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Saptarshi and Senia Tradition
Saptarshi has learned sitar from his early childhood under the tutelage of Pandit Netai Basu, one of the most committed and talented disciples of Ustad Mushtaq Ali Khan of the Jaipur-Senia Gharana.
Mushtaq Ali Khan was the last doyen of this Senia style of sitar playing. One of the unique structural features of this school is that it uses a 17-fretted sitar, as opposed to the sitars having 19-20 frets, which are commonly played now. But this is just a structural aspect. The chief distinction lies in its baaj, or the style of playing and the treatment of ragas, which includes certain aspects of Veena and Dhrupad, and this rich amalgamation creates the aesthetic uniqueness of the Senia sitar style.
Mushtaqji belonged to a family lineage that produced noted Veena players, Surbahar players, and Dhrupad singers down the generations. The sitar was a rather late entrant in this family line. It is Mushtaq Ali's father, Ustad Ashiq Ali Khan, who received training in sitar from Ustad Barkatullah Khan, who was, in turn, the student of Amrit Sen, the famous Jaipur Senia sitar player. Amrit Sen was the great-grandson of Maseet Sen, who was a direct descendant of the legendary Miyan Tansen.
The word Senia is generally applied to those who are linked either by birth or by training to the musical legacy of Tansen and his descendants spread out in various branches. Amrit Sen finally settled in Jaipur, and hence the name Jaipur-Senia.
In this way, through traditional Indian guru-shishya parampara, the rich repertoire of Senia sitar entered the family of Ashiq Ali Khan of Varanasi, and it was bequeathed to his son Mushtaq Ali Khan. Mushtaqji took the Senia sitar to new heights but rigorously maintained, until death, the aesthetics of purity and the uncompromising loyalty to the rich musical tradition he inherited.
Saptarshi is sincerely trying to revive and carry forward the beacon of this Senia tradition, which has only a few genuine adherents now. He is now trying to develop and expand himself, combining his rich musical heritage with modern experimentation.
Change is a historical necessity in this globalized era. Music cannot be an isolated exception. Saptarshi is eager to assimilate, with discerning eclecticism, new patterns and ideas, but keeping the basic tenets and essential features of the Senia style unchanged.
He plays with the same 17-fret sitar.
Wave-like rolling and gliding meends are a special hallmark of this tradition. This type of meend of Veena-ang, rich in melodious beauty and precision, is a distinctive feature of his style of playing.
He gives equal importance to his left hand and right hand. Besides the speedy movement of the left hand on the frets, with a strong and powerful command over right-hand stroke play (bolkari), he combines the gayaki (the vocal/singing aspect) with the tantrakari (the instrumental aspect) in an enriching way and displays the so-called 'do hat ke baj'.
Saptarshi has learned sitar from his early childhood under the tutelage of Pandit Netai Basu, one of the most committed and talented disciples of Ustad Mushtaq Ali Khan of the Jaipur-Senia Gharana.
Mushtaq Ali Khan was the last doyen of this Senia style of sitar playing. One of the unique structural features of this school is that it uses a 17-fretted sitar, as opposed to the sitars having 19-20 frets, which are commonly played now. But this is just a structural aspect. The chief distinction lies in its baaj, or the style of playing and the treatment of ragas, which includes certain aspects of Veena and Dhrupad, and this rich amalgamation creates the aesthetic uniqueness of the Senia sitar style.
Mushtaqji belonged to a family lineage that produced noted Veena players, Surbahar players, and Dhrupad singers down the generations. The sitar was a rather late entrant in this family line. It is Mushtaq Ali's father, Ustad Ashiq Ali Khan, who received training in sitar from Ustad Barkatullah Khan, who was, in turn, the student of Amrit Sen, the famous Jaipur Senia sitar player. Amrit Sen was the great-grandson of Maseet Sen, who was a direct descendant of the legendary Miyan Tansen.
The word Senia is generally applied to those who are linked either by birth or by training to the musical legacy of Tansen and his descendants spread out in various branches. Amrit Sen finally settled in Jaipur, and hence the name Jaipur-Senia.
In this way, through traditional Indian guru-shishya parampara, the rich repertoire of Senia sitar entered the family of Ashiq Ali Khan of Varanasi, and it was bequeathed to his son Mushtaq Ali Khan. Mushtaqji took the Senia sitar to new heights but rigorously maintained, until death, the aesthetics of purity and the uncompromising loyalty to the rich musical tradition he inherited.
Saptarshi is sincerely trying to revive and carry forward the beacon of this Senia tradition, which has only a few genuine adherents now. He is now trying to develop and expand himself, combining his rich musical heritage with modern experimentation.
Change is a historical necessity in this globalized era. Music cannot be an isolated exception. Saptarshi is eager to assimilate, with discerning eclecticism, new patterns and ideas, but keeping the basic tenets and essential features of the Senia style unchanged.
He plays with the same 17-fret sitar.
Wave-like rolling and gliding meends are a special hallmark of this tradition. This type of meend of Veena-ang, rich in melodious beauty and precision, is a distinctive feature of his style of playing.
He gives equal importance to his left hand and right hand. Besides the speedy movement of the left hand on the frets, with a strong and powerful command over right-hand stroke play (bolkari), he combines the gayaki (the vocal/singing aspect) with the tantrakari (the instrumental aspect) in an enriching way and displays the so-called 'do hat ke baj'.
