Prabha Atre

Prabha Atre (13 September 1932 – 13 January 2024) was an Indian classical vocalist from the Kirana gharana. She was awarded all three of the Padma Awards by the Government of India. She died in Pune from cardiac arrest on 13 January 2024, at the age of 91 .

Early life and education Atre was born to Abasaheb and Indirabai Atre in Pune. As children, Atre and her sister, Usha, were interested in music, but neither of them planned to pursue music as a career. When Atre was eight, Indirabai was not keeping good health, and at a friend's suggestion that classical music lessons would help her feel better, she took a few lessons. Listening to those lessons inspired Atre to learn classical music.

Her music training was in the Guru-shishya tradition. She learnt classical music from Sureshbabu Mane and Hirabai Badodekar from the Kirana gharana.

Career Atre had a short stint as a singing stage-actress in the early days of her career. She also played roles in a line-up of Marathi theatre classics, which included Sangeet Nataks like Sanshay-Kallol, Maanaapamaan, Saubhadra and Vidyaharan. She acted along with stage artists Ganpatrao Bodas, Chhota Gandharva, Ram Marathe, PL Deshpande, Prasad Savkar, Bhalchandra Pendharkar and created great impact with her effective singing style.

Atre was one of the senior vocalists in the country representing the Kirana Gharana. Her first LP was done with Maru Bihag, Kalavati and Khamaj Thumari. She contributed to popularizing Indian classical vocal music at global level, working in various musical genres such as Khyal, Thumri, Dadra, Ghazal, geet, Natyasangeet, and bhajans.

As a composer Book of compositions Swaranginee Swaranjanee and Swararangee. She also invented new Raags such as Apurva Kalyan, Darbari Kauns, Bhinna Kauns, Patdeep-Malhar, Shiv Kali, Shivani, Kalaheer, Tilang-bhairav, Ravi-Bhairav, Kaushik Bhairav and Madhur-kauns Music compositions adapted to full-length dance programme 'Nritya Prabha' – choreographed by the Bharatanatyam danseuse Sucheta Bhide Chapekar. Music composition adapted for jazz by Susanne Abbuehl from the Netherlands. Music composed for musical-dramas and Sangeetikas.

Related activities Atre taught music, performing lecture-demonstrations, and writing on the topic of Indian classical music. An Assistant Producer with the All India Radio. Top Grade — by All India Radio and Doordarshan in classical vocal, light vocal, semi classical vocal and Drama Artist (Marathi and Hindi). Main female role in Professional Musical Dramas.(Sangeet Natak and Sangeetika) She was a visiting professor at a many institutions in the West, including the Rotterdam Conservatory in the Netherlands. Visiting professor at the Music conservatory – Montreux Switzerland, the University of California, Los Angeles, Indo-American Fellowship for studying research materials used in Ethnomusicology at the University of California, Los Angeles, and at the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Appointment as 'Special Executive Magistrate' by the Government of Maharashtra in recognition of services to the cause of Music Professor and Head of the Dept. of Music, S.N.D.T. Woman's University, Mumbai. Around 1992, Atre started an annual Pandit Sureshbabu Mane and Hirabai Badodekar Sangeet Sammelan music festival. The festival takes place annually in December in Mumbai.

Discography Maru Bihag, Kalavati, Khamaj thumri Niranjani – Puriya Kalyan, Shankara, Basant Anant Prabha – Lalit, Bhinna Shadja, Bhairavi thumri Bageshree, Khamaj thumri Jogkauns, Todi, thumri Malkauns, dadra Chandrakauns Madhukauns Madhuvanti, Desi Yaman, Bhairav Shyam Kalyan, Bihag, Rageshree thumri ghazal and bhajan recordings from live concerts from the 1970s

Books Books of music compositions: 1. Swaranjanee 2. Swaranginee 3. Swararangee

Books containing her musical thoughts: 1. Swaramayee (Marathi and Hindi) 2. Suswaralee (Marathi and Hindi) 3. Along the path of Music 4. Enlightening the listener

Book of poetry: Antah Swar (Marathi Hindi and English)

Disciples Atre gave private lessons to students beginning in 1969. Dr. Prabha Atre mentored numerous students through her skilled and dedicated teaching methods, many of whom later became well-known musicians in their own right. She was associated with SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai, where she served as a department head. From 1960 onwards, she toured extensively abroad to perform, teach, and propagate Indian classical music. She also established the Swaramayee Gurukul in Pune to train students in the traditional Guru–Shishya Parampara. Her noted disciples include Alka Joglekar, Vijaya Patki, Asha Parasnis, Padmini Rao, Chetna Banawat, Atindra Sarvadikar, Arati Thakur, Ashvini Modak, and Fumie Nigeshi, among others. As a tribute to Dr. Prabha Atre ji, four of her leading disciples—Arati Thakur, Atindra Sarvadikar, Chetna Banawat, and Ashvini Modak—presented a spellbinding concluding performance at the prestigious Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Sangeet Samaroh, Pune, in 2024.