Birendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury
Birendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury | |
|---|---|
বীরেন্দ্রকিশোর রায়চৌধুরী | |
.jpg) Pandit Birendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury playing the Sursringar | |
| Born | 1 August 1901 |
| Died | 3 July 1975 (aged 73) Kolkata, West Bengal, India |
| Citizenship | British Indian (1901–1947) Indian (1947–1972) |
| Occupations | Musician, musicologist, patron of music, academic |
| Employer | Rabindra Bharati University |
| Known for | Hindustani classical instrumentalist, musicological writings, founding faculty member of Rabindra Bharati University |
| Title | Landlord of Gouripur |
| Parent | Brajendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury (father) |
| Relatives | Rajendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury (paternal adoptive grandfather) Bishweswari Devi (paternal adoptive grandmother) Hariprasad Bhattacharya (paternal biological grandfather) |
| Awards | Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1964) |
Birendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury (Bengali: বীরেন্দ্রকিশোর রায়চৌধুরী; 1 August 1901 – 3 July 1975) was a Bengali Hindustani classical instrumentalist, musicologist, writer, and patron of music from the Gouripur zamindari family of Mymensingh District, Bengal Presidency (present-day Bangladesh). A scholar and exponent of the Dhrupad style, he played traditional stringed instruments including the Rudra veena (bin), sursingar, and Seni rubab. He served as a lecturer and helped establish the department of music at Rabindra Bharati University in Kolkata. In 1964, he was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for his contributions to Hindustani instrumental music.[1][2]
Early life and background
[edit]Birendra Kishore Roy Choudhury was born on 1 August 1901 into the Gouripur landlord family in Mymensingh District, British Bengal (now in Bangladesh). His father, Brajendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury, was a landlord, educationist, and patron of classical musicians who supported nationalist educational institutions in Bengal.[3]
Growing up in Gouripur House, he received early exposure to Hindustani classical music through the visiting court musicians and maestros hosted by his father. He trained under multiple prominent masters of the Seni gharana and related traditions, including Ustad Mohammad Wazir Khan of Rampur, Ustad Mohammad Ali Khan, Ustad Imdad Khan, Ustad Allauddin Khan, Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan, and Ustad Dabir Khan.[4]
Career and contribution
[edit]Roy Choudhury focused on traditional Hindustani classical stringed instruments that were prominent in the Dhrupad tradition, particularly the Rudra veena (bin), sursingar, and Seni rabab. He performed regularly on All India Radio and engaged in research documenting classical compositions, raga structure, and performance techniques.[5][6]
In addition to performance, he contributed to musicology and musical literature. He authored and edited publications on Hindustani classical music, including the book Indian Music and Mian Tansen (published on behalf of the Gouripur Music Trust) and Bharatiya Sangit Prasanga. He edited the quarterly publication Music of India, issued by the Calcutta Music Association.[7][8][9]
Roy Choudhury patronized classical artists and maintained a collection of music manuscripts, notations, and personal notebooks documenting compositions taught by various ustads. His collection was later preserved for scholarly research at institutions including the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta.[10][5]
He joined academia as a faculty member, helping establish the department of music at Rabindra Bharati University in Kolkata, where he taught instrumental music and musicology.[11][7]
The Birendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury collection was acquired by the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta between 2012 and 2016. It consists of digitized books, journals, notebooks, and ephemera related to Indian music. The collection includes materials in Bengali, English, and Hindi on topics like dhrupad, khyal, thumri, music theory, and the works of prominent musicians. There are also several handwritten letters exchanged between Rabindranath Tagore and Chowdhury in this collection.[12]
Awards and honours
[edit]- Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in Hindustani Instrumental Music (1964)
Death
[edit]Birendra Kishore Roy Choudhury died on 3 July 1972 in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.[1]
Selected bibliography
[edit]- Hindustani Sangiter Itihas (History of Hindustani Music)[13]
- Hindusthani Sangite Tansener Sthan (1st, 2nd ed.) (The Place of Tansen in Hindustani Music)[13]
- Sangit Bigyan Prabeshika (Introduction to Musical Science)[13]
- Indian Music and Mian Tansen (Gouripur Music Trust)[14]
- Bharatiya Sangit Prasanga (Jijnasa, 1964)[13]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Shivmat Bhairav (Sursringar)" | 2:56 |
| 2. | "Todi (Sursringar)" | 3:07 |
| 3. | "Bahaduri Todi (Sursringar)" | 2:36 |
| 4. | "Khamaj (Sursringar)" | 6:27 |
| 5. | "Darbari (Sursringar)" | 3:08 |
| 6. | "Lakshmi Todi (Seni Rebab)" | 3:24 |
| 7. | "Lachari Todi (Seni Rebab)" | 3:19 |
| 8. | "Shukla Bilawal (Seni Rebab)" | 3:24 |
| 9. | "Badhans Sarang (Seni Rebab)" | 3:19 |
| 10. | "Jaunpuri (Rudra Vina)" | 3:17 |
| 11. | "Lalit Pancham (Rudra Vina)" | 3:13 |
| 12. | "Basant (Rudra Vina)" | 6:27 |
| 13. | "Behag (Rudra Vina)" | 3:06 |
| Total length: | 47:20 | |
References
[edit]- 1 2 "বীরেন্দ্ৰকিশোর রায়চৌধুরী". www.ebanglalibrary.com. Retrieved 2026-08-19.
- ↑ "Bilingual E-archive Digital Platform for Bengal's Cinema". Bengal Film Archive. Retrieved 2026-08-19.
- ↑ "Brajendra Kishōre Roy Choudhuri". Oxford Reference. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
- ↑ "Gouripur House needs urgent attention | The Daily Star". www.thedailystar.net. Retrieved 2026-08-19.
- 1 2 "Birendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury – JNG. 180 – (Condition 90-95%) - 78 RPM". New Gramophone House. Retrieved 2026-08-19.
- ↑ Banerjee, Snigdhatanu (2023). "Dhrupad, The Singing Style: Remarkably Losing its Effect": 999631 Bytes. doi:10.6084/M9.FIGSHARE.23691549.V1.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - 1 2 "Indian Music and Mian Tansen by Birendra Kishore Roy Choadhury". David Philipson - Bansuri. Retrieved 2026-08-19.
- ↑ Tawfiq (2016-11-02). "More Sursringar - Birendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury (1901-1972) - Raga Gandhari". Oriental Traditional Music from LPs & Cassettes. Retrieved 2026-08-19.
- ↑ Subramanian, Lakshmi (2020-08-01). "Archiving challenges and public history: Exhibiting the Birendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury Collection". Indian Theatre Journal. 4 (1): 95–106. doi:10.1386/itj_00008_1. ISSN 2059-0660.
- ↑ "The Scholar Musician And The Seni Ustads. Exploring And Exhibiting The Birendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury Collection by Subramanian, Lakshmi: CONDITION - Used/ Good. BINDING - Card Covers with lig (2017) 1st Edition | Prabhu Book Exports". www.abebooks.com. Retrieved 2026-08-19.
- ↑ Raaggiri. "Biography of Pandit Birendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury – raaggiri". Retrieved 2026-08-19.
- ↑ "The Birendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury collection was acquired by the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta". Scribd.
- 1 2 3 4 Birendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury. Books by Birendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury.
- ↑ Pt. Birendra Kishore, Roy Chowdhury (1950). Indian Music and Mian Tansen (1st ed.). Kalkata, India: Self (Birendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury).
External links
[edit]- Birendra Kishore Roychowdhury on Bandcamp