Azad Rahman | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1 January 1944 |
| Died | 16 May 2020 (aged 76) |
| Nationality | Bangladeshi |
| Occupation | Composer |
| Spouse | Selina Azad |
Azad Rahman (1 January 1944 – 16 May 2020) [1] was a Bangladeshi composer. He won Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Music Director twice and Best Male Playback Singer once for his performance in the films Jadur Bashi (1977) and Chandabaz (1993).[2] He received a gold medal in 2011 from Rabindra Bharati University in Kolkata.[3]
Background
Rahman was born to Khalilur Rahman and Ashrafa Khatun in Bardhaman in the then British India.[4] He was trained in classical music by Sangeetacharya Tarapada Chakraborty, the founder of Kotali Gharana which originates from Kotalipara Upazila, Faridpur, Bangladesh.
Career
Rahman joined Radio Pakistan (Dhaka Centre) in the mid 1960s and was appointed the first executive director of the (now defunct) National Academy of Performing Arts, was a principal of the Government Music College, and served as the director general of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy for two terms. He provided music for films, radio and TV productions.
As a music director, Rahman set tunes to various songs for Bengali language films both in West Bengal and Bangladesh. His first movie as a music director was Miss Priyambada (Kolkata). He made his own debut movie Goon Kotha and sang songs including Dora Kata Dagh Dekhe Bagh Kena Jay, and Bhaobashar mullo koto. He gave tunes to the patriotic song of Bangladesh Jonmo Amar Dhonno Holo Maago sung by Firoza Begum and later by Sabina Yasmin. He was a pianist, performing Indian classical ragas in his piano and traveling the world.[5]
Rahman was one of the pioneers of Bangla Kheyal and wrote lyrics for many raagas. These have been performed on BTV in the Dhrupodi program. He produced the first Bangla Kheyal LP in the 1980s and has also composed and sung Bangla qawwalis. He also played Hindustani raagas on the piano and released as an LP.
Rahman was the founder chairman of Sanskriti Kendra—Centre for Education, Creative and Performing Arts. This center has organized several international music festivals in Dhaka with participants from different countries. He was also on the faculty of Stamford University, Dhaka.
discography
Personal life
Rahman was married to Selina Azad, a singer. Together they had three daughters.
References
- ↑ "Azad Rahman dies at 76". Dhaka Tribune. 16 May 2020.
- ↑ জাতীয় চলচ্চিত্র পুরস্কার প্রাপ্তদের নামের তালিকা (১৯৭৫-২০১২) [List of the winners of National Film Awards (1975-2012)]. Government of Bangladesh (in Bengali). Bangladesh Film Development Corporation. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
- ↑ "Azad Rahman: A star in the musical firmament of Bangladesh". The Daily Star. 23 May 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- ↑ "Azad Rahaman passes away". New Age. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- ↑ Haq, Fayza (4 April 2006). "We want to link our music with the rest of the world ---Azad Rahman". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 1 February 2016. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
External links
- "Second Bangla Kheyal Festival ends in city". The Daily Observer. Dhaka. 2 February 2016.