what religion is associated with qawwali? course hero

Full Answer

Where did Qawwali originate?

Qawwali ( Hindi: क़व्वाली ( Devanagari ); Urdu: قوّالی ( Nasta'liq); Punjabi: ਕ਼ੱਵਾਲੀ ( Gurmukhi), قوّالی ( Shahmukhi); Bengali: কাওয়ালি ( Bengali )) is a form of Sufi Islamic devotional singing, originating from the Indian subcontinent, and notably popular in the Punjab and Sindh regions of Pakistan; in Hyderabad, Delhi and other parts of India, especially North India; as well as the Dhaka and Chittagong Divisions of Bangladesh .

Who is the saint of Qawwali?

Delhi 's Su fi saint Amir Khusrow of the Chisti order of Sufis is credited with fusing the Persian, Arabic, Turkish, and Indian traditions in the late 13th century in India to create Qawwali as we know it today. The word Sama is often still used in Central Asia and Turkey to refer to forms very similar to Qawwali, and in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, the formal name used for a session of Qawwali is Mehfil-e-Sama .

What instruments are used in Qawwali?

Instruments such as Harmoniums, tabla and dholak are now common in many Qawwali parties.

How many people are in a Qawwali party?

A group of qawwali musicians, called a party (or Humnawa in Urdu ), typically consists of eight or nine men including a lead singer, one or two side singers, one or two harmoniums (which may be played by the lead singer, side singer or someone else), and percussion. If there is only one percussionist, he plays the tabla and dholak, usually the tabla with the dominant hand and the dholak with the other one (i.e. a left-handed percussionist would play the tabla with his left hand). Often there will be two percussionists, in which case one might play the tabla and the other the dholak. There is also a chorus of four or five men who repeat key verses, and who aid percussion by hand-clapping.

How is Qawwali different from Western singing?

Also in qawwali, there is no distinction between what is known as the che st voice and the head voice (the different areas that sound will resonate in depending on the frequency sung). Rather, qawwals sing very loudly and forcefully, which allows them to extend their chest voice to much higher frequencies than those used in Western singing, even though this usually causes a more noisy or strained sound than would be acceptable in the West.

What languages are Qawwali songs?

The songs which constitute the qawwali repertoire are primarily in Persian, Urdu, Hindi, and Punjabi. There are some in Persian from the Mughal era, and a smattering in Saraiki and dialects of north India like Braj Bhasha and Awadhi. There is also qawwali in some regional languages but the regional language tradition is relatively obscure. Also, the sound of the regional language qawwali can be totally different from that of mainstream qawwali. This is certainly true of Chhote Babu Qawwal, whose style of singing is much closer to the Bengali Baul music than to the qawwali of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, for example.

Is Chhote Babu Qawwal spiritual?

The poetry is implicitly understood to be spiritual in its meaning, even though the lyrics can sometimes sound wildly secular, or outright hedonistic.

What is the Qawwali tradition?

As a musical genre, qawwali is closely linked to the Hindustani classical tradition of the Asian subcontinent. It draws from the same pool of melodic frameworks (ragas) and metric patterns (talas) as classical music, and it uses a formal structure similar to that of the khayal song genre. Like khayal, qawwali performances feature a mixture of evenly paced metric refrains and rhythmically flexible solo vocal improvisations, which make extensive use of melisma (singing of more than one pitch to a single syllable). Moreover, a significant portion of any performance is built from traditional solmization syllables (syllables assigned to specific pitches or sounds) and other vocables (syllables without linguistic meaning). It is during the improvisational sections—particularly within fast-paced passages called tarana —that the lead qawwal engages with and responds to the listeners, elevating them to a state of spiritual ecstasy through ever intensifying, accelerating repetitions of especially evocative phrases. This interaction between the lead singer and the audience is central to any successful qawwali performance.

What is a Qawwali?

Deriving its name from the Arabic word qaul, meaning "to speak," qawwali is a musical vehicle by which a group of male musicians—called qawwal s— delivers inspirational Sufi messages to a traditionally male assembly of devotees. A typical qawwali ensemble consists of one or two lead vocalists; a chorus of hand-clapping qawwal s who sing the refrains; a harmonium (a small, hand-pumped, portable organ) player, who supports the fixed melody as well as the melodic improvisations of the soloist; and a percussionist, who articulates the metric framework using a dholak (double-headed drum) or a tabla (a pair of single-headed drums).

What is the name of the song that Qawwali sang?

Indeed, most traditional performances of qawwali both open and close with songs that are attributed to him; the closing song, known as rang , commemorates his spiritual relationship with his teacher, Niẓām al-Dīn Awliyāʾ (Nizamuddin Auliya), a leader of the Chishtiyyah order of Sufism.

What instruments did Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan use?

One of its greatest adherents, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, became famous in Pakistan and the broader world. Traditional instruments include the sitar, rabab (a…. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. …of the greatest performers of qawwali, a Sufi Muslim devotional music characterized by simple melodies, forceful rhythms, and energetic improvisations ...

What is Qawwali singing?

Learn More in these related Britannica articles: Qawwali, a form of devotional singing associated with Sufism, is also widely practiced and has influenced a number of popular styles. One of its greatest adherents, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, became famous in Pakistan and the broader world.

What is the meaning of Qawwali?

Qawwali, also spelled qavvali, in India and Pakistan, an energetic musical performance of Sufi Muslim poetry that aims to lead listeners to a state of religious ecstasy—to a spiritual union with Allah (God). The music was popularized outside of South Asia in the late 20th century, owing largely to its promotion by the world-music industry.

Who is the creator of Qawwali?

Qawwali performances may also be arranged to offer spiritual nourishment on other special occasions. The Indian composer and Persian-language poet Amīr Khosrow (1253-1325) is the popularly acknowledged creator of qawwali, and his works form the foundation of the traditional qawwali repertoire.

Overview

Definition

Origins

Song content

Composition of a qawwali party

Musical structure of Qawwali

Notable Qawwals of the past 70 years

Current and recent Qawwals