Patiala gharana


The Patiala gharana, is one of the gharanas of vocal Hindustani classical music, named after the city of Patiala, India. It was founded by Fateh Ali Khan and Ali Baksh Khan, was initially sponsored by the Maharaja of Patiala, Punjab and was known for ghazal, thumri, and khayal styles of singing. The most influential Patiala singer is Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan.

Characteristics

This gharana tends to favour pentatonic ragas for their ornamentation and execution of intricate taans. Ektaal and Teentaal are the most common taals chosen by members of this gharana. Besides khyal, exponents sing the Punjab-Ang thumri.
The special feature of Patiala is its rendering of taans. These are very rhythmic, vakra and firat taans, and are not bound by the rhythmic cycle. Taans with clear aakar are presented not through the throat but through the naabhi.
This gharana has been criticized for neglecting basic raga characteristics such as the primary development octave and for overusing ornaments and graces without considering the nature and mood of the raga.

Exponents