Gauhar Jaan

Gauhar Jaan (or Gauhar Jan) (Hindi: गौहर जान) (1873–1930) was an Indian singer and dancer meaning a Tawaif from Calcutta. She was one of the first performers to record music on 78 rpm records in India .

Biography

Early Life

Gauhar Jaan was born as "Angelina Yeoward" in 1873 in Patna, to William Robert Yeoward, an Armenian Jew working as an engineer in dry ice factory at Azamgarh, near Banaras, who married a Jewish Armenian lady, Allen Victoria Hemming around 1870. Victoria was born and brought up in India, and trained in music and dance.

Within a few years in 1879, the marriage ended, causing hardships to both mother and daughter, who later migrated to Banaras in 1881, with a Muslim nobleman, 'Khursheed', who appreciated Victoria's music more than her husband.

Later, Victoria, converted to Islam and changed Angelina's name to 'Gauhar Jaan' and hers to 'Malka Jaan' [http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020526/spectrum/main7.htm The importance of being Gauhar Jan] The Tribune, May 26, 2002.] . In time, she became an accomplished singer, Kathak dancer and a courtesan in Banaras, and made a name for herself, as "Badi Malka Jan"; she was called "Badi" (elder) because at that time three other Malka Jans were famous: Malka Jan of Agra, Malka Jan of Mulk Pukhraj and Malka Jan of "Chulbuli", and she was the eldest among them .

Finally, Malka Jaan moved back to Calcutta in 1883, and established herself in the courts of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, who had settled at Matiaburj (Garden Reach), near Kolkata and within three years purchased a building at 24 Chitpore Road (now Rabindra Sarani), for Rs.40,000. It is here that young Gauhar started her training, she learnt pure and light classical Hindustani vocal music from, Kale Khan of Patiala, ‘Kalu Ustad’, Ustad Vazir Khan of Rampur, and Ustad Ali Baksh (founding members of Patiala Gharana) and Kathak from legendary Brindadin Maharaj (granduncle of Birju Maharaj), Dhrupad dhamar from Srijanbai, and Bengali Keertan from Charan Das. Soon she also started writing and composing ghazals under the pen-name ‘Hamdam’ and became proficient in Rabindra Sangeet [http://chowk.com/ilogs/66468/32808 Gohar Jan] Chowk, Apr 16, 2008.]

Gauhar Jaan gave her maiden performance at the royal courts of Darbhanga Raj in 1887 and was appointed as court musician , after receiving extensive dance and music training from a professional dancer at Banaras [http://www.the-south-asian.com/Oct2003/Gauhar_Jan.htm 'My name is Gauhar Jan'] www.the-south-asian.com, October 2003.] . Gauhar Jan started performing in Calcutta in 1896 and was called the 'first dancing girl' in her records.

Gauhar Jaan first visited Madras in 1910, for a concert in the Victoria Public Hall, and soon her Hindustani and Urdu songs were published in a Tamil music book. In December, 1911, she was famously invited to perform at the coronation of King George V at Delhi Durbar, where she sang a duet, "Ye Hai Tajposhi Ka Jalsa, Mubarak Ho Mubarak Ho", with Jankibai of Allahabad . It is said that, Begum Akhtar in her early days wanted to pursue a career in Hindi films, but after listening to the singing of Gauhar and her mother, she gave up the idea completely and devoted herself to learning Hindustani classical music, in fact, her first teacher was Ustad Imdad Khan, who accompanied the mother-daughter duo on sarangi.

Eventually, in her final days, she moved to Mysore, at the invitation of Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV of Mysore, and on August 1, 1928 , she was appointed as a 'Palace musician', though she passed away within 18 months, on January 17, 1930 in Mysore [ [http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2008/01/14/stories/2008011450660500.htm Gauhar Jan in Madras] The Hindu, Jan 14, 2008.] .

Career

In her lifetime, she recorded more than 600 records from 1902 to 1920, in more than ten languages [ [http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2003/02/03/stories/2003020301520200.htm Making musical waves] The Hindu, Feb 03, 2003.] , including Bengali, Hindustani, Gujarati, Tamil, Marathi, Arabic, Persian, Pushto, French, and English. She would round off her performances for a record by announcing 'My name is Gohar Jan' . [ [http://courses.nus.edu.sg/course/ellpatke/Miscellany/gauharjan.htm Gauhar Jan Discography] ] .

She popularised light Hindustani classical music with her thumri, dadra, kajri, chaiti, bhajan, tarana renditions, and also mastered the technique of condensing performing the elaborate melody Hindustani classical style to just three and a half minutes for a record. Her most famous song are, thumri sung in Bhairavi is "Mora nahak laye gavanava, jabse gaye mori sud huna live" [ [http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080413/spectrum/main1.htm Melodies on record] Pran Nevile, The Tribune, April 13, 2008.] , "Ras ke bhare Tore Nain", "Mere dard-e-jigar" [ [http://www.earthmusic.net/hindi-film-songs.php?singerid%5B%5D=gauharjan&singermtype=plus Ras Ke Bhare] ] and Bhajans like, "Radhey Krishna Bol Mukhse".

India's first-ever record

India's first disc had Gauhar Jaan [ [http://www.livemint.com/2007/12/09235905/Saregama8217s-online-store.html Saregama’s online store] www.livemint.com Wall Street Journal, Dec 10 2007.] singing a khayal in Raag Jogiya [http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=201610 Rebuilding a 100 years of priceless recordings] The Indian Express, September 17, 2006.] , recorded on November 2 1902, by Fred Gaisberg, an assistant to Emile Berliner, the father of Gramophone record [http://www.mustrad.org.uk/articles/gauhar.htm 'First dancing girl, Calcutta'] ] , who left America to become the first recording engineer with the Gramophone Company, London. The recording was done in a makeshift recording studio in two large rooms of a hotel in Kolkata, and at the end of the trial recording Gauhar Jaan announced - “My name is Gauhar Jaan“. Gauhar Jaan agreed to do the recording session for a princely sum of 3,000 rupees [ [http://indianraga.wordpress.com/2007/09/21/gauhar-jan-early-recordings-in-india/ Gauhar Jaan: Early Recordings in India] This announcement was necessary since the wax masters were sent to Hanover in Germany for pressing the records and the technicians would make proper labels and confirm the name by listening to these announcements at the end of the three minutes performance.] . By 1903, her records started appearing in Indian markets and were in great demand.

Restoration & re-lease

Saregama India (formerly the Gramophone Co. of India Ltd. or His Master's Voice (HMV)), is planning to re-release the milestone recordings of Gauhar Jaan, after retriving them from Gramophone Company’s London archives, and restoring them to their original glory [ [http://www.telegraphindia.com/1021101/asp/calcutta/story_1343130.asp 100 years of recording] The Telegraph, November 01, 2002.] .

Her songs are also part of the 'Vintage Music From India' (1996) audio album, and her image forms its cover [ [http://www.amazon.com/Vintage-Music-India-Century-Classical/dp/B0000002SN 'Vintage Music From India'] ] .

Further reading

* Khayal and thumri gayaki of Late Gauhar Jan of Calcutta by S. R. Mehta, Volume 5 - January 1992, The Record News, The Journal of ‘The Society of Indian Record Collectors (SIRC) [ [http://hindi-movies-songs.com/sirc/TRN-index.html The Journal of ‘The Society of Indian Record Collectors] ] .
* Vintage Music from India: Early Twentieth-Century Classical and Light-Classical Music, British Journal of Ethnomusicology, Vol. 3, (1994), pp. 132-132 [ [http://www.jstor.org/pss/3060823 British Journal of Ethnomusicology] ]

Influence

Other contemporaries of Gauhar Jaan who were also singing and recording were: Gauhar Jan of Patiala; Miss Gohar - associated with Parsi Theatrical Company, Bombay; Gohar Mamajiwala - singer actress associated with and mistress of Sardar Chandulal Shah of Ranjit Films (studio), Bombay; Miss Gohar (Bai) Karnataki of Bijapur - associated with, and mistress of, Bal Gandharva, alias Narayan Shripad Rajhans.

References

* http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020526/spectrum/main7.htm