  Hindustani classical music is entirely based on the "Raga" structures. In
Hindustani music, a "Gharana" or school refers to the adherence of a group of
musicians to a particular musical style. Gharanas have their basis in the
traditional mode of musical training and education. Every Gharana has its own
distinct features; though within a particular Gharana, significant differences
in singing styles are observed between generations of performers, which can be
ascribed to the individual creativity of that singer. This work aims to study
the evolution of singing style among four artists of four consecutive
generations from Patiala Gharana. For this, alap and bandish parts of two
different Ragas sung by the four artists were analyzed with the help of non
linear multifractal analysis (MFDFA) technique. The multifractal spectral width
obtained from the MFDFA method gives an estimate of the complexity of the
signal. The observations from the variation of spectral width give a cue
towards the scientific recognition of Guru-Shisya Parampara (teacher-student
tradition) - a hitherto much-heard philosophical term. From a quantitative
approach this study succeeds in analyzing the evolution of singing styles
within a particular Gharana over generations of artists as well as the effect
of globalization in the field of classical music.
