Shivkumar Sharma

Pandit Shivkumar Sharma (13 January 1938 – 10 May 2022) was an Indian classical musician and santoor player who is credited with adapting the santoor for Indian classical music.[2][3][4] As a music composer, he collaborated with Indian flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia under the collaborative name Shiv–Hari and composed music for such hit Indian films as Faasle (1985), Chandni (1989), and Lamhe (1991).

This article is about the Indian classical musician. For Sharma's collaboration with musician Hariprasad Chaurasia, see Shiv–Hari.

Shivkumar Sharma
Sharma in 2016
Sharma in 2016
Background information
Born(1938-01-13)13 January 1938
Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir, British India
Died10 May 2022(2022-05-10) (aged 84)[1]
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
GenresHindustani classical music
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • composer
Instrument(s)
Years active1955–2022
Websitesantoor.com

Sharma was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1986 and the Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan (India's fourth and second highest civilian awards) in 1991 and 2001.

Early life

Sharma was born on 13 January 1938, in Jammu in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir in British India.[5] His father Uma Dutt Sharma was a vocalist and a tabla player.[6][7][8] His father started teaching him vocals and tabla, when he was just five.[7] His father saw an opportunity to introduce him to the santoor, a hammered dulcimer, which was a folk instrument that traced its origins to ancient Persia, but was played in Kashmir. He saw the styles that integrated Sufi notes with traditional Kashmiri folk music and had his son play the instrument that was then new to Indian classical music.[5] Sharma started learning santoor at the age of thirteen[7][1] and gave his first public performance in Mumbai in 1955.[9]

Career
Sharma in 1988

Starting his career playing the santoor with his father, Sharma is credited with introducing the santoor as a popular Indian classical music instrument.[4][10] He recorded his first solo album in 1960.[1] Sharma took the santoor as an Indian classical musical instrument playing at various music venues. He collaborated with Indian tabla player Zakir Hussain and with flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia on many of his performances as well as on his albums.[5] In 1967, he teamed up with Chaurasia and guitarist Brij Bhushan Kabra to produce a concept album, Call of the Valley (1967), which turned out to be one of Indian classical music's greatest hits.[1][10]

Sharma composed the background music for one of the scenes in V. Shantaram's film Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje (1955) where Gopi Krishna performed a Kathak dance piece.[11] Further, he composed music for many Hindi films in collaboration with Chaurasia,[12] starting with Silsila (1981).[11] They came to be known as the Shiv–Hari music duo.[11] Some of the movies they composed music for were musical hits, such as Faasle (1985), Chandni (1989), Lamhe (1991), and Darr (1993).[13] Sharma also played tabla including in the popular song "Mo Se Chhal Kiye Jaaye" sung by Lata Mangeshkar in the 1965 film Guide, on the insistence of music director S. D. Burman.[14] However, Sharma's focus remained on classic music rather than film songs; he said, "Classical music is not for entertainment. It is to take you on a meditative journey, ye toh mehsoos karne ki cheez hai (This has to be experienced)."[1]

Sharma was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akadeemi Award in 1986, the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award in 1991, and the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian award in 2001.[5]

Personal life

Sharma married Manorama[6][15] and had one son.[7] His son Rahul, who started learning at the age of 13, is also a santoor player,[16][17] and they performed together since 1996.[18][19] In a 1999 interview, Sharma stated that he chose Rahul as his shishya, because he thought he had the "gift of God".[7]

Sharma died on 10 May 2022 from a cardiac arrest. He was 84 years old. He had kidney failure for the last few months and went through regular dialysis.[20][21] He received a state funeral at Pawan Hans Juhu aerodrome, Mumbai, on 11 May 2022.[1]

Discography

Albums

Source:[22]

Year Title Notes
1964 Santoor & Guitar with Brij Bhushan Kabra
1967 Shivkumar Sharma (re-released 2005 as "First LP Record of Pandit Shivkumar Sharma"
1967 Call of the Valley with Brij Bhushan Kabra and Hariprasad Chaurasia
1982 When Time Stood Still! with Zakir Hussain (Live in Bombay)
1987 Rag Madhuvanti & Rag Misra Tilang with Zakir Hussain
1988 Hypnotic Santoor
1991 Maestro's Choice, Series One
A Sublime Trance
The Glory of Strings
Raga Purya Kalyan with Zakir Hussain
1993 Rag Rageshri with Zakir Hussain
Raga Bhopali vol I
Raga Kedari vol II
Varshā – A Homage to the Rain Gods
1994 Sound Scapes, Music of the Mountains
Hundred Strings of Santoor
The Pioneer of Santoor
Raag Bilaskhani Todi
A Morning Raga Gurjari Todi
Feelings
1996 The Valley Recalls - In Search of Peace, Love & Harmony with Hariprasad Chaurasia
The Valley Recalls - Raga Bhoopali with Hariprasad Chaurasia
Yugal Bandi with Hariprasad Chaurasia
1999 Maestro's Choice, Series Two
Sampradaya
Rasdhara with Hariprasad Chaurasia
2001 Saturday Night in Bombay – Remember Shakti (Universal Records), Composed Shringar with John McLaughlin, Zakir Hussain and many others musicians
2002 Ananda Bliss with Zakir Hussain
The Flow of Time with Zakir Hussain
Sangeet Sartaj
2003 Vibrant Music for Reiki
2004 Sympatico (Charukeshi – Santoor)
2004 The Inner Path (Kirvani – Santoor
2007 Essential Evening Chants with Hariprasad Chaurasia

Contributing artist

Source'[23]

Year Title Network
1996 The Rough Guide to the Music of India and Pakistan World Music Network

Awards
Pranab Mukherjee presenting the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship to Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, 2011

Sharma is the recipient of national and international awards, including an honorary citizenship of the city of Baltimore, USA, in 1985,[24] the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1986,[25] the Padma Shri in 1991, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2001.[26]

Some of his other awards included:[27]

References
  1. "Santoor maestro Pandit Shivkumar Sharma passes away". The Indian Express. 10 May 2022. Archived from the original on 11 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  2. "Santoor strains music to ears of unborn too". The Indian Express. 10 November 2005. Archived from the original on 25 November 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  3. "Santoor magic". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 27 February 2005. Archived from the original on 5 March 2005.
  4. "Santoor comes of age, courtesy Pandit Shivkumar Sharma". The Indian Express. 8 January 2009. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  5. Tsioulcas, Anastasia (10 May 2022). "Celebrated Indian musician and composer Shivkumar Sharma has died at age 84". NPR. Archived from the original on 11 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  6. "Note by note". The Times of India. 13 October 2002. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  7. "Music is an expression of human emotions". rediff.com. 20 August 1999. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  8. Gilbert, Andrew (16 November 2007). "Masters of the East come West". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  9. parab, bhagwan (11 May 2022). "Shivkumar Sharma, the santoor king, dies at 84". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 11 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  10. Lavezzoli, Peter (2006). The Dawn of Indian Music in the West. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 32. ISBN 0-8264-1815-5. Archived from the original on 4 July 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  11. "Enchantment from Eden valley". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 6 April 2000. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2009.
  12. "I just pick up the flute and feel the urge to play". Financial Express. 19 February 2000. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2009.
  13. "Shivkumar Sharma dies at 84: How Yash Chopra believed in santoor legend, gave us Silsila, Lamhe, Chandni and Darr". The Indian Express. 10 May 2022. Archived from the original on 11 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  14. Bhattacharjee, Balaji Vittal and Anirudha (31 October 2016). "Back-to-back heartbreak: SD Burman's 'Guide' experiment remains unparalleled in Hindi film music". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 11 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  15. "Sultan of strings: Shivakumar Sharma". DNA. 18 August 2006. Archived from the original on 11 May 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  16. "Virasaat". rediff.com. 18 March 1998. Archived from the original on 16 May 2008. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  17. Dastur, Nicole (3 July 2006). "What's Rahul Sharma's Dalai Lama connection?". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 14 November 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  18. "Santoor notes that bind: father-son 'Jugalbandi'". livemint.com. 1 July 2007. Archived from the original on 20 December 2019. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  19. "Inner Melodies". The Indian Express. 29 July 2008. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  20. "Pandit Shivkumar Sharma Dies: Santoor Maestro and Music Composer Passes Away at 84 Due to Cardiac Arrest". LatestLY. 10 May 2022. Archived from the original on 10 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  21. The Hindu (10 May 2022). "Santoor maestro Shivkumar Sharma passes away". Archived from the original on 10 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  22. "Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma". Discogs. Archived from the original on 15 April 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  23. Various - The Rough Guide to the Music of India & Pakistan, Discogs, 1995, archived from the original on 11 May 2022, retrieved 10 May 2022
  24. "Profile". India Today. Archived from the original on 27 April 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2009.
  25. "Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards – Hindustani Music – Instrumental". Sangeet Natak Akademi. Archived from the original on 16 August 2007. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
  26. "Padma Awards". Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (India). Archived from the original on 29 March 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
  27. "Santoor legend's other honours | News". Zee News. 10 May 2022. Archived from the original on 11 May 2022. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
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