Hindustani classical musician from India (1929 - 1990)
Musical artist
Zia Mohiuddin Dagar
(14 March 1929 ? 28 September 1990), (aka
Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar
and popularly known as
Z. M. Dagar
), was a
North Indian
(
Hindustani
) classical musician, one of the 19th generation of
Dagar family
dhrupad
musicians. He was largely responsible for the revival of the
rudra vina
as a solo concert instrument.
[1]
Early life and the choice of veena
[
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]
Z. M. Dagar was born in the town of
Udaipur
,
Rajasthan
on 14 March 1929 and began musical study with his father, Ustad
Ziauddin Khan Dagar
, court musician for the
Maharana
of
Udaipur
.
[1]
[2]
He was trained both in vocals and in the
rudra veena
, an instrument used by vocalists to practice melodies. The veena was traditionally not played in public, but the young Zia
Mohiuddin
adopted it as his primary instrument, giving his first recital at age 16. Although he was discouraged by his father from experimenting with the structure of the veena, he nevertheless modified the instrument after his father's death to better equip it for solo performance, transforming it into a larger bass instrument (sometimes called a 'Dagar veena'): With the help of the instrument house Kanailal & Brother, he enlarged the tumbas (gourds) and dhandhi (hollow neck) to create greater resonance and to allow the notes to sustain longer and so better reproduce the techniques used in dhrupad singing. Because of these modifications, the instrument was too heavy to be held in the standard Northern posture (with one tumba on the left shoulder), so he played instead in the Southern posture, with one tumba on the ground and one on the left knee.
[2]
[3]
Struggles and hardships
[
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]
After India gained independence in 1947, the princely states were abolished. The Dagar family lost the patronage of the court of Udaipur, and had to seek employment elsewhere. Finally they arrived in
Mumbai
. For 25 years, they had to make ends meet by working in garages, selling bread, and rarely, playing instruments for movie scores. They did not have a tanpura, sitar, or veena, let alone a house. There was much cynicism about dhrupad, as his son
Mohi Baha'ud-din
recounted in an interview.
"Dhrupad? Who'll listen? Rudra veena? Play something else. Long alaaps? So boring!"
[4]
Playing style
[
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]
Z. M. Dagar was known particularly for his slow development of ragas, typically performed only with
tanpura
accompaniment (he rarely played with
pakhawaj
), and for his meticulous attention to
microtonal
inflections.
Outside India
[
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]
He was very active in the West, associating himself with the American Society for Eastern Arts in
Berkeley
, California (Zia
Mohiuddin
Dagar offered 12 weeks of classes during the spring of 1977). Financial support was secured by the Center for World Music from the
National Endowment for the Arts
and other contributors) and with
Wesleyan University
,
Rotterdam Music Conservatory
[
nl
]
, and the
University of Washington
,
Seattle
, where he was a visiting professor.
[1]
[3]
Honours
[
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]
Family
[
edit
]
His younger brother,
Ustad Zia Fariddudin Dagar
, was a vocalist and teacher, and his son,
Mohi Baha'ud-din
, is a veena player.
[1]
[3]
Establishment of the Dhrupad Gurukul
[
edit
]
Established in 1982, the concept of making a Gurukul was entirely Ustad Zia
Mohiuddin
Dagar's. He envisioned a place where he would sit with his disciple and
impart training in the 'Guru Shishya Parampara'; a method in which a few selected students study under one roof whilst staying with the guru. Ustad sahib put at least twenty years of his time and effort to give shape to this idea on his own and thus, the Gurukul came into being in 1982 at Palaspa - a village near Panvel - Mumbai.
[3]
Death
[
edit
]
Ustad Zia
Mohiuddin
Dagar died on 28 September 1990.
[1]
[2]
Discography
[
edit
]
Albums
[
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]
|
Rudra Veena Recital (LP)
|
His Master's Voice
|
ECSD 2736
|
1974
|
Morgonraga (LP, Album)
|
MNW
|
MNW 2F
|
1974
|
Raga Mangeyabushan (LP, Album)
|
Disques Alvares
|
LD 114
|
1974
|
Raga Pancham Kosh (LP, Album)
|
Auvidis
|
AV 4514
|
1984
|
Raga Chandrakauns (LP, Mono)
|
His Master's Voice
|
PMLP 3039
|
1989
|
Raga Yaman (CD, Album)
|
Nimbus Records
|
NI 5276
|
1991
|
Raga Shuddha Todi
|
Nimbus Records
|
|
1994
|
Todi, Ahir Lalit, Panchamkauns (CD, Album)
|
Raga Records
|
RAGA-219
|
1998
|
Raga Yaman / Raga Shuddha Todi (2xCD, Album)
|
Nimbus Records
|
NI 7047/8
|
2000
|
Marwa, Bageshree (CD, Album)
|
Raga Records
|
RAGA-222
|
2001
|
Z.M. Dagar* & Z.F. Dagar* - Raag Malkauns, Bombay 1968 (CD)
|
Country & Eastern
|
CE 02
|
2005
|
Z.M. Dagar* & Z.F. Dagar* - Ragini Miyan Ki Todi (CD)
|
Country & Eastern
|
CE19
|
2011
|
Zia Mohiuddin Dagar* & Pandit Taranath - Live in Stockholm 1969 (CD)
|
Country & Eastern
|
CE36
|
2015
|
Untitled (Cass, Album)
|
CBS
|
UD-001
|
Unknown
|
References
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]
External links
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]
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International
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National
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Artists
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Other
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