A Mehfil-E-Sama in Dallas
A Mehfil-E-Samaa in Dallas
Preserving an Ancient Tradition
by
Ally Adnan
A pe fo a e of qawwali is so ethi g that e take e se iousl , sa s
Ghayoor Ahmed, the principal singer of Ghayoor Moiz Mustafa Qawwal and
Party. It is o e tha just si gi g fo us e ause e ha e to ake su e that
our rendition is accurate and faithful to the original tenets of qawwali ()ق الی.
We have to uphold the tradition established by our ancestors. The tradition
Ahmed refers to is certainly one that needs to be revered and preserved. His
forefathers have faithfully practiced the art of qawwali for more than seven
hundred (700) years.
1
Qawwali predates Islam and has existed in various forms – samaa ()سمع, zikr
()زکر, chanting and many others – for at least eighteen (18) centuries. It is, in
essence, the integration of spiritual, philosophical, religious, musical and
poetic elements to create a vehicle that facilitates the spiritual connection of
participants in the performance of qawwali – the mehfil-e-samaa ()محفلِ ِسمع
– to the creator.
The practice of qawwali, in its primitive form, gained popularity in South Asia
as musicians, ascetics, clerics, mystics, philosophers, scholars, and sufi ()ص ِِفی
saints moved to the region from Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey and several other
countries. The thirteenth century poet, musician, statesman, and
philosopher, Amir Khusrau, created the current form of qawwali and defined
the requirements and rules for its performance. He developed a rhythmic
cycle of eight (8) beats, the qawwali taal ()تال, to be used specifically in
qawwali.
2
Beat 1
Dhin
Beat 2
Dhin
Beat 3
Dha
Qawwali Taal
Beat 4 Beat 5
Dha
Tin
Beat 6
Tin
Beat 7
Dha
Beat 8
Dha
Amir Khusrao composed a number
of qawwalis, using raags ( )راگthat
he had created himself as musical
scales. These included Aiman ()ایمن,
Ghaara ()غارہ, Hijaaz ()حجاز, Mujeer
()مجیر, Saazgiri ()سازگیری, Sarparda
()سرپردہ, and Zeelaf ()زیلف. In order
to ensure the proper education,
development and propagation of
the newly formalized form of
qawwali, Amir Khusrau trained a
group of twelve (12) young
musicians in the art of qawwali.
Miyan Saamat Bin Ibrahim was the
leader of the group that came to be known as the Qawwal Bachay ()ق الِبچے.
The school of music thus established and followed by the scions of the twelve
(12) musicians is known as Delhi Ke Qawwal Bachon Ka Gharana (ِدلیِکےِق ال
)بچ ںِکاِگ رانہ.
Ghayoor Moiz Mustafa Qawwal and Party represent the thirty-fourth (34th)
generation of the gharana. We a e di e t des e da ts of the e fi st
qawwal i the o ld, sa s Moizuddi Ha da p oudl . Our ancestry can be
traced back directly to Miyan Samat Bin Ibrahim. The great musician, Miyan
Taan Ras Khan, who was the court musician of Bahadur Shah Zafar, was one
of our forefathers, as well. Our family has practiced, preserved and conserved
the tradition of qawwali established by Amir Khusrao in the thirteenth
3
century for more than seven hundred (700) years. We are devoted to
maintaining the purity and original form of qawwali.
Ghayoor Moiz Mustafa Qawwal and Party is comprised of eight (8) musicians:
two (2) are sons of Abu Muhammad Qawwal and six (6) are sons of Fareed
Ayaz Qawwal, arguably the greatest qawwal alive today. The ensemble is
known for a severe fidelity to the form originally developed by Amir Khusrao.
We ha e al a s esisted the u ge to dilute a d ode ize ou qawwali.
sa s Muha
ad “hah. Experimenting with a ali is ot fo us, adds
Taimoor Akram. Fusio is fo othe s to da le i . Ou allegia e is to the
qawwali invented by Amir Khusrao. It is our sacred duty to preserve the art
of qawwali in its original a d ost p isti e fo .
Ghayoor Moiz Mustafa Qawwal and Party recently made their debut in the
United States of America and performed in an all-night performance of
classical qawwali i Dallas, Te as. It as i po ta t fo us to pe fo a ie t
qawwalis composed by Hazrat Amir Khusrau and other masters in this
mehfil, sa s Za a Ah ed. The event was organized by a well-known
Pakistani musicologist and attended by musicians, musicologists and poets
from both India and Pakistan. It was an honor for us to perform for the highly
4
knowledgeable and discerning audience. It was necessary for us to perform
qawwalis that best represent the tradition established by Amir Khusrao and
illustrate the unique qualities and characteristics of the Qawwal Bachon Ka
Gharana. We also had to strictly maintain fidelity to raag and taal because of
the knowledge of the listeners. We were anxious but confident before the
performance which was undoubtedly a daunting, but ultimately a very
fulfilling, e pe ie e.
The forms of qawwali can be defined both in terms of poetry and music. In
terms of poetry, bhajan ()ب جن, geet ()گیت, ghazal ()غزل, hamd ()حمد, kafi ()کافی,
manqabat ()منقبت, marsiya ()مرثیہ, and naat ()نعت, are popular form of
qawwali. Amir Khusrao developed six (6) musical forms. These are the gul
()گل, khayal ()خیال, naqsh ()نقش, qalbana ()قلبانہ, qaul ( )ق لand tarana ()ترانہ. The
forms of dadra ()دادرہ, saadara ()سادرہ, thumri ()ٹ مری, tirwat ()تر ٹ, and a few
others have been added to the repertoire of qawwali over the centuries.
In accordance with custom and tradition, Ghayoor Moiz Mustafa Qawwal and
Party began the Mehfil-E-Samaa in Dallas with a Hamd in praise of God. The
5
qawwali was recited in the Bhairav ( )ب یر ںraag. The raag is immensely
popular in Hindustani Sangeet ()ہند ستنای ِسنگیت, the music of Pakistan and
Northern India, and was borrowed from Carnatic Sangeet ()کرناٹکِسنگیت, the
music of Southern India, where it is known as Mayamalavagowla. The raag
is deeply rooted in Hindu mythology and named after Lord Shiva, one of the
main deities of Hinduism. The genuine, but somewhat ironic, pleasure of
listening to a so g i Allah’s p aise composed in a raag named after a Hindu
God was a veritable illustration of the secular nature of qawwali.
The Hamd was followed by the tremendously popular Manqabat, Man Kunto
Maula ()من ِکنتِ ِم ا, in praise of Hazrat Ali. The qawwali is performed by
virtually all qawwals from Pakistan and India and is always sung in the
prescribed raag, Shudh Kalyan ()شدھ ِکلیان, a melodic scale that uses all seven
(7) musical notes, five (5) in aarohi ()آر ہی, or ascent, and seven (7) in amrohi
()امر ہی, or descent. The spiritual and religious nature of the qawwali, along
with the heartfelt rendition, had the attentive audience in a state of extreme
spiritual delight. Many were moved to tears by the end of the qawwali.
6
A e se le of usi ia s a ot pe fo a qawwali alo e, lai s Gha oo
Ah ed. The audie e is a esse tial a d e ual pa ti ipa t i qawwali. The
goal of qawwali is to deliver the message of sufi love. This cannot be done if
there is no one to receive the message. The audience in the Dallas concert
was one of the very best that we have ever had in our career. The contributed
to the success of our performance.
The audience in the mehfil was equally in love with the qawwals and, in
observance of tradition, showered them with hundreds, if not thousands, of
dollars, in nazar ()نزر, throughout the performance. The host of the mehfil has
to initiate the ritual of nazar. The giving of nazar before the host is bad form
and a sign of poor upbringing.
One of the most interesting qawwalis recited in the mehfil was a naqsh set to
raag Aiman. The naqsh, along with the gul, are obscure musical forms that
are known to only a handful of musicians. These virtuosos jealously guard
their knowledge of these rare forms of qawwali and typically do not perform
them in public settings. The evening was special for the musicians who sang
7
a leisurely Naqsh and, in a rare gesture of magnanimity, allowed listeners to
record the thirty-five (35) minute long rendition.
Another rare item performed in the mehfil was Kangna. The song was
performed by Fareed Ayaz and Abu Muhammad Qawwal in Coke Studio and
used by Mira Nair the her feature film, the Reluctant Fundamentalist,
subsequently. Kangna is actually a saadra in raag Malkauns. The saadra is a
song sung in dhrupad ( )دھرپدstyle, an ancient form of Indian music, and set to
the ten (10) beat rhythmic cycle jhaptal ( )ج پتالin madh lay ()مدھ ِلَے, or
medium tempo. A midnight raag, Malkauns ( )مالک نسis said to attract djinns
and spirits when rendered correctly at the right time. The performance by
Ghayoor Moiz Mustafa Qawwal coincided with the midnight hour and had a
unique magical and ethereal quality to it. It left the audience simultaneously
enthralled and entranced.
The musicians performed a number of qawwalis in the mehfil which
concluded, according to custom, with a masterly rendition of rang. The
qawwali was written by Amir Khusrao, in praise of his spiritual master, Hazrat
8
Nizamuddin Auliya. The song has retained its original lyrics, tune and
structure for more than seven (7) centuries. It is believed to have the power
to result in the corporeal manifestation of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, sufi
Saints and the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself, for those who are
spiritually enlightened. The qawwals and the audience both stand up during
the performance of rang in respect of the saints who may present themselves
in the mehfil. Fareed Ayaz and Abu Muhammad Qawwal joined their sons in
the recitation of rang which ended at the crack of dawn.
It is usto a to e d o e ts of usi at the ti e of the Fajar p a e , sa s
Moizuddi Ha da . “i e, the goal of the Dallas ehfil as p i a il to
present qawwali in its original form, in accordance with tradition, we made
sure that we followed the well-established, but occasionally disregarded,
customs, rituals and traditions of a chishtiya ( )چشتیہmehfil-e-samaa.
9
Ally Adnan lives in Dallas and writes about culture, history and the
arts. He tweets @allyadnan and can be reached at
[email protected].
10
Preserving an Ancient Tradition
by
Ally Adnan
A pe fo a e of qawwali is so ethi g that e take e se iousl , sa s
Ghayoor Ahmed, the principal singer of Ghayoor Moiz Mustafa Qawwal and
Party. It is o e tha just si gi g fo us e ause e ha e to ake su e that
our rendition is accurate and faithful to the original tenets of qawwali ()ق الی.
We have to uphold the tradition established by our ancestors. The tradition
Ahmed refers to is certainly one that needs to be revered and preserved. His
forefathers have faithfully practiced the art of qawwali for more than seven
hundred (700) years.
1
Qawwali predates Islam and has existed in various forms – samaa ()سمع, zikr
()زکر, chanting and many others – for at least eighteen (18) centuries. It is, in
essence, the integration of spiritual, philosophical, religious, musical and
poetic elements to create a vehicle that facilitates the spiritual connection of
participants in the performance of qawwali – the mehfil-e-samaa ()محفلِ ِسمع
– to the creator.
The practice of qawwali, in its primitive form, gained popularity in South Asia
as musicians, ascetics, clerics, mystics, philosophers, scholars, and sufi ()ص ِِفی
saints moved to the region from Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey and several other
countries. The thirteenth century poet, musician, statesman, and
philosopher, Amir Khusrau, created the current form of qawwali and defined
the requirements and rules for its performance. He developed a rhythmic
cycle of eight (8) beats, the qawwali taal ()تال, to be used specifically in
qawwali.
2
Beat 1
Dhin
Beat 2
Dhin
Beat 3
Dha
Qawwali Taal
Beat 4 Beat 5
Dha
Tin
Beat 6
Tin
Beat 7
Dha
Beat 8
Dha
Amir Khusrao composed a number
of qawwalis, using raags ( )راگthat
he had created himself as musical
scales. These included Aiman ()ایمن,
Ghaara ()غارہ, Hijaaz ()حجاز, Mujeer
()مجیر, Saazgiri ()سازگیری, Sarparda
()سرپردہ, and Zeelaf ()زیلف. In order
to ensure the proper education,
development and propagation of
the newly formalized form of
qawwali, Amir Khusrau trained a
group of twelve (12) young
musicians in the art of qawwali.
Miyan Saamat Bin Ibrahim was the
leader of the group that came to be known as the Qawwal Bachay ()ق الِبچے.
The school of music thus established and followed by the scions of the twelve
(12) musicians is known as Delhi Ke Qawwal Bachon Ka Gharana (ِدلیِکےِق ال
)بچ ںِکاِگ رانہ.
Ghayoor Moiz Mustafa Qawwal and Party represent the thirty-fourth (34th)
generation of the gharana. We a e di e t des e da ts of the e fi st
qawwal i the o ld, sa s Moizuddi Ha da p oudl . Our ancestry can be
traced back directly to Miyan Samat Bin Ibrahim. The great musician, Miyan
Taan Ras Khan, who was the court musician of Bahadur Shah Zafar, was one
of our forefathers, as well. Our family has practiced, preserved and conserved
the tradition of qawwali established by Amir Khusrao in the thirteenth
3
century for more than seven hundred (700) years. We are devoted to
maintaining the purity and original form of qawwali.
Ghayoor Moiz Mustafa Qawwal and Party is comprised of eight (8) musicians:
two (2) are sons of Abu Muhammad Qawwal and six (6) are sons of Fareed
Ayaz Qawwal, arguably the greatest qawwal alive today. The ensemble is
known for a severe fidelity to the form originally developed by Amir Khusrao.
We ha e al a s esisted the u ge to dilute a d ode ize ou qawwali.
sa s Muha
ad “hah. Experimenting with a ali is ot fo us, adds
Taimoor Akram. Fusio is fo othe s to da le i . Ou allegia e is to the
qawwali invented by Amir Khusrao. It is our sacred duty to preserve the art
of qawwali in its original a d ost p isti e fo .
Ghayoor Moiz Mustafa Qawwal and Party recently made their debut in the
United States of America and performed in an all-night performance of
classical qawwali i Dallas, Te as. It as i po ta t fo us to pe fo a ie t
qawwalis composed by Hazrat Amir Khusrau and other masters in this
mehfil, sa s Za a Ah ed. The event was organized by a well-known
Pakistani musicologist and attended by musicians, musicologists and poets
from both India and Pakistan. It was an honor for us to perform for the highly
4
knowledgeable and discerning audience. It was necessary for us to perform
qawwalis that best represent the tradition established by Amir Khusrao and
illustrate the unique qualities and characteristics of the Qawwal Bachon Ka
Gharana. We also had to strictly maintain fidelity to raag and taal because of
the knowledge of the listeners. We were anxious but confident before the
performance which was undoubtedly a daunting, but ultimately a very
fulfilling, e pe ie e.
The forms of qawwali can be defined both in terms of poetry and music. In
terms of poetry, bhajan ()ب جن, geet ()گیت, ghazal ()غزل, hamd ()حمد, kafi ()کافی,
manqabat ()منقبت, marsiya ()مرثیہ, and naat ()نعت, are popular form of
qawwali. Amir Khusrao developed six (6) musical forms. These are the gul
()گل, khayal ()خیال, naqsh ()نقش, qalbana ()قلبانہ, qaul ( )ق لand tarana ()ترانہ. The
forms of dadra ()دادرہ, saadara ()سادرہ, thumri ()ٹ مری, tirwat ()تر ٹ, and a few
others have been added to the repertoire of qawwali over the centuries.
In accordance with custom and tradition, Ghayoor Moiz Mustafa Qawwal and
Party began the Mehfil-E-Samaa in Dallas with a Hamd in praise of God. The
5
qawwali was recited in the Bhairav ( )ب یر ںraag. The raag is immensely
popular in Hindustani Sangeet ()ہند ستنای ِسنگیت, the music of Pakistan and
Northern India, and was borrowed from Carnatic Sangeet ()کرناٹکِسنگیت, the
music of Southern India, where it is known as Mayamalavagowla. The raag
is deeply rooted in Hindu mythology and named after Lord Shiva, one of the
main deities of Hinduism. The genuine, but somewhat ironic, pleasure of
listening to a so g i Allah’s p aise composed in a raag named after a Hindu
God was a veritable illustration of the secular nature of qawwali.
The Hamd was followed by the tremendously popular Manqabat, Man Kunto
Maula ()من ِکنتِ ِم ا, in praise of Hazrat Ali. The qawwali is performed by
virtually all qawwals from Pakistan and India and is always sung in the
prescribed raag, Shudh Kalyan ()شدھ ِکلیان, a melodic scale that uses all seven
(7) musical notes, five (5) in aarohi ()آر ہی, or ascent, and seven (7) in amrohi
()امر ہی, or descent. The spiritual and religious nature of the qawwali, along
with the heartfelt rendition, had the attentive audience in a state of extreme
spiritual delight. Many were moved to tears by the end of the qawwali.
6
A e se le of usi ia s a ot pe fo a qawwali alo e, lai s Gha oo
Ah ed. The audie e is a esse tial a d e ual pa ti ipa t i qawwali. The
goal of qawwali is to deliver the message of sufi love. This cannot be done if
there is no one to receive the message. The audience in the Dallas concert
was one of the very best that we have ever had in our career. The contributed
to the success of our performance.
The audience in the mehfil was equally in love with the qawwals and, in
observance of tradition, showered them with hundreds, if not thousands, of
dollars, in nazar ()نزر, throughout the performance. The host of the mehfil has
to initiate the ritual of nazar. The giving of nazar before the host is bad form
and a sign of poor upbringing.
One of the most interesting qawwalis recited in the mehfil was a naqsh set to
raag Aiman. The naqsh, along with the gul, are obscure musical forms that
are known to only a handful of musicians. These virtuosos jealously guard
their knowledge of these rare forms of qawwali and typically do not perform
them in public settings. The evening was special for the musicians who sang
7
a leisurely Naqsh and, in a rare gesture of magnanimity, allowed listeners to
record the thirty-five (35) minute long rendition.
Another rare item performed in the mehfil was Kangna. The song was
performed by Fareed Ayaz and Abu Muhammad Qawwal in Coke Studio and
used by Mira Nair the her feature film, the Reluctant Fundamentalist,
subsequently. Kangna is actually a saadra in raag Malkauns. The saadra is a
song sung in dhrupad ( )دھرپدstyle, an ancient form of Indian music, and set to
the ten (10) beat rhythmic cycle jhaptal ( )ج پتالin madh lay ()مدھ ِلَے, or
medium tempo. A midnight raag, Malkauns ( )مالک نسis said to attract djinns
and spirits when rendered correctly at the right time. The performance by
Ghayoor Moiz Mustafa Qawwal coincided with the midnight hour and had a
unique magical and ethereal quality to it. It left the audience simultaneously
enthralled and entranced.
The musicians performed a number of qawwalis in the mehfil which
concluded, according to custom, with a masterly rendition of rang. The
qawwali was written by Amir Khusrao, in praise of his spiritual master, Hazrat
8
Nizamuddin Auliya. The song has retained its original lyrics, tune and
structure for more than seven (7) centuries. It is believed to have the power
to result in the corporeal manifestation of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, sufi
Saints and the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself, for those who are
spiritually enlightened. The qawwals and the audience both stand up during
the performance of rang in respect of the saints who may present themselves
in the mehfil. Fareed Ayaz and Abu Muhammad Qawwal joined their sons in
the recitation of rang which ended at the crack of dawn.
It is usto a to e d o e ts of usi at the ti e of the Fajar p a e , sa s
Moizuddi Ha da . “i e, the goal of the Dallas ehfil as p i a il to
present qawwali in its original form, in accordance with tradition, we made
sure that we followed the well-established, but occasionally disregarded,
customs, rituals and traditions of a chishtiya ( )چشتیہmehfil-e-samaa.
9
Ally Adnan lives in Dallas and writes about culture, history and the
arts. He tweets @allyadnan and can be reached at
[email protected].
10