TheIndian Music Archive

Hindustani classical · died c. 1880

Behram Khan

The teacher credited with giving the Dagar tradition of dhrupad its present shastra-based form and its system of training.

Instrument
Dhrupad vocal
Died
c. 1880
On these dates
His birth year is not documented in the available sources; dhrupad.info gives his dates as "? – ca. 1880".

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Biography

Life

Behram Khan was the son of Gopal Das, also known as Imam Baksh. In his youth he travelled to Benares to learn music and its shastra from Kalidas Dagur, who accepted him as a disciple after subjecting him to many tests and trained him as both musician and scholar.

He later served in the royal courts of Lahore, Alwar, Delhi, Suket Mandi and Jaipur, and won renown as a teacher, receiving many rewards and titles from his patrons. He is said to have owned an elephant, which he rode when visiting his patron Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh of Jaipur.

His nephew Mohammad Jan Khan, son of his elder brother Hyder Khan, was among his exceptional students, but left home after a disagreement with Behram Khan at a public performance. Behram Khan afterwards took up the teaching of Mohammad Jan Khan's sons, Zakiruddin and Allabande Khan, who became the most renowned dhrupad singers of their generation, and through whom the tradition passed to the modern Dagar family. He died around 1880.

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Musical contribution

What they brought to music

He is credited with developing the elaborate, methodical and grammar-bound system of alap associated with the Dagars, and with an approach to teaching built on a long initial period of technical training through exercises. He taught widely outside his family, including a number of khayal singers.

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Life in dates

Timeline

  1. c. 1880

    Died

    Sources give his death as around 1880; his birth year is undocumented.

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Lineage & company

Teachers, students and musical connections

In the documented teaching trees

Where the archive's lineage research places Behram Khan, and the teaching links recorded around them inside each tree.

People

Grouped by the kind of relationship the sources record — who taught this musician, who they taught, family, and the people they played with.

Teachers and gurus

  • Kalidas DagurTeacher

    "He travelled to Benares in his youth to learn music and its shastra from Kalidas Dagur, who accepted him as his disciple after subjecting him to many tests, and trained him to be an outstanding musician and a scholar."

    dhrupad.info — Baba Behram Khan

Students and disciples

Family

  • Mohammad Jan KhanDisciple (nephew)

    "His nephew Mohammad Jan Khan - son of his elder brother Hyder Khan. was one of his exceptional students."

    dhrupad.info — Baba Behram Khan
  • Saddu KhanDisciple (son)

    "He was renowned as a great scholar, and trained many students including his sons Saddu Khan and Akbar Khan, his grandson Inayat Khan and several nephews."

    dhrupad.info — Baba Behram Khan
  • Akbar KhanDisciple (son)

    "He was renowned as a great scholar, and trained many students including his sons Saddu Khan and Akbar Khan, his grandson Inayat Khan and several nephews."

    dhrupad.info — Baba Behram Khan
  • Inayat KhanDisciple (grandson)

    "He was renowned as a great scholar, and trained many students including his sons Saddu Khan and Akbar Khan, his grandson Inayat Khan and several nephews."

    dhrupad.info — Baba Behram Khan

Community

Memories from the community

Personal recollections, not verified history

These are memories shared by listeners and musicians. They sit apart from the sourced biography above, and an editor reads each one before it appears.

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Provenance

Sources and image credits

No photograph of this musician is published here yet; we use only images we are permitted to show, with credit.

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