Hi everyone,

I wish to inform you of the unfortunate news that Ustad Vilayat Khan, one of the greatest sitarists of the 20th century passed away last night. Here is a brief news story from indolink.com:

Mumbai, Mar. 14 (NNN): World-renowned sitar maestro Ustad Vilayat Khan died of prolonged illness at a hospital in Mumbai late on Saturday night, according to hospital sources on Sunday.

He was 76-year-old.

Khan, who was suffering from lung cancer, breathed his last at the Jaslok Hospital, the sources said.

He was admitted to the hospital on February 26.

The end came at around 2325 IST. His body is being flown to Kolkata where his last rites will be performed on Monday, a family member here said.

Hi Shawn,
That is sad news indeed. Thank you for keeping us informed.

Here is some more information about the maestro. Shawn please feel free to post any other information about Ustads contributions to indian music.

Great Indian Maestros

Ustd. Vilayat Khan

Ustd. Vilayat Khan has given himself the quintessence of khyal on the sitar

Ustd. Vilayat Khan saheb's credits are many and establish him as one of the foremost musicians of India. He comes from a family of musicians who trace their lineage back seven generations, and he began learning Sitar at the age of three, performing by the age of eight. In addition to his Sitar training under the tutelage of his father, Ustad Inayat Khan, he also received Vocal training under his maternal grandfather, Ustad Bande Hussain Khan and uncle Ustad Zinde Hussain Khan. Vilayat practiced for upto fourteen hours a day, honing his skills to make him a master sitarist and an accomplished vocalist as well.

It is not surprising that Vilayat Khan’s unique contribution to the field of music is the creation of a revolutionary vocal style, gayaki ang, where the Sitar replicates fluidity and subtle nuances of the human voice. In addition, he has redesigned the Sitar to give the 700 year old instrument a deeper resonance. Music listeners will notice his beautifully distinctive style of playing, where he pulls rather than plucks the strings.

He is called the Aftab-e-Sitar, the radiant star of Sitar, a title conferred on him by the late President of India, Fakhiruddin Ahmed. He was awarded the Bharat Sitar Samrat by the classical artist association. He has performed at the royal courts of Iran and Afghanistan and has the unique distinction of have played at the Buckingham Palace for Queen Elizabeth II.

Announcement: We regret to inform that Ustad Vilayat Khan sahib is no more with us, the great maestro expired on Sunday, March 14 2004.

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