Bhai Baldeep Singh

Bhai Baldeep Singh descends from a long lineage of masters of the Gurbāni Kīrtan maryadā, and today is its 13th generation exponent. His repertoire includes masterpieces that were first composed by the Sikh Gurus and the Bhagats themselves. Bhai Baldeep Singh is also the prime exponent (khalifā) of this oldest gharāna of classical percussions, pakhāwaj/mridangplaying, of Punjab known as Sultanpur Lodhi – Amritsari Bāj. Bhai Baldeep Singh has inspired interest in the structure of the classic poetic forms found in Gurbani, has revived the rare art of singing the 22 vaars (odes) and other folk based genres, and has awakened the artist elements hidden in the old compositions. In 1988, Bhai Baldeep Singh undertook a herculean project to revive almost all the instruments from the Gurus’ times by personally handcrafting them under the guidance of master luthier Gyani Harbhajan Singh of Village Dandian, Hoshiarpur. Today, he has the unique distinction of having carved the nomadic rebāb (also known as the hindustani or dhrupadi-rebāb), sarandā, tāus, dilruba, tamburni (tanpura), jori and pakhāwaj – mridang. In January 2002, he made a violin based on the Stradivari violin in Spring City, Utah (USA), under the guidance of his friend Paul Hart, a master lute-maker. He has designed four new bows for the tāus, which have been handcrafted by Allan Herou in Paris (2003) and Nicola Galliena in Milan (January and March 2007, January 2008). More on - Anad Foundation