Considered as the greatest musician in India, Tansen
(1506 - 1589) is instrumental in the creation of the classical music
that dominates the north of India. He was considered as one of the
Navaratnas (Nine Gems) in the court of Emperor Akbar. Tansen was born in
a Hindu family in a place called Gwalior located in Madhya Pradesh. His
father was a famous poet by the name of Mukund Mishra. Tansen was named
Tannu Mishra when he was born. To know more about the fascinating life
history of this great musician, go through this biography of Mian
Tansen.
He received the prefix "Mian" from Emperor Akbar. As a young
boy, Tansen learnt music from his Guru, Shri Haridas Swamy. He was
considered to be a legendary teacher of that time. It is said that
Tansen has no equal apart from his teacher. Such was his passion for
music that he is said to have performed astonishing miracles merely by
singing. He could bring rain by singing in a particular Raag known as
Megh Malhar. Similarly he could start a fire by singing in Raag Deepak.
He has also composed several Ragas that have been the foundation of
classical music like Bhairav, Darbari Todi, Darbari Kanada, Malhar,
Sarang and Rageshwari.
There is no particular evidence of the origin of each and every school
of music. Since he is the greatest musician, every school of music tries
to trace its origin from him. The Dhrupad style of music is likely to
have been started by him and his Guru. Some of his important works on
music are the Rajmala and Sangeet Sara. Such was the power of his music
that when he used to sing in the court of Akbar, candles used to light
up automatically. Even today, Tansen is considered to be the greatest of
all and there is no comparison when it comes to his style of singing.
His contribution to the world of music is priceless and is still
worshipped by leading singers and composers of the world.
