General Awareness

Indian Music Artists

3,154 Questions

Indian music artists encompass classical maestros, Bollywood composers, and modern electronic producers. This area highlights pioneers of fusion, reggae, and indie music in the country. Recognizing key figures and their instruments is essential for the arts and culture syllabus in competitive exams.

Classical music pioneersBollywood music composersElectronic music artistsIndie and fusion artistsMusical instruments identificationRegional folk musicPsychedelic and trance artists

Indian Music Artists Questions

Multiple choice

Who is called as the “Mozart of the Madras”?

  1. A. Chitra

  2. M.S Subalaskhmi

  3. Sonu Nigam

  4. A.R Rahman

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

A.R. Rahman is widely known as the 'Mozart of Madras' for his prolific and influential work in film music composition, particularly in Tamil and Indian cinema. The nickname reflects his musical genius comparable to Mozart's classical legacy.

Multiple choice

'An Equal Music' is

  1. a new CD leased by Music Today on the occasion of arrival of the New Millennium

  2. an autobiography of Sitar Maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar

  3. an organisation to promote Indian Classical Music among the youth

  4. a novel written by Vikram Seth

  5. a pop music band
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

'An Equal Music' is a novel by Vikram Seth published in 1999. It's about a quartet of musicians and deals with themes of music, love, and obsession.

Multiple choice

Which instrumentalist was conferred with the K.K. Murthy Memorial T. Chowdiah Award given by the Bangalore-based Academy of Music (AoM) recently?

  1. Trichy Sankaran

  2. Thetakudi Harihara Subash Chandran

  3. Ghatam Udupa

  4. Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman

  5. Kadri Gopalnath
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
E Correct answer
Explanation

The K.K. Murthy Memorial T. Chowdiah Awards   were   conferred   on   Carnatic   vocalist   M. Balamuralikrishna   and   instrumentalist   (saxophone) Kadri Gopalanath in Bangalore on November 29, 2009. The annual awards instituted by the Bangalore-based Academy of Music (AoM) carry a cash prize of Rs. 1 lakh, a citation, a memento and a shawl each.

Multiple choice

Who amongst the following is renowned in the field of instrumental music (Shehnai)l?

  1. Ustad Alla Rakha

  2. Ustad Bismillah Khan

  3. Ustad Amjad Ali Khan

  4. Pt Vishwamohan Bhat
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Ustad Bismillah Khan (1916-2006) was the legendary Shehnai maestro who brought the instrument to global prominence and was awarded the Bharat Ratna. Ustad Alla Rakha was a tabla virtuoso, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan plays sarod, and Pt. Vishwamohan Bhat plays guitar.

Multiple choice

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan is an exponent of

  1. tabla

  2. sarod

  3. santoor

  4. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan is one of the world's foremost sarod players, belonging to the Bangash gharana. He has received numerous awards including Padma Bhushan, Padma Vibhushan, and Grammy nominations. Tabla is played by percussionists like Ustad Zakir Hussain.

Multiple choice

“Made in India: Adventures of a Lifetime” is the biography of which of the following well known music personalities?

  1. Illaiyaraaja

  2. A.R. Rehman

  3. Louis Banks

  4. Biddu Appaiah
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

'Made in India: Adventures of a Lifetime' is the biography of Biddu Appaiah, the music composer behind hits like 'Kung Fu Fighting'. The book chronicles his journey from Bangalore to international music success. The other musicians mentioned have biographies but not with this specific title.

Multiple choice

Who among the following is not associated with Carnatic music?

  1. Tansen

  2. Tyagaraja

  3. Muthuswami Dikshitar

  4. Shyama Shastri
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Tansen was one of the nine gems (Navaratnas) in Emperor Akbar's court and was associated with Hindustani classical music, not Carnatic music. He was primarily a vocalist and instrumentalist in the Hindustani tradition. Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar, and Shyama Shastri together form the Trinity of Carnatic music.

Multiple choice

Who is the Hindustani Vocalist?

  1. Bhimsen Joshi

  2. Lata Mangeshkar

  3. Bismillah Khan

  4. Ravi Shankar
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Bhimsen Joshi was a legendary Hindustani classical vocalist. Lata Mangeshkar was a playback singer, while Bismillah Khan and Ravi Shankar were instrumentalists.

Multiple choice

Pandit Ravi Shankar is famous for

  1. sitar

  2. sarod

  3. shehnai

  4. santoor
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Pandit Ravi Shankar was a world-famous Indian musician and composer who played the sitar. He was instrumental in popularizing Indian classical music globally.