Ustad Karim Khan

Ustad Abdul Karim Khan was invited to the Mysore court where he met famous Carnatic music Carnatic masters which also influenced his music In particular the singing of his Sargam was a direct influence of Carnatic practice He became a frequent visitor to Mysore Darbar which conferred on him the title Sangeet Ratna On the way to Mysore he used to stay with his brother in Dharwad where he taught his most famous disciple Sawai Gandharva In 1900 for eight months he taught Surashri Kesarbai Kerkar Kesarbai Kerkar who would go on to be one of the 20th centurys most renowned vocalists In 1913 he founded the Arya Sangeet Vidyalaya in Poona to teach students He would wholeheartedly teach all his students unlike other family ustads of the era He finally settled down in Miraj till his death in 1937 when returning from a concert tour of the south Every year in August commemorative music concerts are held in Miraj
The innovations he brought to his vocal style distinguishes Kirana style from others The slow melodic development of the raga in Vilambit laya slow tempo was the most characteristic aspect of his music He worked hard to maintain his voice to be sweet and melodious which shaped his music The thumri style he developed as also quite different from the poorab ang or punjabi ang His thumri progresses in a leisurely languor with ample abandonment He was also the first Hindustani musician to seriously study Carnatic system and probably the first to be invited to sing all over the south He has even recorded a Thyagaraja Krithi He was also influenced by Rehmet Khan of the Gwalior gharana and adopted the direct style of presentation Bhairavi of Rehmat Khan used to be bright and cheerful Karim Khan perfected it and was able to present an equally bright and cheerful rendering R.C. Mehta