Birendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury (; 1 August 1901 – 3 July 1975) was a Bengali Hindustani classical instrumentalist, musicologist, writer, and patron of music from the Gouripur zamindari family of Mymensingh District, Bengal Presidency (present-day Bangladesh). A scholar and exponent of the Dhrupad style, he played traditional stringed instruments including the Rudra veena (bin), sursingar, and Seni rubab. He served as a lecturer and helped establish the department of music at Rabindra Bharati University in Kolkata. In 1964, he was awarded the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for his contributions to Hindustani instrumental music.
Early life and background Birendra Kishore Roy Choudhury was born on 1 August 1901 into the Gouripur landlord family in Mymensingh District, British Bengal (now in Bangladesh). His father, Brajendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury, was a landlord, educationist, and patron of classical musicians who supported nationalist educational institutions in Bengal.
Growing up in Gouripur House, he received early exposure to Hindustani classical music through the visiting court musicians and maestros hosted by his father. He trained under multiple prominent masters of the Seni gharana and related traditions, including Ustad Mohammad Wazir Khan of Rampur, Ustad Mohammad Ali Khan, Ustad Imdad Khan, Ustad Allauddin Khan, Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan, and Ustad Dabir Khan.
Career and contribution Roy Choudhury focused on traditional Hindustani classical stringed instruments that were prominent in the Dhrupad tradition, particularly the Rudra veena (bin), sursingar, and Seni rabab. He performed regularly on All India Radio and engaged in research documenting classical compositions, raga structure, and performance techniques.
In addition to performance, he contributed to musicology and musical literature. He authored and edited publications on Hindustani classical music, including the book Indian Music and Mian Tansen (published on behalf of the Gouripur Music Trust) and Bharatiya Sangit Prasanga. He edited the quarterly publication Music of India, issued by the Calcutta Music Association.
Roy Choudhury patronized classical artists and maintained a collection of music manuscripts, notations, and personal notebooks documenting compositions taught by various ustads. His collection was later preserved for scholarly research at institutions including the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta.
He joined academia as a faculty member, helping establish the department of music at Rabindra Bharati University in Kolkata, where he taught instrumental music and musicology.
The Birendra Kishore Roy Chowdhury collection was acquired by the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Calcutta between 2012 and 2016. It consists of digitized books, journals, notebooks, and ephemera related to Indian music. The collection includes materials in Bengali, English, and Hindi on topics like dhrupad, khyal, thumri, music theory, and the works of prominent musicians. There are also several handwritten letters exchanged between Rabindranath Tagore and Chowdhury in this collection.
Awards and honours
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in Hindustani Instrumental Music (1964)
Death Birendra Kishore Roy Choudhury died on 3 July 1972 in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
Selected bibliography
Hindustani Sangiter Itihas (History of Hindustani Music) Hindusthani Sangite Tansener Sthan (1st, 2nd ed.) (The Place of Tansen in Hindustani Music) Sangit Bigyan Prabeshika (Introduction to Musical Science) Indian Music and Mian Tansen (Gouripur Music Trust) Bharatiya Sangit Prasanga (Jijnasa, 1964)
Track listing
References
External links
Birendra Kishore Roychowdhury on Bandcamp