in which year was tansen born?

Question

and in which year did he die?

Answer 1

Miyan Tansen (1506–1589) is believed to have been the greatest North Indian musician of all time. He was instrumental in creating the classical style of North Indian music as we know it today, and has influenced it greatly up to the present day, both through his actions and his blood descendants. He was one of the Navaratnas (nine jewels) at the court of the Mughal Emperor Akbar.

Tansen was born in a Hindu family in Gwalior. His father, Mukund Misra, was a poet.[1] The boy learned music from Haridas Swami, a legendary teacher of the time, and came to serve as court musician to King Ramachandra of Mewa and later to Emperor Akbar as one of the treasured Navaratnas (nine jewels) of the court. It was Akbar who gave him the title Miyan, and he is usually referred to today as Miyan Tansen.

Miyan Tansen accepted Islam at the hands of the great Sufi mystic and saint – Shaykh Muhammad Ghaus of Gwalior who was also his teacher and spiritual guide. He lies buried in the mausoleum complex of this great Shaykh of Gwalior[2].

As a musician, Tansen is said to have no equal (except perhaps for his guru and for a counterpart, Amir Khusro, centuries earlier), so good he is sometimes thought to have worked miracles through his singing, such as bringing the rains with Raga Megh Malhar and starting fires with Raga Deepak. He composed several ragas that have been cornerstones in the repertoire ever since, such as Darbari Kanada, Miyan ki Todi, Miyan ki Malhar, and Miyan ki Sarang. Almost every gharana (school) tries to trace its origin to him, though some try to go further back to Amir Khusro.[3] However, it is likely that Tansen and his guru Swami Haridas really started the Dhrupad style of singing. His Sangeeta Sara and Rajmala are important documents on music.

Tansen had four sons and a daughter, Tanras Khan, Bilas Khan, Hamirsen, Suratsen and Saraswati Devi, all musicians; Bilas Khan created raga Bilaskhani Todi.[4] In fact, Tansen's blood descendants held sway for hundreds of years as a most formidable force – the Senia gharana – on the North Indian music scene. The last of the line, Dr Dabir Khan, was born in 1905 and died in 1972. He was a dhrupadiya and a beenkar, working for Radio Calcutta. He came from Saraswati Devi's side of the family.

Answer 2

Tansen lived from 1506–1589