Zia Mohiuddin Dagar

Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar (14 March 1929 – 28 September 1990), (Popularly known as Z. M. Dagar), was a North Indian (Hindustani) classical musician, one of the 19th generation of Dagar family dhrupad musicians. He was largely responsible for the revival of the rudra vina as a solo concert instrument.

Early life and the choice of veena Z. M. Dagar was born in the town of Udaipur, Rajasthan on 14 March 1929 and began musical study with his father, Ustad Ziauddin Khan Dagar, court musician for the Maharana of Udaipur.

Playing style Z. M. Dagar was known particularly for his slow development of ragas, typically performed only with tanpura accompaniment (he rarely played with pakhawaj), and for his meticulous attention to microtonal inflections.

Outside India He was very active in the West, associating himself with the American Society for Eastern Arts in Berkeley, California (Zia Mohiuddin Dagar offered 12 weeks of classes during the spring of 1977). Financial support was secured by the Center for World Music from the National Endowment for the Arts and other contributors) and with Wesleyan University, , and the University of Washington, Seattle, where he was a visiting professor.

Discography