Previous Year Question

Mughal emperor Akbar had a deep interest in music. He was not merely a patron of music but also possessed considerable personal knowledge of it.

Akbar received instruction from Lal Kalawant in Indian or Hindavi vocal traditions. Jahangir's memoirs mention Lal Kalawant as a musician who had grown up in Akbar's service from childhood and had taught him the subtleties of breathing, pronunciation and sounds associated with the Hindi language.

In examination literature, this evidence is generally expressed as Akbar having learnt Hindu music or Hindustani vocalisation from Lal Kalawant.

Akbar was also skilled in playing the naqqara. His court contained numerous musicians belonging to Indian, Iranian, Turanian and Kashmiri traditions.

Music under Akbar shows an important interaction between Indian and Persian musical traditions. It was within this cultural environment that great musicians such as Tansen were also associated with Akbar's court.

One qualification is useful—the contemporary wording does not describe a formal “Hindu Music course” in the modern sense; it refers to Lal Kalawant teaching Akbar the subtleties of Hindavi vocal expression.