Noted Indian Musician Ravi Shankar Dies
December 12, 2012
Ravi Shankar, an Indian musician famous throughout the world for his inspired playing of the Indian stringed instrument called the sitar, has died at a hospital near his home in Encinitas, California. Shankar, who began playing the sitar at age 18, spent seven years mastering the traditional instrument. In 1956, he became the first Indian instrumentalist to go on a world tour.
During the 1960′s, Shankar won great success introducing Indian music and the sitar to audiences throughout the world. George Harrison, a member of the Beatles rock group, became one of his best-known pupils. In 1969, Shankar performed at the Woodstock festival, a famous outdoor rock concert in the United States. But despite his popular appeal, he remained devoted to India’s traditional classical music. Shankar was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in 2001.
Shankar was also known for his compositions, including concertos for sitar and orchestra. He composed the scores for a number of films, including the Indian film director Satyajit Ray’s Apu trilogy, made between 1955 and 1959. Shankar also composed scores for a few Western films, notably Charly (1968) and Gandhi (1982).
Shankar’s daughter Norah Jones has become an award-winning singer, pianist, and songwriter in the United States. Another daughter, Anoushka Shankar, has won international acclaim as a performer on the sitar.