ShodhPatra: International Journal of Science and Humanities

Diversity within North Indian Khayal Vocalism: Exploring the Gayaki of Rehmat Khan and D.V. Paluskar

Khayal is the predominant form of North Indian classical music, and within this form, several diverse musical ideologies are represented through distinct styles known as gharanas. The Gwalior gharana is known as the fountainhead amongst khayal gharanas. This paper examines the musical styles of two pre-eminent practitioners of the Gwalior gharana from the 20th century, Rehmat Khan and D.V. Paluskar, who belonged to two different generations and deeply inspired successive generations of musicians and music lovers. The introductory section provides the context for both musicians. The following section describes Rehmat Khan’s music tutelage and a detailed analysis of his music based on the available recorded archive. The third section of the article discusses D.V. Paluskar’s journey as a vocalist, his musical training and a detailed description of his gayaki which helped him carve a unique space within the milieu of Hindustani music. The significance of this paper lies in the objective methodology adopted to study the gayaki of the two musicians, bringing forth fresh perspectives on music analysis, understanding of styles, and music research.