Haji Sujan Khan

Haji Sujan Khan represents the Dhrupad-Dhamar foundation of the gharana. Before the Agra school was known for Khayal, it was a "Kalawant" lineage, a class of elite musicians who specialised in the sombre, structural purity of Dhrupad. His original name was Sujan Singh, and he converted to Islam later in life. He was one of the "Jewels" of Emperor Akbar’s court in Agra/Fatehpur Sikri

Research indicates that Sujan Khan was key in integrating the Nauhar Bani (one of the four traditional styles of Dhrupad) into the family's repertoire. This is why, even today, Agra vocalists perform a "Nom-Tom Alap" before their Khayal; this is a direct technical inheritance from Sujan Khan’s era. His compositions were known for their rhythmic "vazan" (weight), a characteristic that remains the hallmark of the Agra sound. Many of his descendants carried the title "Khan," but they maintained the "Sujan" signature in their compositions as a mark of respect to him.