Tansen musician biography books

A beautifully written and superbly illustrated biography of Tansen, India’s legendary musician. Young readers are drawn into the life of this historical figure through chapters brimming with adventure and exploits, coup d’états and supernatural feats.

A life story told with humour and imagination, it is elevated by imagined sub-plots to give young readers an immersive experience not only of the 16 century protagonist, but of a specific time and place in history. Each page shimmers with exquisite, hand-drawn water colour illustrations, digitally enhanced.

• Author Sharad Kohli draws on traditional narratives and historical research, both on Tansen and Hindustani classical music. The luminous illustrations by Urmimala Nag have been inspired by Rajput miniature paintings.
• Fully illustrated 60-page book with over 20 full-page and over 20 smaller illustrations.
• Written in an engaging, conversational tone.
• Reference notes at the back of the book explain in an easy-to-understand manner the Hindustani classical musical terminology in the book, mentioning titles for further reference.

The Book

The life story of 16 century master musician is sketchily known, but this book, through its clever melding of fact and fiction (in the form of imagined characters and incidents), makes a universe of Tansen’s small, sepia world.

The reader is taken on a fascinating journey from his miraculous birth in a village not far from Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, through his childhood and musical initiation, onward to the court of Raja Man Singh Tomar,  and then to Fatehpur Sikri, to the patronage of Emperor Akbar, where he becomes one of the emperor’s nine jewels. Tansen’s legendary raags that could command the forces of nature — summon rain and fire and are some of the magical elements of the story. Though the book concludes with his passing, it leaves the reader marvelling at the legacy he left behind – which carries on to this day.

History is brought alive wit

Hindustani composer (c. 1493 – 1589)

For other uses, see Tansen (disambiguation).

Musical artist

Rāmtanu (c. 1493 – 26 April 1589), popularly referred to as Mian Tānsen (lit. 'the Learned One'), or Sangeet Samrāt (lit. 'Monarch of Hindustani Music'), was a Hindustani classical musician. Born into a Hindu Gaur Brahmin family in Gwalior, he learnt and perfected his art in the northwest region of modern Madhya Pradesh. He got his first break as musician and composer in the court of Raja Man Singh Tomar of Gwalior and spent most of his adult life in the court and patronage of the Hindu king of Rewa, Raja Ramchandra Singh (r. 1555–1592), where Tānsen's musical abilities and studies gained widespread fame. This reputation brought him to the attention of the Mughal Emperor Akbar, who sent messengers to Raja Ramchandra Singh, requesting Tānsen to join the musicians at the Mughal court. Tansen did not want to go, but Rāja Ramchandra Singh encouraged him to gain a wider audience and sent him along with gifts for Akbar. In 1562, at about the age of 60, the Vaishnav musician Tānsen joined Akbar's court, and his performances became the subject of many court historians.

Numerous legends have been written about Tānsen, mixing facts and fiction, and the historicity of these stories is doubtful. Akbar considered him one of the Navaratnas Nine Ministers (the nine jewels) and gave him the title Mian, an honorific, meaning learned man.

Tānsen was a composer, musician and vocalist, to whom many compositions have been attributed in northern regions of the Indian subcontinent. He was also an instrumentalist who popularized and improved musical instruments. He is among the most influential personalities in the North Indian tradition of Indian classical music, called Hindustani. His 16th-century studies in music and compositions inspired many, and he i