Prabha Atre
प्रभा अत्रे
Born (1932-09-13) 13 September 1932
Pune, Bombay Presidency, British India (present-day Maharashtra, India)
Nationality•  British India (1932-1947)
•  India (1947-present)
Alma materUniversity of Pune (B.Sc)(LLB)
Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Music School (PhD)
Years active(1950 – present)
AwardsSangeet Natak Akademi Award (1991)
Honours Padma Shri (1990)
Padma Bhushan (2002)
Padma Vibhushan (2022)
Websitewww.prabhaatre.com

Prabha Atre (born 13 September 1932) is an Indian classical vocalist from the Kirana gharana. She has been awarded all three of the Padma Awards by the Government of India.[1]

Early life and education

Atre was born to Abasaheb and Indirabai Atre in Pune. As children, Atre and her sister, Usha, were interested in music, but neither of them planned to pursue music as a career. When Atre was eight, Indirabai was not keeping good health, and at a friend's suggestion that classical music lessons would help her feel better, she took a few lessons. Listening to those lessons inspired Atre to learn classical music.

Her music training was in the Guru-shishya tradition. She learnt classical music from Sureshbabu Mane and Hirabai Badodekar from the Kirana gharana.[2] She acknowledges the influence of two other greats, Amir Khan for khyal and Bade Ghulam Ali Khan for thumri, on her gayaki. She also has formal training in Kathak dance style.

While studying music, Atre earned a Bachelor of Science from Fergusson College in Pune. Later she completed an LL.B. from University of Pune Law College. She has also studies at Gandharva Mahavidyalaya Mandal (Sangeet Alankar (Master of Music)), Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, London (Western Music Theory Grade-IV). She later also earned a PhD in music. Her doctoral thesis was titled Sargam, and pertained to the use of sol-fa notes (sargam) in Indian classical music.[2]

Career

Atre had a short stint as a singing stage-actress in the early days of her career.[3] She also played roles in a line-up of Marathi theatre classics, which included Sangeet Nataks like Sanshay-Kallol, Maanaapamaan, Saubhadra and Vidyaharan.

Atre is currently one of the senior vocalists in the country representing the Kirana Gharana. Her first LP, with Maru Bihag and Kalavati, clearly demonstrates her extraordinary artistry and creativity. She has contributed to popularizing Indian classical vocal music at global level. She is competent in various musical genres such as Khyal, Thumri, Dadra, Ghazal, geet, Natyasangeet, and bhajans.

As a composer

  • Book of compositions Swarangini and Swaranjanee
  • She has also invented new Raags such as Apurva Kalyan, Darbari Kauns, Patdeep-Malhar, Shiv Kali, Tilang-bhairav, Ravi Bhairav, and Madhur-kauns
  • Music compositions adapted to full-length dance programme 'Nritya Prabha' – choreographed by the Bharatanatyam danseuse Sucheta Bhide Chapekar.
  • Music composition adapted for jazz by Susanne Abbuehl from the Netherlands.
  • Music composed for musical-dramas and Sangeetikas.

Atre has taught music, performing lecture-demonstrations, and writing on the topic of Indian classical music.

  • A former Assistant Producer with the All India Radio.
  • A' Grade — All India Radio Drama Artist (Marathi and Hindi).
  • Main female role in Professional Musical Dramas.(Sangeet Natak and Sangeetika)
  • She has been a visiting professor at a few institutions in the West, including the Rotterdam Conservatory in the Netherlands. Visiting professor at the Music conservatory – Montreux Switzerland, the University of California, Los Angeles, Indo-American Fellowship for studying research materials used in Ethnomusicology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and at the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
  • Appointment as 'Special Executive Magistrate' by the Government of Maharashtra in recognition of services to the cause of Music
  • Professor and Head of the Dept. of Music, S.N.D.T. Woman's University, Mumbai.
  • Around 1992, Atre started an annual Pandit Sureshbabu Mane and Hirabai Badodekar Sangeet Sammelan music festival. The festival takes place annually in December in Mumbai.[2]
  • Chief Music Producer and Director for 'Swarashree' Recording Company since 1981
  • Member of the Advisory Panel of the Central Board of Film Censors, Mumbai 1984
  • President 'Gaan Vardhan' – a well-known music organisation, Pune, for the past 22 years.
  • 'Dr. Prabha Atrre Foundation' was registered in May 2000.
  • Atre established some years ago Swaramayee Gurukul in Pune. This institution amalgamates traditional guru-shishya style of teaching music and contemporary classroom teaching.
  • Atre has been concluding Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Festival since 2007 which is considered to be prestigious.
  • Atre holds the world record to have released 11 books (from a single stage). Released 11 books on music in Hindi and English at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi on 18 April 2016.[4]
  • Dr Atre created a lecture series "Alok" to practically demonstrate her musical thoughts.its available on YouTube and received very good public acclaim.

Awards

  • 1976 – Acharya Atre Award for music.
  • Jagatguru Shankaracharya conferred the title "Gaan-Prabha"
  • 1990 – Padma Shri
  • 1991 – Sangeet Natak Academy Award
  • Giants International Award, Rashtriya Kalidas samman
  • Tagore Akademi Ratna Award announced from the Sangeet Natak Akademi in 2011
  • Dinanath Mangeshkar award
  • Hafiz Ali Khan Award
  • Felicitation by Global Action Club International
  • Govind-Lakshmi award
  • Godavari Gaurav Puraskar
  • Dagar Gharana Award
  • Acharya Pandit Ram Narayan Foundation Award Mumbai
  • Ustad Faiyyaz Ahmed Khan Memorial Award (Kirana Gharana)
  • 'Kala-Shree 2002'
  • 2002 – Padma Bhushan
  • P.L. Deshpande Bahuroopi Sanman
  • Sangeet Sadhana Ratna Award
  • 'Lifetime achievement' award by the Pune University
  • Mahim Ratna Award by Shivsena Mumbai
  • Felicitation by the Mayor of Mumbai, Name included in national and international biographical works.
  • State government Award to her book Swarmayee.
  • From the year 2011 "Swarayoginee Dr. Prabha Atre Rashtriya Shaastreeya Sangeet Puraskar" instituted by Tatyasaheb Natu Trust and Gaanvardhan Pune.
  • Working as a committee member for several social, educational, cultural institutions.
  • Chairman of Rasta Peth Education Society – a leading educational association in Pune for the last 12 years.
  • 2022 – Padma Vibhushan
  • Newsmakers Achievers Awards 2022[5]

Discography

  1. Maru Bihag, Kalavati, Khamaj thumri
  2. Niranjani – Puriya Kalyan, Shankara, Basant
  3. Anant Prabha – Lalit, Bhinna Shadja, Bhairavi thumri
  4. Bageshree, Khamaj thumri
  5. Jogkauns, Todi, thumri
  6. Malkauns, dadra
  7. Chandrakauns
  8. Madhukauns
  9. Madhuvanti, Desi
  10. Yaman, Bhairav
  11. Shyam Kalyan, Bihag, Rageshree thumri
  12. ghazal and bhajan recordings from live concerts from the 1970s

Books

Books of music compositions: 1. Swaranjanee 2. Swaranginee 3. Swararangee

Books containing her musical thoughts: 1. Swaramayee (Marathi and Hindi) 2. Suswaralee (Marathi and Hindi) 3. Along the path of Music 4. Enlightening the listener

Book of poetry: Antah Swar (Marathi Hindi and English)

Disciples

She has been giving private lessons to students since 1969.[6] Since then she had mentored numerous students through her skillful teaching methods. Many of her students are well-known names today. She was also associated with SNDT women's University Mumbai as a head, she also visited many foreign countries to teach and propagate Indian classical music since 1960,[2] she had established Swaramayee Gurukul at Pune to train students in traditional Guru Shishya Parampara system. Her few noted disciples are:[2] Alka Joglekar, Vijaya Patki, Asha Parasnis, Chetna Banawat, Atindra Sarvadikar, Arati Thakur, Ashvini Modak, Fumie Nigeshi etc

References

  1. ↑ "Padma Awardees 2022" (PDF) (Press release).
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "व्यक्तिवेध: प्रभा अत्रे". Loksatta (in Marathi). 29 January 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  3. ↑ Khanna, Shailaja (2 June 2017). "Classical music has to change". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  4. ↑ "Prabha Atre – Age, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Profession And Much More". Aaj Ke Din. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  5. ↑ "Nominations are open for Afternoon Voice's 14th Newsmakers Achievers Awards 2022". ANI News.
  6. ↑ Nair, Malini (22 September 2021). "For seven decades, Prabha Atre has been questioning her stellar musical legacy while upholding it". Scroll.in. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  • Official website
  • India's 50 Most Illustrious Women (ISBN 81-88086-19-3) by Indra Gupta
  • The Great Masters: Profiles in Hindustani Classical Vocal Music by Mohan Nadkarni
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