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Tansen
तानसेन
The supreme singer of the Mughal court — the raga is his monument
Years
c. 1493 – 1586
Known as
Mian Tansen — the jewel of Akbar's court
Birthplace
Behat, near Gwalior
Field
Artists & Performers
“The singer who could light the lamps with Raga Deepak and call the rain with Raga Megh.”
— The legend of Tansen
The Story
Born near Gwalior in a family of musicians, Tansen (originally Ramtanu) was a prodigy who, legend says, first sang in a temple and made the image of the goddess speak. He studied under the great Swami Haridas of Vrindavan and under the ruler of Gwalior, and his fame soon outgrew every court he served.
Akbar is said to have brought Tansen to his court by force of will, and made him one of the Navaratnas — the nine jewels — of the court at Fatehpur Sikri. The emperor called him Mian Tansen, the honored one, and kept him at his side for decades; his music was the wonder of the age, and the court chronicles describe him as the equal of no singer who had ever lived.
The legends that surround him are the proudest of music of Bhārat: that Raga Deepak, sung by him, lit the lamps of the palace; that Raga Megh brought the rains; that he composed the great ragas Mian ki Malhar and Mian ki Todi, still named after him. He died in 1586, and Akbar is said to have mourned him as a friend, not a subject. His tomb at Gwalior is honoured to this day, and the Tansen Sangeet Samaroh is held there every year.
Core Ideas
The Raga Master
The singer who made the raga the summit of music of Bhārat.
Mian ki Malhar
His own ragas still bear his name, four centuries later.
The Deepak Legend
His Raga Deepak was said to light the lamps of the palace.
The Navaratna
One of the nine jewels of Akbar's court.
The Dhrupad
He perfected the grand form that opens concerts still.
Why it matters today
Tansen's name is the title of honour in music of Bhārat — the Tansen Festival at his tomb, the Tansen award, and the very phrase 'a Tansen' for a great singer. He is the proof that Bhārat's music reached its greatest height at its oldest courts, and that the singer is the true king of the raga.