Ustad Sabri Khan was born on May 21, 1927 in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, and died on December 1, 2015 in New Dehli, Dehli.
He was an Indian sarangi player, who was descended on both sides of his family from a line of distinguished musicians.
Ustad belonged to the Sainia Gharana. This Gharana traces the tradition of its music back to Mian Tansen, the great vocalist in the court of the Moghul Emperor Akbar.
Ustad had been initiated into Sarangi – playing by his grandfather, Ustad Haji Mohammed Khan and later continued his training under his father Ustad Chajju Khan, both accomplished Sarangi exponents of their time.
He also learned some important and rare techniques of playing this ancient and difficult instrument from his uncle Ustad Laddan Khan of Rampur.
Ustad had a prodigious command over the Sarangi – bowed instrument, which is considered to be a difficult instrument to master in Indian instrumental music.
In playing Sarangi, Ustad had generated his own style where the purity of raga, variety of tans, layakari, (rhythmic oscillations) alaap-jor are obvious and of course of the traditional form of sarangi-playing in its total originality.
Ustad Sabri Khan passed away at age 88 in December 2015.