Hidayat Inayat Khan, English-French composer and conductor, Died at 99

Hidayat Inayat Khan was born on August 6, 1917, in London, England, and died on September 12, 2016)

He was an English-French classical composer, conductor, and Representative-General of the International Sufi Movement.

He was the son of Sufi Master Hazrat Inayat Khan and Pirani Ameena Begum; brother of Noor Inayat Khan and Vilayat Inayat Khan; and father of Fazal Inayat-Khan, who led the International Sufi Movement from 1968 to 1982.

Khan western musical education began in Paris in 1932 at the L’Ecole Normale de Musique, in the violin class of Bernard Sinsheimer; the composition class of Nadia Boulanger; and the orchestra class of Diran Alexanian.

Then later, he attended chamber music courses given by the Lener Quartet in Budapest.

During 1942, Inayat-Khan became Professor of music at the Lycee Musical de Dieulefit, France, and later, in the Netherlands, joined the orchestra of Haarlem as violinist.

Hidayat followed the courses of orchestra conducting by Toon Verhey.

During 1952, he conducted the orchestra of ‘s-Hertogenbosch for the world wide broadcasting of his Po’me en Fa for orchestra and piano and in the same year, founded his first chamber music orchestra ensemble.

Some of his performance highlights in Hidayat Inayat-Khan’s professional life include the playing, on 4 May 1957, of his Zikar Symphony at Salle Pleyel, Paris, conducted by George Pretre, in a Pasdeloup concert.

Sometimes, due to Mahatma Gandhi’s centenary, on 21 November 1969, the Gandhi Symphony was played in a special concert organised by UNESCO in the Netherlands.

Which was repeated in 1971 during a broadcasting of “The voice of America”, as well as on the United Nations Radio in the USA and was later recorded by the US Armed Forces Radio Stations in a worldwide Carmen Dragon show.

During 1988, Hidayat Inayat-Khan assumed the role of Representative-General of the International Sufi Movement and Pir-o-Murshid of its Inner School.

Khan divides his time between the Netherlands and the family home in Suresnes, but travels extensively, giving classes and lectures on Sufism.

Hidayat Inayat Khan passed away at 99 years old.