrument is named after the shah himself, with “nai” suggesting the Persian word for flute to form the meaning “king’s flute.”

Through the centuries, the shehnai has evolved to become an integral part of music played at North Indian weddings. Many Bollywood wedding songs have prominent shehnai solos, making it quite symbolic in a matrimonial context, especially during the bittersweet occasion when the bride leaves her ancestral home to join her husband.

The story of the shehnai is incomplete without mentioning the famed shehnai player Ustad Bismillah Khan. Born in Bihar, Ustadji descended from a court musician family, as his father played shehnai for Maharaja Keshav Prasad Singh of Dumraon Estate. His uncle, the late Ali Baksh, gave the young Ustadji his shehnai training, which eventually led to his performance at the 1937 Calcutta All India Music Festival, where he began his mission to bring the instrument into the world of classical music. After subsequent performances at the Red Fort in 1947 on the eve of India’s independence and in 1950 for its first Republic Day, Ustad Bismillah Khan had established himself as a versatile and talented musician. Traditionally, he performed one recital each year on August 15th as part of the Independence Day celebrations. His fame was felt globally, as he traveled the world to play in Hong Kong, Japan, the former Soviet Union, the United States and Europe, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, and Iran.

In 2001, Ustad Bismillah Khan  was honored with the Bharat Ratna award, the highest civilian honor in India. Ustadji is famous for once saying that “even if the world ends, the music will still survive.” Although we can no longer enjoy live performances by the late musician, Indian classical music lovers everywhere continue to listen to and appreciate his music, while new generations of shehnai players strive to someday reach the heights that Ustadji has already attained.

Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain: A torch bearer of the late Ustad Bismillah Khan’s legacy, Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussian is a featured artist at the LearnQuest Music Conference 2009. Many coincidental parallels can be drawn between Ustad Hussain and Ustad Bismillah Khan. For example, both received training from their uncles, with Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain learning from the late Ustad Nazir Hussain Khan and Ustad Imdad Hussain Khan. Ustad Hussain, too, made one of his first well-known performances in Bengal, at the All Bengal Music Conference in 1956. He has also toured extensively in the international realm, performing recitals throughout Europe, East Asia, the United States and Canada, and even a 12-city tour of the African country of Tunisia. Listeners at the LearnQuest festival will be mesmerized by the melodious and sweet music he creates.

For more information on Ustad Ali Ahmad Hussain, please visit:
http://www.aliahmadhussain.com/

For information on LearnQuest Music Conference 2009, please visit:
http://www.learnquest.org/conference2009

|