Pandit Shivkumar Sharma (13 January 1938 – 10 May 2022) was an Indian classical musician and santoor player who is credited with adapting the santoor for Indian classical music.[2][3][4] As a music composer, he collaborated with Indian flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia under the collaborative name Shiv–Hari and composed music for such hit Indian films as Faasle (1985), Chandni (1989), and Lamhe (1991).
Shivkumar Sharma | |
|---|---|
 Sharma in 2016 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 13 January 1938 Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, British India |
| Died | 10 May 2022 (aged 84)[1] Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| Genres | Hindustani classical music |
| Occupations |
|
| Instruments | |
| Years active | 1955–2022 |
| Website | santoor |
Sharma was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1986 and the Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan (India's fourth and second highest civilian awards) in 1991 and 2001.
Early life
editSharma was born to a Dogra[5] family on 13 January 1938, in Jammu in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir in British India.[6] His father Uma Dutt Sharma was a vocalist and a tabla player.[7][8][9] His father started teaching him vocals and tabla, when he was just five.[8] His father saw an opportunity to introduce him to the santoor, a hammered dulcimer, which was a folk instrument that traced its origins to ancient Persia, but was played in Kashmir. He saw the styles that integrated Sufi notes with traditional Kashmiri folk music and had his son play the instrument that was then new to Indian classical music.[6] Sharma started learning santoor at the age of thirteen[8][1] and gave his first public performance in Mumbai in 1955.[10] The one-hour-long rendition of Raga Yaman at his first live performance in 1955, left his audience in Mumbai shouting ‘Encore!’ [11]
Career
edit
Starting his career playing the santoor with his father, Sharma is credited with introducing the santoor as a popular Indian classical music instrument.[4][12] He recorded his first solo album in 1960.[1] Sharma took the santoor as an Indian classical musical instrument playing at various music venues. He collaborated with Indian tabla player Zakir Hussain and with flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia on many of his performances as well as on his albums.[6] In 1967, he teamed up with Chaurasia and guitarist Brij Bhushan Kabra to produce a concept album, Call of the Valley (1967), which turned out to be one of Indian classical music's greatest hits.[1][12]
Sharma composed the background music for one of the scenes in V. Shantaram's film Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje (1955) where Gopi Krishna performed a Kathak dance piece.[13] Further, he composed music for many Hindi films in collaboration with Chaurasia,[14] starting with Silsila (1981).[13] They came to be known as the Shiv–Hari music duo.[13] Some of the movies they composed music for were musical hits, such as Faasle (1985), Chandni (1989), Lamhe (1991), and Darr (1993).[15] Sharma also played tabla including in the popular song "Mo Se Chhal Kiye Jaaye" sung by Lata Mangeshkar in the 1965 film Guide, on the insistence of music director S. D. Burman.[16] However, Sharma's focus remained on classic music rather than film songs; he said, "Classical music is not for entertainment. It is to take you on a meditative journey, ye toh mehsoos karne ki cheez hai (This has to be experienced)."[1] Sharma’s 1968 concert in Los Angeles was his first performance abroad. He followed this with a tour of England in 1970. In 1996, Sharma and his son Rahul played the santoor on a stage in Norway, as 'equals' for the first time. [17]
Sharma was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akadeemi Award in 1986, the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award in 1991, and the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian award in 2001.[6]
Personal life
editSharma married Manorama[7][18] and had two sons, Rohit, who learned Sitar and is currently an executive with Sony India[8] and Rahul, who started learning at the age of 13 to become a santoor player,[19][20] and they performed together since 1996.[21][22] In a 1999 interview, Sharma stated that he chose Rahul as his shishya, because he thought he had the "gift of God".[8] He became a staunch devotee and follower of Sathya Sai Baba after starting off as a sceptic.[23]
Sharma died on 10 May 2022 from a cardiac arrest. He was 84 years old. He had kidney failure for the last few months and went through regular dialysis.[24][25] He received a state funeral at Pawan Hans Juhu aerodrome, Mumbai, on 11 May 2022.[1]
Discography
editAlbums
editSource:[26]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Santoor & Guitar | with Brij Bhushan Kabra |
| 1967 | Shivkumar Sharma | (re-released 2005 as "First LP Record of Pandit Shivkumar Sharma" |
| 1967 | Call of the Valley | with Brij Bhushan Kabra and Hariprasad Chaurasia |
| 1982 | When Time Stood Still! | with Zakir Hussain (Live in Bombay) |
| 1987 | Rag Madhuvanti & Rag Misra Tilang | with Zakir Hussain |
| 1988 | Hypnotic Santoor | |
| 1991 | Maestro's Choice, Series One | |
| A Sublime Trance | ||
| The Glory of Strings | ||
| Raga Purya Kalyan | with Zakir Hussain | |
| 1993 | Rag Rageshri | with Zakir Hussain |
| Raga Bhopali vol I | ||
| Raga Kedari vol II | ||
| Varshā – A Homage to the Rain Gods | ||
| 1994 | Sound Scapes, Music of the Mountains | |
| Hundred Strings of Santoor | ||
| The Pioneer of Santoor | ||
| Raag Bilaskhani Todi | ||
| A Morning Raga Gurjari Todi | ||
| Feelings | ||
| 1996 | The Valley Recalls - In Search of Peace, Love & Harmony | with Hariprasad Chaurasia |
| The Valley Recalls - Raga Bhoopali | with Hariprasad Chaurasia | |
| Yugal Bandi | with Hariprasad Chaurasia | |
| 1999 | Maestro's Choice, Series Two | |
| Sampradaya | ||
| Rasdhara | with Hariprasad Chaurasia | |
| 2001 | Saturday Night in Bombay – Remember Shakti (Universal Records), Composed Shringar | with John McLaughlin, Zakir Hussain and many others musicians |
| 2002 | Ananda Bliss | with Zakir Hussain |
| The Flow of Time | with Zakir Hussain | |
| Sangeet Sartaj | ||
| 2003 | Vibrant Music for Reiki | |
| 2004 | Sympatico (Charukeshi – Santoor) | |
| 2004 | The Inner Path (Kirvani – Santoor | |
| 2007 | Essential Evening Chants | with Hariprasad Chaurasia |
Contributing artist
editSource'[27]
| Year | Title | Network |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | The Rough Guide to the Music of India and Pakistan | World Music Network |
Awards
edit
Sharma was the recipient of national and international awards, including an honorary citizenship of the city of Baltimore, USA, in 1985,[28] the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1986,[29] the Padma Shri in 1991, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2001.[30]
Some of his other awards included:[31]
- Platinum Disc for Call of the Valley
- Platinum Disc for music of film Silsila
- Gold Disc for music of film Faasle
- Platinum Disc for music of film Chandni
- Pandit Chatur Lal Excellence Award – 2015
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f "Santoor maestro Pandit Shivkumar Sharma passes away". The Indian Express. 10 May 2022. Archived from the original on 11 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ "Santoor strains music to ears of unborn too". The Indian Express. 10 November 2005. Archived from the original on 25 November 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
- ^ "Santoor magic". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 27 February 2005. Archived from the original on 5 March 2005.
- ^ a b "Santoor comes of age, courtesy Pandit Shivkumar Sharma". The Indian Express. 8 January 2009. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
- ^ Suchismita (10 May 2022). "J&K loses illustrious son: Santoor maestro Pt Shiv Kumar Sharma passes away". Greater Kashmir. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
- ^ a b c d Tsioulcas, Anastasia (10 May 2022). "Celebrated Indian musician and composer Shivkumar Sharma has died at age 84". NPR. Archived from the original on 11 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ a b "Note by note". The Times of India. 13 October 2002. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
- ^ a b c d e "Music is an expression of human emotions". rediff.com. 20 August 1999. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
- ^ Gilbert, Andrew (16 November 2007). "Masters of the East come West". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
- ^ parab, bhagwan (11 May 2022). "Shivkumar Sharma, the santoor king, dies at 84". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 11 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ "Pandit Shivkumar Sharma: Player of our heartstrings". 13 May 2022. Archived from the original on 20 January 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ a b Lavezzoli, Peter (2006). The Dawn of Indian Music in the West. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 32. ISBN 0-8264-1815-5. Archived from the original on 4 July 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
- ^ a b c "Enchantment from Eden valley". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 6 April 2000. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2009.
- ^ "I just pick up the flute and feel the urge to play". Financial Express. 19 February 2000. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2009.
- ^ "Shivkumar Sharma dies at 84: How Yash Chopra believed in santoor legend, gave us Silsila, Lamhe, Chandni and Darr". The Indian Express. 10 May 2022. Archived from the original on 11 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ Bhattacharjee, Balaji Vittal and Anirudha (31 October 2016). "Back-to-back heartbreak: SD Burman's 'Guide' experiment remains unparalleled in Hindi film music". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 11 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ "Pandit Shivkumar Sharma: Player of our heartstrings". 13 May 2022. Archived from the original on 20 January 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ "Sultan of strings: Shivakumar Sharma". DNA. 18 August 2006. Archived from the original on 11 May 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
- ^ "Virasaat". rediff.com. 18 March 1998. Archived from the original on 16 May 2008. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
- ^ Dastur, Nicole (3 July 2006). "What's Rahul Sharma's Dalai Lama connection?". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
- ^ "Santoor notes that bind: father-son 'Jugalbandi'". livemint.com. 1 July 2007. Archived from the original on 20 December 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
- ^ "Inner Melodies". The Indian Express. 29 July 2008. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
- ^ "Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma talk about Sri Sathya Sai Baba". YouTube. 24 February 2013.
- ^ "Pandit Shivkumar Sharma Dies: Santoor Maestro and Music Composer Passes Away at 84 Due to Cardiac Arrest". LatestLY. 10 May 2022. Archived from the original on 10 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ The Hindu (10 May 2022). "Santoor maestro Shivkumar Sharma passes away". Archived from the original on 10 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ "Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma". Discogs. Archived from the original on 15 April 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ Various - The Rough Guide to the Music of India & Pakistan, Discogs, 1995, archived from the original on 11 May 2022, retrieved 10 May 2022
- ^ "Profile". India Today. Archived from the original on 27 April 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
- ^ "Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards – Hindustani Music – Instrumental". Sangeet Natak Akademi. Archived from the original on 16 August 2007. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
- ^ "Padma Awards". Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (India). Archived from the original on 29 March 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
- ^ "Santoor legend's other honours | News". Zee News. 10 May 2022. Archived from the original on 11 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
External links
edit- www.santoor.com – Official Site
- Shivkumar Sharma at IMDb
- Shivkumar Sharma at AllMusic
- Shivkumar Sharma discography at Discogs