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Qawwali is a form of music practiced by Sufis
to inspire religious devotion and instruction. Sufism is a
mystical school of Islamic thought where truth and divine
love are achieved through personal experience. Sufis are synonymous
with the 'Whirling Dervishes' found in many parts of North
Africa and the Middle East. Unlike Muslims, Sufis believe
that one can reach God during your own lifetime and one of
qawwali's formal names means "royal court of saints".
The Qawwali form of Islamic song is practiced in India and
Pakistan.
Buried deep: history of Qawwali
The roots of Qawwali began in the 11th Century with the tradition
of sama, spiritual concerts which predate the birth
of Muhammad. Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya, a follower of
the Christi school of Sufism used music extensively in his
prayer gatherings, creating tension with the orthodox Islamics
in Delhi. However, the godfather of Qawwali is said to be
Amir Khusru from the 13th century, a legendary musician,
politician and philosopher who mixed elements from Turkey,
Persia and India in the creation of a new music.
In Qawwali, Persian moqquams meet Indian ragas
(similar to scales in western music). Not all people were
a fan of this new music. Qawwali alongside Sufism suffered
a decline and repression during certain periods of Islamic
history when fundamentalists attacked the liberalism of the
Sufis and their 'depraved' experimental music. One opponent
was Aurangzeb - when the musicians held a 'funeral'
with their instruments wrapped up in corpses to signify the
death of their music under his rule, the cruel emperor was
reported to have said: "Good! Bury it so deep that never
a sound should be heard again."
Qawwali in the modern age
Qawwali achieved a recent wave of popularity in film music,
where it forms one of the key components of Hindi films. Without
a live audience, these pre-recorded qawwali soundtracks have
a more muted and detached character, with virtuosity pumped
up and devotionalism played down. Secular qawwali is often
seen by its true exponents as being commercial and shallow.
The rich, sensual and spiritual words are often twisted in
the context of more earthly romantic cinema.
At the Qawwali concert
Qawwali concerts are a musical gathering, containing a lead
singer, second singer, harmonium and tabla and a small choir
of other singers all sitting on the floor. It is a communal
experience, with the audience being participators and no single
person is considered to be more important, in fact, one of
qawwali's formal names means "gathering for listening".
The traditions of Persian poetry which influences qawwali
have similarities here; in the 13th Century Persian poet Attar's
epic poem "conference of the birds", a group of
birds and a leader go a transformative journey. During the
journey the birds realise they do not need a leader as they
contain within themselves the inherent powers which the leader
showed. The collective experience of Sufism and qawwali is
like this, but one can only truly understand the power of
qawwali if one experiences the holiness and spirituality of
the form.
Qawwali players must be extremely talented musicians and
poets, able to adapt to different moods of ceremonies and
able to improvise in several languages in different poetic
traditions. Often, qawwals are part of historic families who
pass down this 'trade' to their offspring. Praise of saints
and martyrs of Sufism as well as direct address to the Prophet
are common themes in the qawwali.
During the concert, one singer will recite poetry, hand gestures
and religious phrases and the second singer will create improvised
call and response variations. The main singer then commands
the chorus to sing a hypnotic refrain. The variation, improvisation
and repetition are carried out to such an extent that the
music become hypnotic and meditive, rather like the whirling
of the dervishes, leading to a trance-like state. Similarities
are seen here with many kind of communal music and shamanistic
traditions, from voodoo to African drumming to House and Techno
and the minimalist music of composers like Steve Reich. In
this heightened state, the participants can achieve fana
- spiritual enlightenment. The structure of each song is usually
the same - it starts off with a slow ambient opening, then
becomes more rhythmical and driving as the music becomes faster
pulsed and more intense. It is not uncommon for members of
the audience to become extremely ecstatic and throw money
at the musicians. Audiences in the States even bang their
heads against the wall until unconscious in more extreme manifestations
of this ecstatic ritual. One legendary star of qawwal said
that "the violence of the ecstasy depends on each person's
pain of seperation from his homeland".
Qawwali guru - Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
The speaker was the biggest ever Qawwal star, known as 'Pakistan's
Pavarotti', Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Khan said: "When I
sing for God, I feel myself in accord with God, and the house
of God, Mecca, is right in front of me".
Khan was from a family of qawwal, although he claims he only
decided to follow the tradition when he had recurring dreams
that he was singing where no other qawwal had sang before
- in the shine of Muinuddin Christi, a founding saint
of Sufism. His prophecy was later fulfilled and a glorious
career ensued. Posssibly the most famous ever name in world
music, Khan was one of the truly great cross over artists
who was able to bridge geographical, religious and cultural
divides with his powerful voice and traditions. Projects included
a collaboration with Massive Attack, Eddie Vedder from
Pearl Jam and Peter Gabriel. Some of his great
albums were originally released on Gabriel's Real World
record label.
Khan was a huge legend, not just physically, but in his stature,
he was worshipped by his fans. Unlike many singers of today,
he was admired purely on his amazing vocal skills and also
the passion and spirituality he displayed in his amazing improvisations.
He was not afraid to mix the sacred with the profane, the
popular with the niche, and a meeting of the East with the
West, which has lead to his popularity and longevity. Khan
died in 1997 aged just 49. |
