The poetry is implicitly understood to be spiritual in its meaning and the central themes are love, devotion and longing (for the Divine). The songs which constitute the qawwali repertoire are mostly in Urdu, Persi and Punjabi (almost equally divided between the three), although there are several songs in Brajbhasha and Persian. One of the most unique things is that the Texas group strays away from Bollywood renderings, sticking to the old sound. They hope to modernize the experience while keeping the authentic elements, in an effort to reach new audiences without alienating existing fans.
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Now, a new group based in Texas hopes to emulate the success that Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan found during the world music boom, by taking traditional qawwali or Sufiana Kalaam and introducing classic and contemporary poets to traditional compositions. Wadali Brothers and more recently Nooran Sisters have also revived qawwali and sufi music. In 2005, he collaborated in an unprecedented performance with Spanish flamenco artists at the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music, bringing the experience of a qawwali performance to a new audience. When Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan became ill, he requested that Faiz Ali Faiz take his place singing in a Qawwali mehfil, which was a huge honor for the young qawwal and displayed a high level of respect. Born in Pakistan, he rose to prominence in the qawwali music scene. A concert (traditionally as part of a ‘mehfil-e sama’) in such a setting can bring a Sufi into a state of ecstasy.Īfter Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Sabri BrothersĪfter Nusrat’s death in the late 1990s, Faiz Ali Faiz gained some notoriety.
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This type of music is characterized by the voices of the lead singer and chorus, as well as hand clapping. Qawwali music is usually performed by an ensemble consisting of a lead singer, a harmonium and a tabla or dholak player, and several side singers that serve as the chorus. Qawwali songs are mostly sung in Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi, Farsi, and Bengali languages. However, spiritual love is expressed through the themes of worldly love and intoxication. Qawwali lyrics draw inspiration from Islam and use several poetry forms such as Ghazals, Hamd, and Kafi. Qawwalis are often sung by Sufis as praise for religious teachers, saints, and scholars. Qawwali is a genre of music that has been used for centuries to spark religious devotion and bring listeners to a state of spiritual union with God.
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Riyaaz Qawwali, an ensemble, whose musicians have been performing qawwali professionally for the past 15 years, brings you a brief introduction to this powerful form of music.