Mewati gharana

The Mewati gharana of Hindustani vocal music, founded by Ustad Ghagge Nazir Khan (c.1820-1890) at the Mewar court in Rajasthan in the mid-19 century. The gharana combines the Dhrupad tradition's deep slow alaap development with the Khayal composition's melodic improvisation and the Thumri's expressive abhinaya. The gharana's major 20-century exponent was Pandit Jasraj (1930-2020), who defined the modern Mewati style with his distinctive 'Jasrangi' jugalbandi tradition (where a male and female vocalist sing simultaneously in different ragas but ending on a common sa). Pandit Jasraj's performance of the Haveli Sangeet temple tradition (particularly at the Pushti Marg Krishna temples of Nathdwara) revived the devotional-classical fusion that had declined in modern Indian classical music. The Pandit Jasraj Institute of Music (established 1986 in New Jersey) is the gharana's international institution. His disciples include Padma Shri Sanjeev Abhyankar and Padma Shri Sadhana Sargam.