Shivkumar Sharma

Shivkumar Sharma Born 13 January 1938 Died 10 May 2022 Was An Indian Classical Musician And Santoor Player Who Is Credited With Adapting The Santoor For Indian Classical Music. As A Music Composer He Collaborated With Indian Flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia Under The Collaborative Name Shiv-Hari And Composed Music For Many Indian Films Including Faasle 1985 Chandni 1989 Lamhe 1991 And Darr 1993 . Sharma Was Awarded The Sangeet Natak Akademi Award In 1986 The Padma Shri India's Fourth Highest Civilian Award In 1991 And The Padma Bhushan India's Third Highest Civilian Award In 2001. Sharma Working In The Hindustani Classical Music Tradition Was A Master Of The Santoor A Folk Instrument From The Valley Of Kashmir. It Is A Type Of Hammered Dulcimer Whose Strings Are Struck With A Pair Of Light Carved Wooden Mallets. Before Him The Santoor Was Regarded As Only An Accompanying Instrument. He Is Credited With Single-Handedly Making The Santoor A Popular Classical Instrument To The Extent That The Santoor And Pandit Shivkumar Sharma Are Synonymous. Sharma Modified The Kashmiri Folk Instrument To Make It More Suitable For His Classical Technique Increasing The Range Of The Instrument To Three Full Octaves And Making It Capable Of A Smoother Meend The Glissando Or Gliding Between Notes Required In Hindustani Classical Music To Emulate The Human Voice . He Also Created A New Technique Of Playing With Which He Could Sustain Notes And Maintain Sound Continuity. Sharma Performed Many Concerts With Renowned Musicians Such As The Tabla Maestro Ustad Zakir Hussain. He Has Also Partnered The Well-Known Flautist Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia To Form A Group Called Shiv-Hari For Composing Hindi Film Music. Sharma Is The Recipient Of Many National And International Awards Including Honorary Citizenship Of The City Of Baltimore USA 1985 Sangeet Natak Academy Award 1986 Maharashtra Gaurav Puraskar 1990 Honorary Doctorate From The University Of Jammu 1991 Padmashree 1991 Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan Award 1998 And Padma Vibhushan 2001 . read less