Dissertation 2012-13

Sufi Music
Understanding Sufi Music

Syed Hamdan Hussain

A/2135/2009

Content
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Sufi music - Introduction Sufi Poetry Qasidah Qawwali Artists Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Wadali Brothers 6. Is there a unique form of sufi music ?

INTRODUCTION
Sufi music is the devotional music of the Sufis, inspired by the works of Sufi poets, like Rumi, Hafiz, Bulleh Shahand Khwaja Ghulam Farid. Qawwali is the most well known form of Sufi music, common in Pakistan and India. However, music is also central to the Sema ceremony of the whirling dervishes, which is set to a form of music called Ayin, a vocal and instrumental piece featuring Turkish classical instruments such as the ney (a reed flute). The West African gnawa is another form, and Sufis from Indonesia to Afghanistan to Morocco have made music central to their practises. Some of the Sufi orders have taken an approach more akin to puritan forms of Islam, declaring music to be unhelpful to the Sufi way. Sufi love songs are often performed as ghazals and Kafi, a solo genre accompanied by percussion and harmonium, using a repertoire of songs by Sufi poets.

SUFI POETY
Sufi poetry has been written in many languages, both for private devotional reading and as lyrics for music played during worship, or dhikr. Themes and styles established in Punjabi poetry, Sindhi poetry , Arabic poetry and mostly Persian poetry have had an enormous influence on Sufi poetry throughout the Islamic world, and is often part of the Sufi music. Some of the most famous works, both poetry and prose, in Sufi literature are:

The Mathnaw and Diwan-e Shams-e Tabriz-i of Rm al-Bur's Qadat-ul-Burda Dwn of Hfez by Hafiz Shirazi Shaikh Ab Sa`d Ab-l-Khair's Asrr-ut-Tawd ("The Secrets of Unity") Farid al-Din Attar's The Conference of the Birds Ibn Arabi's Fu-ul-ikam ("The Bezels of Wisdom") and Tarjuman alAshraq ("The Interpreter of Desires") Al-Ghazali's Kimiya-yi sa'dat ("The Alchemy of Happiness") Ashraf Jahangir Semnani's Lataife Ashrafi Muhammad Tahir ul-Qadri's Dalail al-Barakat Bahr-ul-Uloom Muhammad Abdul Qadeer Siddiqi Qadri Hasrat's "Kulliyyate-Hasrat" (Collection of Poetry in devotion to the Prophet and other Sufis).

Diwan-e-Akhtar by Hazrat Hakim Akhtar (Damat barkatuhum aaliya)

Tassawwuff by Syed Waheed Ashraf Arif Al-Majdhub The Travels Of Hakim Kohlin Al -Deen Al-Salik

Sufi worship services are often called dhikr or zikr. See that article for further
elaboration. The dhikr of South Asian Muslims is "quietist". The Sufi services best known in the West are the chanting and rhythmic dancing of the whirling dervishes or Mevlevi Sufis of Turkey. However, Sufis may also perform devotional songs in public, for the enjoyment and edification of listeners. The mood is religious, but the gathering is not a worship service. In Turkey, once the seat of the Ottoman Empire and the Caliphate, concerts of sacred song are called "Mehfil-e-Sama' " (or "gathering of Sama'"). Song forms include ilahi and nefe.

QASIDAH
Qasida means "intention" and the genre found use as a petition to a patron. A qasida has a single presiding subject, logically developed and concluded. Often it is a panegyric, written in praise of a king or a nobleman, a genre known as mad, meaning "praise". In his ninth century "Book of Poetry and Poets" (Kitab al-shi'r wa-al-shu'ara') the Arabian writer ibn Qutaybah describes the (Arabic) qasida as formed of three parts;

a nostalgic opening in which the poet reflects on what has passed, known as nasib. A common concept is the pursuit by the poet of the caravan of his beloved: by the time he reaches their camp-site they have already moved on. a release or disengagement, the takhallus, often achieved by describing his transition from the nostalgia of the nasib to the second section, the travel section or rahil, in which the poet contemplates the harshness of the land and life away from the tribe. the message of the poem, which can take several forms: praise of the tribe (fakhr), satire about other tribes (hija) or some moral maxim (hikam).

While many poets have intentionally or unintentionally deviated from this plan it is recognisable in many. Qasidah is a form of poetry. In this form of poetry the praise is presented. Qasidah is four types, 1. Hamd (Hymn) 2. Naat (A poem in praise of Prophet Muhammad 3. Manqabat (A poem in praise of Saints) 4. Madah (A poem in praise of honourables) In South Asia, especially Pakistan and India, the most widely-known style of Sufi music is qawwali. A traditional qawwali programme would include:

hamd -- A Hamd is a poem or song in praise of Allah. A hamd is usually written in Arabic, Persian, Punjabi, or Urdu. The word "hamd" comes from theQur'an, which Muslims believe to be Allah's Word; its English translation is "Praise".Hamds are sung and recited all over the Muslim world, from Indonesia to Morocco. A Qawwali performance usually includes at least one hamd, which is traditionally the first song in the performance. Some well-known hamd singers are Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Sabri Brothers, and Qari Waheed Zafar. naat -- A Na`at is a poetry that specifically praises the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The practice is popular in South Asia (Pakistan and India), commonly in Urdu or Punjabi language. People who recite Naat are known as Naat-Khua'an or Sana'a-Khua'an. manqabats -- A Manqabat is a Sufi devotional poem, in praise of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the son-in-law of Muhammad, or of any Sufi saint. In Qawwali, manqabats are sung to music. The most well known of the qawwali manqabats is "Man Kunto Maula", written by Amir Khusrau in praise of Ali. This manqabat has been performed by many famous singers and qawwals including Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Sabri Brothers, Aziz Mian, Abida Parveen, Fareed Ayaz and Qawwal Bahauddin. ghazals -- The ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 6thcentury Arabic verse. It is derived from the Arabian panegyric qasida. The structural requirements of the ghazal are similar in stringency to those of the Petrarchan sonnet. In style and content it is a genre that has proved capable of an extraordinary variety of expression around its central themes of love and separation. It is one of the principal poetic forms which the IndoPerso-Arabic civilization offered to the eastern Islamic world. Shi'a qawwali concerts typically follow the naat with a manqabat in praise of Ali, and sometimes a marsiya, a lamentation over the death of much of Ali's family at the Battle of Karbala.

QAWWALI
Qawwali is a form of Sufi devotional music popular in South Asia, particularly in the Punjab and Sindh regions of Pakistan, Hyderabad, Delhi and other parts of India. It is a musical tradition that stretches back more than 700 years. Originally performed mainly at Sufi shrines or dargahs throughout South Asia, it has also gained mainstream popularity. Qawwali music received international exposure through the work of the late Pakistani singer Nusrat

Fateh Ali Khan, largely due to several releases on the Real World label, followed by live appearances at WOMAD festivals. Other famous Qawwali singers include Pakistan's Sabri Brothers, Bahauddin Qutbuddin and Aziz Mian. Origin The roots of Qawwali can be traced back to 8th century Persia (today's Iran and Afghanistan). During the first major migration from Persia, in the 11th century, the musical tradition of Sema migrated to South Asia, Turkey and Uzbekistan. Amir Khusro Dehelvi of the Chisti order of Sufis is credited with fusing the Persian and Indianmusical traditions to create Qawwali as we know it today in the late 13th century in India. 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. Qaul) is an "utterance (of the prophet)", Qawwl is someone who often repeats (sings) a Qaul, Qawwli is what a Qawwl sings. Composition of 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 anddholak, 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 and abet percussion by hand-clapping. The performers sit cross-legged on the ground in two rows the lead singer, side singers and harmonium players in the front row, and the chorus and percussionists in the back row. Before the fairly recent introduction of the harmonium, qawwalis were usually accompanied by the sarangi. The sarangi had to be retuned between songs; the harmonium didn't, and was soon preferred. Women used to be excluded from traditional Muslim music, since they are traditionally prohibited from singing in the presence of men. These traditions have changed, however, as is evident by the popularity (and acceptance) of female singers such as Abida Parveen. However, qawwali has remained an exclusively male business. There are still no mainstream female qawwals. Although Abida Parveen performs many songs that are in the traditional qawwali repertoire, she does not perform them in the traditional qawwali style. Typically missing is the chorus which repeats key verses, as well as the handclapping.

Musical Structure Songs are usually between 15 to 30 minutes long. However, the longest commercially released qawwali runs slightly over 115 minutes (Hashr Ke Roz Yeh Poochhunga by Aziz Mian Qawwal). The qawwali maestro Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan has at least two songs that are more than 60 minutes long. Qawwalis tend to begin gently and build steadily to a very high energy level in order to induce hypnotic states both among the musicians and within the audience. Songs are usually arranged as follows: 1. They start with an instrumental prelude where the main melody is played on the harmonium, accompanied by the tabla, and which may include improvised variations of the melody. 2. Then comes the alap, a long tonal improvised melody during which the singers intone different long notes, in the raga of the song to be played. 3. The lead singer begins to sing some preamble verses which are typically not part of the main song, although thematically related to it. These are sung unrhythmically, improvised following the raga, and accompanied only by the harmonium. After the lead singer sings a verse, one of the side singers will repeat the verse, perhaps with his own improvisation. A few or many verses will be sung in this way, leading into the main song. 4. As the main song begins, the tabla, dholak and clapping begin. All members join in the singing of the verses that constitute the refrain. The lyrics of the main verses are never improvised; in fact, these are often traditional songs sung by many groups, especially within the same lineage. However, the tunes are subtly improvised within the framework of the main melody. As the song proceeds, the lead singer or one of the side singers may break out into an alap. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan also popularized the interjection of sargamsinging at this point. The song usually builds in tempo and passion, with each singer trying to outdo the other in terms of vocal acrobatics. Some singers may do long periods of sargam improvisation, especially alternating improvisations with a student singer. The songs usually end suddenly. The singing style of qawwali is different from Western singing styles in many ways. For example, in words beginning with an "m", Western singers are apt to stress the vowel following the "m" rather than the "m" itself, whereas in qawwali, the "m" will usually be held, producing a muted tone. Also in qawwali, there is no distinction between what is known as the chest voice and the neck 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.

ARTISTS
USTAD NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHAN

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (October 13, 1948 August 16, 1997), a renowned Pakistani musician, was primarily a singer of Qawwali, the devotional music of the Sufis. Considered by some to be one of the greatest singers ever recorded, he possessed a wide vocal range[1]and could perform at a high level of intensity for several hours. Extending the 600-year old Qawwali tradition of his family, Khan is widely credited with introducing Qawwali music to international audiences.[2][3] He was popularly known as "Shahenshah-e-Qawwali", meaning "The King of Kings of Qawwali".[4] Born in Faisalabad, Pakistan, Khan had his first public performance at age of 16, at his father's chelum. He became the head of the family qawwali party in 1971. He was signed by Oriental Star Agencies, Birmingham, England, in the early 1980s. Khan went on to release movie scores and albums in Europe, India, Japan, Pakistan, and the U.S. He engaged in collaborations and experiments with Western artists, becoming a well-known world music artist. He toured extensively, performing in over 40 countries.[5] Composition of the Party The composition of Khan's ensemble, called a "party" (or "Humnawa" in Urdu), changed over its 26 years. Listed below is a snapshot of the party, circa 1983: 1. Mujahid Mubarak Ali Khan: Khan's first cousin, vocals 2. Farrukh Fateh Ali Khan: Khan's brother, vocals and lead harmonium 3. Rehmat Ali: vocals and second harmonium 4. Maqsood Hussain: vocals 5. Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan: Khan's nephew and pupil, vocals 6. Dildar Hussain: percussion 7. Majawar Abbas: mandolin and guitar/chorus, handclapping 8. Mohammed Iqbal Naqvi: secretary of the party, chorus, handclapping 9. Asad Ali: chorus, handclapping. Khan's cousin 10. Ghulam Farid: chorus, handclapping

11. Kaukab Ali: chorus, handclapping Awards and Titles Khan is widely considered to be the most important qawwal in history.[11][12] In 1987, Khan received the President of Pakistans Award for Pride of Performance for his contribution to Pakistani music.[7][13] In 1995 he received the UNESCO Music Prize.[14][15] In 1996 he was awarded Grand Prix des Amriques at Montreal World Film Festival for exceptional contribution to the art of cinema.[16] In 2005, Khan was awarded the "Legends" award at the UK Asian Music Awards.[17] Time magazine's issue of November 6, 2006, "60 Years of Asian Heroes", lists him as one of the top 12 artists and thinkers in the last 60 years.[18] He also appeared on NPR's 50 Great Voices list in 2010.[19] In August 2010 he was included in CNN's list of the twenty most iconic musicians from the past fifty years.[20] Many honorary titles were bestowed upon Khan during his 25-year music career. He was given the title of Ustad after performing classical music at a function in Lahore on his father's death anniversary.[21]

WADALI BROTHERS

Wadali Brothers (Puranchand Wadali & Pyarelal Wadali) are Sufi singers and musicians from Guru Ki Wadali in the Amritsar District in Punjab, India. Born into the fifth generation of musicians given to singing the messages of Sufi saints, the Wadali brothers dabbled in the most unexpected of professions before they became Sufi singers. While Puranchand Wadali, the elder brother, was a regular in an akhara (English: wrestling ring) for 25 years, Pyarelal contributed to the meager family income by playing the role of Krishnain the village rasleela.

Career Their first musical performance outside their village was in Harballabh Temple in Jalandhar. In 1975, the duo went to Jalandhar to perform at the Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan but was not allowed to sing because their appearance did not pass muster. Disappointed, they decided to make a musical offering at the Harballabh temple, where an executive of All India Radio, Jalandhar, spotted them and recorded their first song. The Wadali Brothers sing in the gurbani, kaafi, ghazal and bhajan genres of music. They live in their ancestral house in Guru ki Wadali, and teach music to those who promise to preserve it. They do not charge their disciples, and lead a very simple life devoted to the divine one. They believe in the Sufi tradition deeply. They consider themselves as a medium through which the preaching of great saints is passed on to others. They have never indulged commercially, and they have only a handful of recordings to their name (mostly from live concerts). They believe in singing freely as homage to the divine one. They do not feel very comfortable in using electronic gadgets in their music, and stress on Alap and Taans. They believe that spiritual heights can only be attained if you sing unreservedly, in a free atmosphere. Recently, they stepped into the world of Bollywood music, rendering music director and writer Gulzars soulful lyrics in their unique style in the film Pinjar. They also sang one song in Dhoop. On the cards is a documentary which the Discovery Channel is planning to make on them.

IS THERE A UNIQUE FORM OF SUFI MUSIC ?

MevleviMusic limited musical specificity derived from sam entirely composed fixed text slow tempo
complex, long and varied rhythms

collective expression (except in taksim)

individual and collective expression

QawwlMusic musical specificity fusion of sam and dhikr partly improvised adaptable text fast tempo

simple, short, limited rhythms

closed repertoire
continuous, mandala-like structure

open repertoire
succession of separate pieces

traditional instruments
mental dhikr (by the participants)

modern instruments
verbal dhikr (by the musicians)
semi-classical, great popular impact

official performances
classical, learned, elitist

public performances

Examining the above chart, one may actually wonder whether a unique genre of 'Sufi music' does exist, for between the two contrasting musical types we find a great number of forms, sometimes closely related, sometimes very remote from each other. We should also take into account some nuances within the above typology: the commercial and popular qawwl music differs from the traditional, Sufi type, especially from the ancient form of Chisht sam (bund sam), the ritual space of which can be as heavily structured as the Mevlevi sam. Furthermore, the Mevlevi sam which is performed in modern-day Konya is rather heavy, official and artificial, and on the whole, very different from the private Mevlevi sam' (called yin-i jam) .