Many of the classical music ustads became the first victims of recording industry and the reproduction of the sound in the early days of this technological marvel. Music was then supposed to exist only in time and last as long as the performance, unlike literature, painting and architecture. The tangibility of those mediums gave the art a more permanent then for these existed in space. Music was peculiar in that it had no shelf life and could be appreciated only during the performance. The rest was all a recollection in words on the ephemeral magic of the note.

All literature about music before the Twentieth Century is about music but not music itself for there was no way to record sound and the huge scholarship of music which sprung up in the various civilisation was all about the theory and philosophy without music serving as a living example.

It should not be a surprise then that the musical performances, too, were designed to keep this in mind. The instant response and living relationship with the audience was of the primary concern and so was the duration which had no limitations imposed by technology. The only limit was the time available to the audience. A concert was frequently spread over the entire span of a night. Though the performances were supposed to be according to the pahar as the ragas, too, evolved with the division of the day and night, the real segment or the time thought to be ideal was that of the night. Even now, with artificial lights and electricity available, the night is still considered more suitable for many of the esoteric activities, including music.

Thus, many of the vocalists and instrumentalists were more conditioned by the time available to them and the concept of the khula gana came into existence. Khula gana was rated the highest expression of skill because it was only pegged on the performer’s creativity. Combinations and behlawas in the various lais were used to engage the attention of the audience. If the audience lost interest, then it was not considered good enough. The only limit was the attention and response of the audience and not anything else serving as an exterior condition.

Many of the ustads were great performers when heard live, but their stature diminished with the emerging technologies of sound recording and its reproduction. However, recorded music was more accessible to the music loving audiences for many reasons. This saw initially the musical expression being divided into live performance and its recorded version, the former was seen as the real test. The latter was at best a comprise in reaching out to a wider public.

Called maidaan ka gana, it was considered to be the true test of a gawaiyya or a bajwaiyya. The real challenge was not only to sing before an audience but to also neutralise the spell that the previous performer had cast. These two challenges were meant to be surmounted before the performance started to take root and synch in.

Pandit Bhathkhande, in the spirit of liberating the treasures of music from the patronage of the princely states, started the All India Music Conference by the second decade of the Twentieth Century where top performers were invited to perform before an audience that was not there because of title or status. It was meant for the public at large interested in music.

People who heard Ustad Ashiq Ali Khan swore by his singing but the few records that he cut do not measure up to that reputation. Never was there a greater disservice done to a classical vocalist than to him by the few 78 rpm records that he agreed to cut as a vocalist and then in conjunction with Ustad Umeed Ali Khan. There was undoubtedly a great deal of intensity in his rendition and a certain peculiarity which could only be admired by the truly initiated.

To the many who saw and heard him perform it was a treat as he was truly indomitable. His performance was always a class act in which he used to great advantage the stronger part of his gaiki, thus shielding the shortcomings. The strong point was that it was mushkilaat that he was taken in by because he did not have a voice that was naturally gifted like some of his contemporaries, for example Baray Ghulam Ali Khan.

When his father, Fateh Ali Khan the ‘Kernail’, one of the founders of the Patiala Gharana died, he was quite young. At heart, he did not accept the surrogate parenting of Ali Buksh, the cofounder of the gharana and ran away. It is said that he landed in Sindh in the house of his maternal uncle, Amir Ali, who tutored him and assuaged the turbulence and the rebellious streak in him into creative activity. He was also mentored by Meharbaan, one of his father’s shagirds. It is said that he also spent a great deal of time with Sardar Bai, another shagird of his father’s in Lahore. Her house provided him the necessary physical comfort to develop as a front rank gawaiyya.

That house existed till about three decades ago. Regular musical evenings were held there once a month in which virtuoso artists performed to their likes. Such gatherings were not that unusual in the past but are now becoming a rarity. Performance within a small circle is becoming a thing of the past. Many such performances were held there but the activity has gradually fizzled out because the financial resources and physical will seem to have petered out.

In the second generation, Ashiq Ali Khan was the principal exponent of the Patiala Gharana and responsible for consolidating its gains. Like his father, he was a great source of inspiration and had many shagirds who made a name for themselves. They included Zahida Parveen, Mukhtaar Begum, Farida Khanum and Hussain Buksh Dhaari. He died in Lahore in 1948 and is buried in Takiya Mirasiyaan, which was a garh of music in the city of Lahore.

The author is a culture critic based in Lahore