Ali Akbar Khan
Ali Akbar Khan (1922–2009) was an Indian classical musician and sarod virtuoso who helped bring Hindustani music to international audiences.
Allauddin Khan: Allauddin Khan was an Indian classical musician, composer, and multi-instrumentalist who trained many leading Hindustani musicians. His father and guru trained him in the Maihar tradition and shaped his musical discipline.
Sarod: The sarod is a fretless, plucked lute used in North Indian classical music, with a metal fingerboard and resonant strings. Khan made this instrument his primary voice and helped establish its modern concert role.
Maihar State: Maihar State was a princely state in central India, now part of Madhya Pradesh. Khan grew up and worked there under the patronage that supported the Maihar musical community.
Ali Akbar College of Music: Ali Akbar College of Music is a school for Indian classical music founded by Ali Akbar Khan in California in 1967. The college established his teaching in the United States and trained generations of students.
Hindustani music in the West: Hindustani music in the West describes the performance, teaching, and reception of North Indian classical music outside South Asia. Khan's tours and schools helped establish this musical tradition in Europe and North America.
Annapurna Devi: Annapurna Devi was an Indian classical musician and surbahar player, and a leading exponent of the Maihar gharana. His sister shared their father's training and the family's Maihar musical lineage.
Hindustani classical music: Hindustani classical music is the classical music tradition of northern South Asia, organized around ragas and rhythmic cycles. Its raga and tala framework provides the musical language in which Khan performed.
Maihar Band: The Maihar Band was an ensemble Allauddin Khan formed from local musicians and students in Maihar. As a young musician, Khan played in his father's ensemble and gained experience beyond solo performance.
Monterey Pop Festival: The Monterey Pop Festival was a 1967 music festival in California that featured rock, folk, and Indian classical musicians. Khan's performance introduced his sarod playing to a large audience during a landmark counterculture festival.
World music: World music is a broad music-industry category for traditions outside the dominant commercial genres of Europe and North America. His recordings circulated internationally as audiences and institutions developed this category.