A Life In Three Octaves: The Musical Journey of Gangubai Hangal

Gangubai Hangal is among the greatest Hindustani classical music vocalists of India. She was conferred with the Padma Vibhushan, given a state funeral, memorialised on a stamp and there are concerts in her memory to this day.
Born in 1913 in Dharwad into a family with a rich musical tradition, young Gangu’s interest in music was piqued by many things, not least by the magical new technology that was the gramophone. But her life and her artistic journey truly began when she became a disciple of Sawai Gandharva at the age of seventeen. By taking refuge in her guru, Gangubai was able to distance herself from the devadasi community to which she belonged, and move on to the concert stage, radio and recording studios. In many ways, Gangubai’s life ran parallel to the journey of India itself. From being inspired by Mahatma Gandhi to being part of the changing landscape of Indian music, hers was a life poised between the riches of tradition and the promise of modernity.
A Life in Three Octaves is an intimate, warm-hearted account of a remarkable human being and an extraordinary artiste whose music held many polarities in tension—tradition and innovation, system and originality, the personal and impersonal