Tradition
Ustad Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar
Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar is a modern Dhrupad vocal master, blending patient phrases with fine rhythmic control and an effortless vocal elasticity. His musical lineage stretches back far into the past - some trace it back to Swami Haridas Dagar, the 16th-century teacher of Tansen himself. He trained extensively to assimilate the grammar of his family’s Dagarvani Dhrupad style, receiving instruction from various relatives. His first public performance came just 12 days after his father Ustad Faiyazuddin's death, singing a duet with his uncle Ustad Zahiruddin Dagar. Today he tours as a solo artist, singing to Dhrupad’s rapidly-expanding global audience, as well as recording with his cousin Ustad Bahauddin Dagar. In his words, "purity of the note is very essential...music is an ocean. Each and every note has the depth of an ocean if you really want to see it with your microscopic eyes to judge the microtones. A few times I had an experience of zero gravity...during my concert. I thought, "What is happening here, what is this?''
Pt. Umakant Gundecha and Pt. Ramakant Gundecha
They are the leading exponents of Dhrupad music. They received training in the Dhrupad vocal art from the renowned Dhrupad maestros Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar (the distinguished exponent of Rudra Veena) and Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar in the traditional guru-shishya parampara in Dhrupad Kendra, Bhopal. They have performed and conducted workshops at many important music festivals and centers in India and abroad. They have recorded about 50 cassettes and CDs for major publishing houses. For their contribution to the field of Hindustani Classical music, they have been conferred the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2012 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2017. They have several other awards to their credit.
The Ustads
Ustad Nasir Zahiruddin Dagar and Ustad Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar
The Junior Dagar Brothers were Nasir Zahiruddin (1933–1994) and Nasir Faiyazuddin (1934–1989), a pair of Indian singers of the classical dhrupad genre. They were the 19th generation of an unbroken chain of the Dagarvani Dhrupad tradition. Their father, the vocalist Nasiruddin Khan, died in 1936, and consequently, they learned dhrupad from their elder brothers, the Senior Dagar Brothers, Nasir Moinuddin Dagar, and Nasir Aminuddin Dagar. The brothers were born in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Their musical career unfolded in Delhi. After the untimely demise of Nasir Moinuddin Dagar in Calcutta in 1967, they became the only pair carrying on the jugalbandi singing. The Dagar Brothers took Dhrupad to Europe, America, and Japan. In India they formed the Dhrupad Society to popularise Dhrupad, inviting exponents from all gharanas to share their platform. They also trained many students, including Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar, the son of Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar.
Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar and Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar
Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar and Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar are the Gundecha Brothers’ Gurus. They belong to a family that nurtured this noble tradition for 20 unbroken generations, thus being largely responsible for preventing this ancient art from fading away with time. Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar is one of the greatest Rudra Veena maestros. He introduced certain innovations in the instrument that made it sound deeper. He would unfold the rang slowly and deliberately in his rendition, emphasizing the precise location and different shades of each note of the Raag. Ustad Zia Fariduddin Dagar was a well-known vocalist and was also equally adept at playing the Veena and the Sitar by his father Ustad Ziauddin Dagar and elder brother Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar. He was known particularly for his remarkable command over the subtle microtones of the notes. He greatly popularized Dhrupad through concerts and workshops and performed in many music conferences in India and abroad. He has been honored with prestigious awards such as the Tansen Award of the Madhya Pradesh Government and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.