Mushtaq Hussain Khan

Ustad Mushtaq Hussain Khan (1878 – 13 August 1964) was an eminent Indian classical vocalist of the Rampur-Sahaswan gharana. Born in Sahaswan, Budaun District, Uttar Pradesh, into a family of traditional musicians, he began his musical training at the age of ten under his father, Ustad Kallan Khan. At twelve, he became a disciple of Ustad Haider Khan and accompanied him to Kathmandu, Nepal. After two years, he came under the tutelage of Ustad Inayat Hussain Khan, the founder of the Rampur-Sahaswan gharana, who further refined his artistry. At thirty-five, he was enlisted as a court musician in Rampur, eventually becoming the Chief Court Musician. During the 1920s, as music conferences gained prominence across India, Mushtaq Hussain Khan became a perpetual invitee and no conference was considered complete without his participation. In 1956, he retired from Rampur and joined the Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra in New Delhi. He became the first Indian classical vocalist to receive the Padma Bhushan in 1957. A revered guru, his disciples included Naina Devi, Bhimsen Joshi, and Shanno Khurana.