History of classical music in the sub-continent is replete with numerous examples of professional gharana musicians, which began their career by playing string instrument Sarangi but ended up with practising classical vocalisation of the kheyal variety.
Included in the list of such musicians were Kirana gharana kheyal singer Ustad Abdul Waheed Khan, Delhi gharana scion Ustad Umrao Bundoo Khan, Patiala gharana exponents of classical vocalisation Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan and his father Ustad Allah Bakhsh Khan.
Two modes of musical _expression have remained in vogue since the beginning of history and civilisation. These are human voices (male and female) and musical instruments that the humans have invented since time immemorial. However, the perfect and most effective musical instrument created by Nature is the human voice, which is capable of conveying all kinds of moods and emotions.
In the beginning, there were very few musical devices such as flute, drums and lutes of different kinds, which the people used to give vent to their creative melodic urges. As time passed, a large number of variegated musical instruments were evolved to add enchanting tangents to musical expressions.
Sarangi, a string instrument of much antiquity, has long been associated with the practitioners of classical music as it provided the much-desired accompaniment to the exponents of kheyal mode of classical _expression.
Used with a bow, it is among the most sought after musical instrument, which classical vocalists preferred to use as instrumental accompaniment device, as it is capable of radiating a hundred tonal nuances. No wonder it is called sau rangi. In the hands of an inveterate player, it can produce all the enduring effects, which a human voice is capable of creating.
The teachers of yore believed that an aspirant of classical vocalisation should first learn to play Sarangi so that he could comprehend the subtle and different timbres of a composition, which this instrument could produce in the hands of a competent player.
A tradition therefore was evolved among professional gharana musicians to spend periods of apprenticeship with seasoned players before switching on the art of classical vocalisation. Some among them got so fascinated that they learnt how to play this sensitive instrument before embarking upon a singing career.
Ustad Abdul Waheed Khan of Kirana gharana of kheyal singers a. k.a. Behrey Khan, spent a period of apprenticeship with Sarangi player Rehman Bakhsh, before he started vocalising astha-antaras of different ragas.
Despite the fact that he did not possess a plaint voice, he was extremely good at alap (slow delineation of the raga theme) and had great understanding of rhythm too. It is said that Ustad Abdul Waheed Khan acquired much expertise in playing Sarangi before he turned to the art of classical vocalisation. This helped him in training and grooming a large number of shagirds (pupils).
Son of legendary Sarangi player Ustad Bundoo Khan, who was a scion of the founder of famous Delhi gharana, Ustad Umrao Bundoo Khan was initiated in music by his Young Umrao began his musical studies as a Sarangi player.
As Ustad Bundoo Khan could not devote his full attention to the grooming of his son due to exigencies of his employment, he gave his son in the care of his vocalist cousin, Ustad Chaand Khan.
Already proficient in the art of Sarangi playing, Umrao Khan received training in classical vocalisation for several years before making his debut as a singer. I have had the pleasure of listening to his instrumental and vocal classical music, which I found of very high quality.
Ustad Ali Bakhsh Qasooria, father of the legendary classical vocalist Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan also was a Sarangi player first and classical vocalist second. Sarangi played a role in his training as a classical vocalist of much merit. His son and student Ustad Bade Ghulam Khan, who was also born, bred and raised in Kasur, received training in playing Sarangi from his father before he was given in the care of his uncle Ustad Kaley Khan.
For several years, Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan used Sarangi to satiate his creative urges for melodic _expression. He was a professional Sarangi player first and a vocalist second.
After giving up Sarangi playing as a profession, he spent all his time and energies in perfecting the art of vocalisation, which flowered soon to win him recognition from critics and members of his fraternity. Musicologist and classical vocalist Ustad Badaruzzaman told me just recently that his mentor Ustad Chhotey Ghulam Ali Khan, another Kasur-born but settled in Lahore musician, also played Sarangi while at the same time pursuing his career as a practitioner of the art of classical vocalisation.
There may be several other classical vocalists who learned the art of Sarangi playing before embarking upon their careers as classical vocalists, which are beyond my knowledge.