Remembering My Teachers—Bruno Nettl and Sabri Khan: Society for Asian Music 2022 Keynote Address

Abstract

Remembering My Teachers—Bruno Nettl and Sabri Khan: Society for Asian Music 2022 Keynote Address Daniel M. Neuman (bio) In 1984, I organized an SEM panel called “Things Our Gurus Taught Us.” Even then I was aware of the unique relationship that can be established between teacher and student and the significant impact an exceptional teacher can have on students generally. I was blessed by two such exceptional teachers, who each in their own way had a major impact, not just on me, which by itself wouldn’t be so interesting, but on a host of others. Bruno Nettl is of course well-known to all of you, in many cases directly. Sabri Khan was a world-class sarangi player, generally regarded as one of the top three sarangi players in India, and the most sought-after accompanist. For those working in India, his name will be recognized, not only as my teacher but also as Regula Qureshi’s teacher. By way of introduction I would like to draw some comparisons between Bruno Nettl’s and Sabri Khan’s lives. They both aspired and succeeded to become among the very best in their fields. As young men, both experienced the trauma of war; Bruno when he had to leave Prague because of Nazis targeting those of Jewish descent and Sabri Khan because of the communal riots in Delhi up to and through partition in which Muslims were targeted. What draws them most closely together, however, was their dedication to their students. Bruno not only guided innumerable students through their dissertations but worked ceaselessly to get them placed in academic positions. Sabri Khan not only guided his offspring, which is what hereditary musicians do, but had them all educated, including his daughters, at a time when this was very rare for this community of hereditary Muslim musicians, known as [End Page 4] Mirasis. He also taught many others and succeeded in getting them placed at All India Radio and later at the television station and other local institutions. Click for larger view View full resolution Bruno Nettl (March 14, 1930–January 15, 2020) and Sabri Khan (May 21, 1927–December 1, 2015). Photos by Daniel M. Neuman. First Steps It has been almost sixty years since I first met Bruno Nettl in the autumn of 1965, just a year after he had joined the faculty at the University of Illinois in 1964. I was introduced to him by William Kay Archer, a linguist and Persian-language specialist who taught in the anthropology department at Illinois. New to the department in 1965, I told Archer that I had a great interest in music and anthropology, and he said I must meet Bruno Nettl, who was an ethnomusicologist, which was then quite a new word for me. I met Sabri Khan just four years later in the winter of 1969. Having been a violin student, I was interested in studying a bowed instrument, and the Indian sarangi was the obvious choice. Mr. Keshev Kothari, then the general secretary of the Sangeet Natak Akademi, recommended Sabri Khan as a teacher and introduced him to me. My sarangi lessons began with Sabri Khan coming to my place in Green Park extension in New Delhi along with Faiyaz Khan to provide tabla accompaniment (see fig. 2). Bruno Nettl came with his family to Delhi in early summer and visited me in Green Park extension. In figure 3 you see him (with the cook who came with the rented house); his wife, Wanda; and his daughters, Becky and Gloria. They were there for several [End Page 5] Click for larger view View full resolution Figure 2. Sabri Khan and Faiyaz Khan in my Green Park extension rental. Photo by Daniel M. Neuman. Click for larger view View full resolution Figure 3. The Nettl family in Delhi in 1969. Photo by Daniel M. Neuman. [End Page 6] Click for larger view View full resolution Figure 4. Ahmad Ebadi. Photo by Daniel M. Neuman. days, and I provided a guided tour of Delhi, but I don’t recall that Bruno Nettl and Sabri Khan met at that time. William Kay Archer had just arranged an exchange program with Teheran...