Shiv Kumar Sharma

Shiv Kumar Sharma (born January 13, 1938, Jammu [now in Jammu and Kashmir], India—died May 10, 2022, Mumbai, India) was an Indian sanṭūr (hammered dulcimer) virtuoso who is credited with shifting the instrument from a predominantly accompanimental and ensemble role in the Sufi music of Kashmir to a solo role in the Hindustani classical music tradition of North India.

Sharma began studying music when he was five years old. His teacher was his own father, Uma Dutt Sharma, who was an accomplished Hindustani vocalist as well as tabla (pair of drums) and pakhavaj (double-headed drum) player, all in the tradition of the Benaras gharana (community of performers who share a distinctive musical style). Shiv Kumar trained as a singer and tabla player, and, by the time he was 12, he was performing for the local radio station in Jammu. When he was a teenager, his father introduced him to the sanṭūr, a dulcimer with some 100 strings that was well known in the Sufi music of the Kashmir region but foreign to Hindustani tradition. Encouraged by his father, Shiv Kumar shifted his instrumental focus to sanṭūr, with the aim of using the instrument to perform Hindustani music.

In 1955 Sharma gave his first major public performance of Hindustani music on the sanṭūr. Although his playing drew praise from the more-progressive listeners, it was criticized by many traditionalists, who believed that the sanṭūr—as a percussive fixed-pitch instrument—was ill suited to the pitch bending and other melodic nuances of Hindustani music. In response to the negative feedback, Sharma increased the melodic range of the instrument, changed the arrangement and tuning of the strings, and reworked his playing technique to produce a more-sustained sound that suggested the tone and flexibility of the human voice. As a result of his unflagging effort and technical virtuosity, the sanṭūr gradually gained acceptance, and by the late 20th century the instrument had been solidly incorporated into the Hindustani tradition.

Sharma released numerous albums of Hindustani sanṭūr music, such as The Last Word in Santoor (2009), as well as many experimental works, including The Elements: Water (1995), which was cast in the smooth and soothing style of New Age popular music. He also played music for many films, including Silsila (1981) and Chandni (1989). For his unique contribution to Indian music, he received a Sangeet Natak Akademi (India’s national academy of music, dance, and drama) award in 1986. He was also awarded two of the country’s top civilian honours: the Padma Shri (1991) and the Padma Vibhushan (2001). Sharma published his autobiography, Journey with a Hundred Strings: My Life in Music (with Ina Puri), in 2002.