About Pakistan
- Qawwali & Ghazal
Qawwali
This form of song found in South Asia, traditionally was used
to express praise for God and spread the pronouncements of
the Prophets. The term “Qawwali” is based
on the Arabic term “Qaol” for an axiom or
dictum. In South Asia Qawwali is a musical expression
of Sufi tradition.
These
verses are recited by a group of about nine singers with one
lead singer. In addition to hand clapping from the singers,
there are number of instruments that can be used in Qawwali. These
include instruments such as the bubul
tarang, kartal, rabab, sarangi, saringda, dholak/dhol,
tabla and harmonium. Qawwali utilizes verses
from Farsi, Punjabi, Sindhi, Siraiki, and Urdu poetry.
The Qawwali form
is prevalent in many South Asian films of the 20th century. Its
widespread use in the cinema not only popularized the Qawwali for
younger audiences, but also led to the development of several
new forms within this musical tradition. In recent decades Qawwali have
become increasingly secular in subject content, and has become
internationally popular through the work of artists such as
the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
The following links have Qawwali music
for listening and downloading:
www.pakwatan.com
www.pakistanimusic.com
Ghazals
The ghazal is actually not a musical form, but rather
a poetic recitation. The poetic tradition was imported
to South Asia from Persia. The ghazal was a popular
form of poetry in Persia by the time it came to South Asia
in approximately the 12th century. By the
18th century the ghazal in South Asia was
written in Urdu and became a uniquely regional form of expression.
There are strict rules of composition for this form of poetry,
which stresses the theme introduced in the opening line and
uses alternatively rhyming couplets. While the entire ghazal will
follow a theme and is meant to be read as a whole, each couplet
is composed in such a way that it can shine independently,
to represent the idea on its own. The last couplet of
the ghazal, called the makta, often refers to
the name of the author and/or some personal ideas about the
theme.
Today, the term ghazal often refers to a musical form
which utilizes the verses of ghazals as song lyrics. The
recording industry of South Asia has popularized this form
since the very beginning of the 20th century, and
transformed the ghazal from a form of enjoyment for
only an elite few to one which is enjoyed by all.
An example of ghazal
by
Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Donon jahaan teri mohabbat
mein haar ke
Woh jaa raha hai koi shab-e-gham guzaar ke
Viraan hai maikada khum-o-saaghar
udaas hain
Tum kya gaye ke ruth gaye din bahaar ke
Ek fursat-e-gunah mili woh
bhi chaar din
Dekhe hain hum ne hausle parwardigaar ke
Duniya ne teri yaad se begaana
kar diya
Tujh se bhi dilfreb hain gham rozgaar ke
Bhule se muskra ke diye woh
aaj Faiz
Mat puchh walwale dil-e-nakarda kaar ke
We’ll
keep on plying the pen
We’ll keep
on plying the pen on the page,
Record shall we the tale of our heart.
We’ll keep providing the sorrows of love,
And fertilize the wastes of time.
The virulence of times is yet to grow,
The tyrants will stick to their tyrannous ways.
We welcome the virulence, accept the blows,
Life permitting, we’ll redress our grief.
If the tavern stays, with the purple wine,
We’ll deck the roofs and walls of the mosque.
While there is blood still in our veins,
Our tears will supply the tint to her cheeks.
A style of indifference will be her way,
A style of submission will be our creed.
(From: http://www.cpiml.org/liberation/year_2003/february/POEMS2.HTM)
The following web pages have ghazals for
listening and downloading:
www.pakwatan.com
www.muziq.net/pakistan
Glossary:
- Bubul tarang: A
dulcimer like instrument which produces sound by pressing
fingers on strings strung over a board.
- Dholak/dhol: the Dholak or Dhol is
a type of drum.
- Farsi: Persian
- Ghazals: a
poetic recitation.
- Kartal: Small
percussion instruments which provide rhythmic background
for folk music.
- Punjabi: language
of Punjab.
- Qawwalis: a
form of song found in South Asia. (For more see Qawwalis and Ghazals
page)
- Rabab: A
classical lute, which closely resembles the North Indian sarod.
- Sarangi: A
stringed instrument of South Asia, which closely resembles
the saro.
- Saringda: Also
a stringed instrument of South Asia, a folk version of the sarangi.
- Sindhi:
A regional language, of the Sindh province of Pakistan
- Siraiki: (see Siraiki page
on the disc)
- Tabla: the tabla is
a drum-pair in which each drum is played by one hand
- Urdu: official
Language of Pakistan and also spoken in India.
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