Pandit Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande (10 August 1860 – 19 September 1936) was an Indian musicologist who wrote the first modern treatise on Hindustani classical music, an art which had been propagated earlier for a few centuries mostly through oral traditions. During those earlier times, the art had undergone several changes, rendering the raga grammar documented in scant old outdated texts.

Ragas used to be classified into Raga (male), Ragini (female), and Putra (children). Bhatkhande reclassified them into the currently used thaat system. He noted that several ragas did not conform to their description in ancient Sanskrit texts. He explained the ragas in an easy-to-understand language and composed several bandishes which explained the grammar of the ragas. He borrowed the idea of lakshan geet from the Carnatic music scholar Venkatamakhin.

Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande was born on 10 August 1860 into a Chitpavan Brahmin family in walkeshwar Bombay. While not a professional musician himself, his father, who worked for an affluent businessman, ensured that Bhatkhande and his siblings received an education in classical music. After turning fifteen, Bhatkhande became a student of the sitar and subsequently began studying Sanskrit texts that dealt with music theory. He completed a BA degree at Elphinstone College in Bombay in 1885. In 1887, Bhatkhande graduated with a degree in law from Bombay University and briefly pursued a career in criminal law.

In 1884, Bhatkhande became a member of Gayan Uttejak Mandali, a music appreciation society in Bombay, which broadened his experience with music performance and teaching. He studied at the Mandali for six years and learned a variety of compositions in both khayal and dhrupad forms under musicians such as Shri Raojibua Belbagkar and Ustad Ali Hussain. Music was still something of a leisurely pursuit for Bhatkhande until 1900 when his wife died, followed, in 1903, by the death of his daughter. This led to him abandoning his law practice and devoting his full attention to music.

Manuscripts edited by Bhatkhande

  1. Swara Mela Kalanidhi by Ramamatya
  2. Chaturdandi Prakashika by Venkatamakhin
  3. Raga Lakshanam
  4. Raga Tarangini by Lochan
  5. Raga Tatva Vibodh by Shriniwas
  6. Sadraga Chandrodaya by Pundarik Vithal
  7. Raga Manjari by Pundarik Vithal
  8. "Raga Mala" by Pundarik Vithal
  9. Nartan Niranaya by Kashinath Shashtri Appa Tulsi
  10. Sangeet Sudhakar by Kashinath Shashtri Appa Tulsi
  11. Sangeet Kalp Drumankur by Kashinath Shashtri Appa Tulsi
  12. Raga Chandrika by Kashinath Shashtri Appa Tulsi
  13. Raga Chandrika Sar (Hindi)


[Information by Wikipedia]