Tansen

Tansen was one of the most celebrated musicians in the court of Mughal Emperor Akbar. He developed and shaped Hindustani classical music as it is known today.

Early Life and Training

Tansen was born as Ramtanu Pande in a Brahmin family. As a child, he was taken to Sufi mystic Mohammad Ghaus of Gwalior who converted him to Islam by purportedly putting some pan (betel leaf) from his mouth into Tansen’s mouth as a blessing and naming him as Ata Mohammed Khan. There is no solid evidence for this story. Tansen received his early training in music from Swami Haridas, who was known for his devotional compositions in styles like Dhrupad.

At the Court of Akbar

The name ‘Tansen’ was conferred upon Ramtanu Pande by Emperor Akbar, who appointed him as one of the Navaratnas (Nine Jewels) of his royal court. Tansen held the title Mian, an honorific, and was known as Mian Tansen.

Contributions to Hindustani Music

Tansen is credited with many musical contributions:

• He brought structure to the raga system by reducing the 4000 ragas of his time to a more manageable number of 400.
• He also reduced the tala system from 92 talas to 12.
• He created several popular ragas still performed today, like Miyan ki Malhar and Miyan ki Todi.
• He wrote musical texts like ‘Ragamala’, ‘Dohas’ describing raga lakshanas (attributes), ‘Sangeet Saar’, and ‘Shri Ganesh Stotra’.
• The Senia gharana (school) of music descends from Tansen’s lineage. His elder son Bilaskhan founded the school of Rabab players and created ragas like Bilaskhani Todi. His other son Suratsen founded the Sitar gharana.

Legendary Status

Tansen was legendary for his musical abilities, especially his raga compositions and his voice. Many mythical stories exist about how his singing could induce rain, light lamps, or attract wild animals. He remains an iconic figure of Hindustani classical music even today. The government of India has established the Tansen Samaroh music festival to honor his legacy.