Ali Akbar Khan

Uncommon card · No. 189903

Ustad Ali Akbar Khan (14 April 1922 – 18 June 2009) was an Indian Hindustani classical musician of the Maihar gharana and one of the foremost exponents of the sarod. Renowned for his virtuosity, melodic invention, and the emotional depth and intensity of his playing, Khan was among the most celebrated Indian classical musicians of the twentieth century. Trained from childhood by his father, Ustad Allauddin Khan, he and his younger sister, the celebrated surbahar maestro Annapurna Devi, became leading inheritors of their father's musical tradition. Violinist Yehudi Menuhin described Ali Akbar Khan as "an absolute genius" and "the greatest musician in the world". Khan's playing combined formidable technique with an austere, deeply expressive style. Rather than relying on outward display, he was noted for drawing extraordinary intensity, emotional depth, and tonal color from individual notes and simple melodic passages. His improvisations were distinguished by their melodic inventiveness and...

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