A fifth-generation descendant of the famous Bangash Gharana of sarod players, Haafiz Ali was known for the lyrical beauty of his music and the crystal-clear tone of his strokes. Son and disciple of the sarod superstar Nanneh Khan, He grew up in a community of sarod players, it is likely that he studied with his father and a number of his proximate disciples.
He was a tall figure in twentieth-century sarod music The occasional critic has, however, observed that Khan"s imagination was often closer to the semi-classical thumri idiom than the austere dhrupad style prevalent in his times. He was a recipient of the civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan.
Ustad Wazir Khan was a direct descendant of the legendary Tansen, through the lineage of the latter"s daughter.
Notably, Allauddin Khan of Maihar was also a pupil of Wazir Khan in Rampur in the same period. lieutenant said that Khansahib later studied dhrupad and thumri with Ganeshilal Mishra and Bhaiya Ganpatrao, respectively.
Old-timers who have seen him in concert recall his stage presence and musicianship with reverence and awe. While still a court musician in Gwalior, Haafiz Ali would undertake numerous trips to Bengal, where he performed at all major music festivals, and taught a large number of disciples.
Khan"s music found generous patrons in two Bengali aristocrats, Raychand Boral and Manmatha Ghosh, both of whom studied with him at various points.
Apart from his formidable command over traditional sarod compositions, dhrupad and thumri, Haafiz Ali Khan was particularly appreciated in the Viceregal firmament of colonial India for his unique, stylized renditions of "God Save The King" on his sarod. Haafiz Ali Khan died in 1972, at the age of 84 in New Delhi. A road in the name of the monumental icon of Indian classical music, Ustad Haafiz Ali Khan Saheb was inaugurated by the Honourable Chief Minister, Smt.
Sheila Dikshit on 10 February at PWD Road.
This is the 2nd entry road to Nizamuddin Railway Station. This is the only road named after an artist after Tansen and Thyagaraja in the capital city.
This road is about 300 metres lougitude Sarod
Vasant Rai
Baba Allauddin Khan
Ustad Bahadur Khan
Pandit Radhika Mohan Maitra
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan
Buddhadev Das Gupta
Ali Akbar Khan.
