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'{{short description|Indian classical singer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}} {{Use Indian English|date=July 2018}} {{Infobox musical artist <!-- For individuals; see Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians --> | honorific_prefix = Gaansaraswati | name = Kishori Amonkar | image = Kishori Amankar.jpg | alt = | caption = Vidushi Kishori Amonkar | image_size = | landscape = <!-- yes, if wide image, otherwise leave blank --> | background = solo_singer | birth_name = | alias = | birth_date = 10 April 1932<ref name="Encyclopedia Britannica">{{Britannica |id=1898574}}</ref> | birth_place = [[Bombay]], [[Bombay Presidency]], [[British Raj|British India]] | death_date = {{death date and age|2017|4|3|1932|4|10|df=y}} | death_place = [[Mumbai]], [[Maharashtra]], India | genre = [[Hindustani classical music]] | occupation = | instrument = [[Vocals]] | associated_acts = [[Mogubai Kurdikar]] }} '''Gaansaraswati Kishori Ravindra Amonkar'''{{efn|The given name is sometimes wrongly written as Kishore.<ref name="Martinez">{{cite book|title=Semiosis in Hindustani music|last=Martinez|first=José Luiz|year=2001|origyear=1997|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Pvt. Ltd|location=Delhi|isbn=81-208-1801-6 |page=169}}</ref>}} (10 April 1932&nbsp;– 3 April 2017) was a leading [[Hindustani classical music|Indian classical]] vocalist,<ref name="NPR.org">{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2017/04/03/522475920/kishori-amonkar-leading-indian-classical-vocalist-dies-at-age-84|title=Kishori Amonkar, Leading Indian Classical Vocalist, Dies At Age 84|work=NPR.org|access-date=14 May 2017|language=en}}</ref> belonging to the [[Jaipur-Atrauli gharana|Jaipur ''gharana'']], or a community of musicians sharing a distinctive musical style.<ref name="BritBio">{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kishori-Amonkar |title=Kishori Amonkar: Indian vocalist |encyclopedia=Britannica.com |accessdate=4 April 2017}}</ref> She was a performer of the classical genre ''[[khyal]]'' and the light classical genres ''[[thumri]]'' and ''[[bhajan]]''. Amonkar trained under her mother, classical singer [[Mogubai Kurdikar]] also from the Jaipur ''gharana'', but she experimented with a variety of vocal styles in her career. ==Career== ===Training=== Kishori's initial training in music was by her mother, the classical vocalist [[Mogubai Kurdikar]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/art-and-culture/the-loneliness-of-kishori-amonkar/|title=The loneliness of Kishori Amonkar|date=11 December 2016|work=The Indian Express|access-date=4 April 2017|language=en-US}}</ref> She has stated in an interview that her mother was an exacting teacher, initially teaching her by singing phrases and making Kishori repeat them.<ref name=":0" /> In the early stages of her career, she travelled with her mother to performances, accompanying her on the [[tanpura]] while Kurdikar sang.<ref name=":0" /> [[File:Kishori Amankar 3.jpg|thumb|Kishori Amonkar performing raga Lalit]] In the early 1940s, young Kishori began to receive vocal lessons in [[Hindustani classical music]] from [[Anjanibai Malpekar]] of the [[Bhendibazaar gharana]] and later received training from tutors of several other ''gharanas''.{{sfn|Deshpande|1989|pp=125–26, 131}} Her tutors included Anwar Hussain Khan of [[Agra gharana]], Sharadchandra Arolkar of [[Gwalior gharana]], and Balkrishnabuwa Parwatkar.<ref name=":0" /> Kishori has credited Anjanibai, in particular, with teaching her the technique of ''meend'', or gliding, between notes.{{sfn|Deshpande|1989|pp=125–26, 131}} ===Technique and style=== {{quote box|width=19em|border=1px|bgcolor=#FFEFD5|quote= "There is nothing called a gharana. There is only music. It has been bound in these gharanas and that is like dividing music into specific castes. One should not teach the students the limits of this art. There are none. But one has to understand the grammar. Which is why, one is taught the alankaar, the ragas."<ref name=":0" /><br> {{dash}} Amonkar on gharanas}} [[File:Kishori Amankar 4.jpg|thumb|Kishori Amonkar performing a Khayal in raga Bihag]] Amonkar's later work in light music reformed her classical singing and she modified her Jaipur ''gharana'' performance style by applying features from other ''gharanas''.{{sfn|Deshpande|1989|pp=127–29}} She has been both praised and criticized for pushing the boundaries of the Jaipur tradition. She was a romanticist and her approach prioritized emotional expression over tradition, so she often departed from the Jaipur gharana's rhythmic, melodic, and structural traditions.<ref name="BritBio"/> Amonkar has criticised the idea that schools, or gharanas, of music determine or constrain a singer's technique. Amonkar has stated that while the Jaipur gharana's technique and methods form the base of her style, she performs several variations on it, including an adoption of ''alapchaari'', or a relaxing of the link between the rhythm and note.<ref>{{Cite book|url=|title=Between Two Tanpuras|last=Deśapāṇḍe|first=Vāmana Harī|date=1 January 1989|publisher=Popular Prakashan|isbn=9780861322268|location=|pages=129|language=en}}</ref> Amonkar has expressed her views on how musical education should be conducted, emphasizing the importance of enabling students to move beyond repetitive techniques and learn the tools that allow them to improvise on their own.<ref name=":0" /> She credits her mother with using this approach to teach her, noting, "You have to walk and run on your own. The guru gives you strength to be able to do that. If you don't, then you remain ordinary. My mother made sure I wasn't ordinary."<ref name=":0" /> She noted that training is an ongoing process, and stated in an interview that she often listened to her own recorded performances to analyse and improve her technique.<ref name=":0" /> Amonkar emphasized emotion and spirituality as essential parts of her singing, stating that "To me it (music) is a dialogue with the divine, this intense focused communication with the ultimate other." She has often spoken of music as an act of sublimation, noting that it is the ''[[sadhana]]'' (medium) to attain the ''sadhya'' (destination).<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/music/Destination-love/article15795501.ece|title=Destination love|last=DASGUPTA|first=AMRIT|work=The Hindu|access-date=4 April 2017|language=en}}</ref> In 2010, she published a book in [[Marathi language|Marathi]] titled ''Swaraartha Ramani'' in which she elaborated her views on musical theory and practice.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/The-light-of-sound/article16044612.ece|title=The light of sound|work=The Hindu|access-date=4 April 2017|language=en}}</ref> ===Classical vocalist=== Amonkar's career as a classical vocalist grew in the 1960s and 70s. Prior to this, she briefly stopped performing because of an illness that affected her ability to sing. Amonkar has said that she used this hiatus in her career to consider and develop her own style of singing, that transcended classical schools (''gharanas'') of music.<ref name=":0" /> Amonkar has also spoken about the treatment of women performers as classical musicians, noting that the experience of watching her mother perform informed her own approach to professionalism and fair treatment, particularly when it comes to ensuring that musicians are paid well for their performances. On one notable occasion, she refused to perform because the audience was badly behaved, emphasizing the importance of respecting the performers during a concert.<ref name=":0" /> She created many compositions for a number of ragas.{{sfn|Deshpande|1989|pp=134–35}}<ref name="Suhasini">{{cite news|last=Suhasini|first=Lalitha|title=She has to learn very fast|newspaper=[[The Indian Express]]|date=13 May 2005|url=http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=128956|accessdate=28 March 2010}}</ref> Amonkar was also a popular speaker and traveled throughout India; she was best known for lectures on the role of ''rasa'' (feelings or emotions) in music.<ref name="BritBio"/> ===Light classical and popular genres=== In addition to her career as a classical vocalist, Amonkar was known for her performances of lighter classical pieces, with a wide repertoire of [[thumri]]s and [[bhajan]]s, as well as some performances for film soundtracks.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=http://www.financialexpress.com/entertainment/who-is-kishori-amonkar-all-you-need-to-know-about-the-great-clssical-vocalist/613742/|title=Who is Kishori Amonkar? All you need to know about the great classical vocalist|date=4 April 2017|work=The Financial Express|access-date=4 April 2017|language=en-US}}</ref> She sang for the soundtrack of the 1990 Hindi film [[Drishti (film)|''Drishti'']]. She became interested in [[Filmi|film music]] and sang playback for the 1964 movie ''[[Geet Gaya Patharon Ne]] and [[Drishti (film)|Drishti .]]'' She decided to stay away from film music further because she found it compromising on the swaras over the lyrics, the essential element of any genre of music. Also her mother Mogubai Kurdikar disapproved of working in film music; Kurdikar is reported to have told Amonkar that she would be forbidden from touching her mother's tanpura if she would continue to work in the film industry. ==Personal life and death== Kishori Amonkar was born in Bombay on 10 April 1932.<ref name="BritBio"/> Her father died when she was 7 years old, leaving Amonkar and her two younger siblings to be raised primarily by their mother, the classical vocalist [[Mogubai Kurdikar]].<ref name=":0" /> Kishori was married to Ravindra Amonkar, a school teacher. The couple had two sons, Bibhas and Nihar, now both in their sixties.{{sfn|Deshpande|1989|p=141}} She was sometimes also described as "temperamental".<ref name="Suhasini" /> Responding to these comments, Amonkar has stated that this reputation perhaps derives from her insistence that performers be treated respectfully, and to the fact that she chooses to spend time before her concerts in solitude and preparation instead of socializing with fellow musicians. Amonkar has stated, "I never play to the gallery. The audience cannot disturb the loneliness of an artiste."<ref name=":0" /> Amonkar did not enjoy giving press interviews.<ref name="NPR.org"/> Amonkar lived in the neighbourhood of [[Prabhadevi]], in [[Mumbai]].{{sfn|Deshpande|1989|p=138}}<ref name=":0"/> She died on 3 April 2017 in her sleep, a week before her 85th birthday, at her residence in Mumbai.<ref name="NPR.org"/><ref name="auto">{{Cite news|url=http://www.thegenxtimes.com/showbiz/classical-music-maestro-kishori-amonkar-dies-at-84/|title=Classical music maestro Kishori Amonkar dies at 84|date=4 April 2017|work=The GenX Times|access-date=4 April 2017|language=en-US}}</ref> ==Recognition and legacy== Amonkar received several of India's national awards and civilian honours, including the [[Padma Bhushan]], in 1987, and [[Padma Vibhushan]] in 2002.<ref>{{cite web|title=Padma Awards|publisher=[[Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (India)|Ministry of Communications and Information Technology]]|url=http://india.gov.in/myindia/advsearch_awards.php?start=0&award_year=&state=&field=3&p_name=Amonkar&award=All|accessdate=28 March 2010}}</ref> She was awarded the [[Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]] for 1985 and the [[List of Sangeet Natak Akademi fellows|Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship]] for 2009.<ref>{{cite web|title=SNA: List of Akademi Awardees: Music [Vocal] |publisher=[[Sangeet Natak Akademi]] |url=http://www.sangeetnatak.gov.in/sna/awardeeslist.htm |accessdate=28 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160331060603/http://www.sangeetnatak.gov.in/sna/awardeeslist.htm |archivedate=31 March 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=SNA: List of Akademi Fellows |publisher=Sangeet Natak Akademi |url=http://www.sangeetnatak.gov.in/sna/fellowslist.htm#2009 |accessdate=28 March 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141206222925/http://www.sangeetnatak.gov.in/sna/fellowslist.htm |archivedate= 6 December 2014 }}</ref> She was awarded the prestigious Dr. T. M. A. Pai Outstanding Konkani Award in 1991.<ref name=":2"/> In 2016, she was one of seven recipients of the M.S. Subbulakshmi Award for classical music.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/7-women-get-M.S.-Subbulakshmi-Awards/article14636767.ece|title=7 women get M.S. Subbulakshmi Awards|work=The Hindu|access-date=4 April 2017|language=en}}</ref> Amonkar was recognised by several of her contemporaries and fellow musicians for her skill and technique in classical music. The [[tabla]] musician, [[Ustad Zakir Hussain (musician)|Zakir Hussain]], has said that Amonkar's performances of several [[raga]]s, such as Raga Bhoop, are "... landmark performances that take place over hundreds of years and you will talk about them for the rest of your life and rest of the many centuries to come."<ref name=":0" /> The Carnatic vocalist [[T. M. Krishna|T.M. Krishna]] praised her approach to classical music, saying, "When Kishoriji sings she is not trying to be new but just by being with her music and continuing to submit to it, she has given classical music an everlasting newness and freshness. This is true creativity."<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/music/A-melody-called-Kishori/article14936977.ece|title=A melody called Kishori|last=Gokhale|first=Sandhya|work=The Hindu|access-date=4 April 2017|language=en}}</ref> Amonkar is the subject of a documentary titled ''Bhinna Shadja,'' which was directed by [[Amol Palekar]] and Sandhya Gokhale.<ref name=":0" /> Several of Amonkar's students have become classical musicians of their own repute, including [[Manik Bhide]], [[Ashwini Bhide-Deshpande]], [[Nandini Bedekar]], Maya Upadhye, [[Raghunandan Panshikar]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/music/of-pedigree-and-a-disciple/article3839795.ece|title=Of pedigree and a disciple|last=Kumar|first=Kuldeep|work=The Hindu|access-date=4 April 2017|language=en}}</ref> Suhasini Mulgaonkar, Arun Dravid, Mira Panshikar, Meena Joshi, Vidya Bhagwat, [[Arati Ankalikar-Tikekar]], Devaki Pandit, Sangeeta Katti, Manjiri Asnare-Kelkar and violinist Milind Raikar.{{sfn|Deshpande|1989|pp=125–26}} Amonkar's granddaughter, Tejashree Bibhas Amonkar, is also a budding classical musician and was trained by Amonkar.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://punemirror.indiatimes.com/others/leisure/Finding-her-voice/articleshow/31058118.cms|title=Finding her voice|work=Pune Mirror|access-date=4 April 2017}}</ref> ==References== ;Citations {{Reflist|30em}} ;Notes {{notelist}} ;Bibliography * {{Cite book|ref = harv | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-EkDt0Gboe8C |title= Between Two Tanpuras |last=Deshpande |first=Vamana Hari |authorlink =Vamanrao Deshpande |publisher = [[Popular Prakashan]] |year= 1989 |isbn= 0861322266}} ==External links== {{external media|video1={{YouTube|E7-RYko673Q|Art Talk with Kishori Amonkar on NewsX}} }} {{Wikiquote|Kishori Amonkar}} * {{Allmusic|class=artist|id=p182089|label=Kishori Amonkar}} {{Padma Vibhushan Awards}} {{PadmaBhushanAwardRecipients 1980–89}} {{SangeetNatakAkademiFellowship}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Amonkar, Kishori}} [[Category:1932 births]] [[Category:2017 deaths]] [[Category:20th-century Indian singers]] [[Category:Hindustani singers]] [[Category:Indian female classical singers]] [[Category:Indian female film singers]] [[Category:Singers from Mumbai]] [[Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts]] [[Category:Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in arts]] [[Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award]] [[Category:Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship]] [[Category:Swarmandal players]] [[Category:Elphinstone College alumni]] [[Category:20th-century Indian women singers]] [[Category:Women musicians from Maharashtra]]'