Qawwali

Qawwali

Qawwali is a genre of music that has its roots in South Asia. It is described as a form of Sufi devotional music that is mainly performed in religious settings such as Sufi shrines or dargahs, however, Qawwali Music has also garnered mainstream popularity and international recognition mainly due to the works of artists such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and the Sabri Brothers. It is thought that the origins of Qawwali music can be traced back more than 700 years to the 13th century, where it is documented that a follower of the Christi school of Sufism, called Shaikh Nizamuddin Auliya started to utilise music during his prayer gatherings. This caused anger and tension with Delhi-based orthodox Islamists. However, it is one of Nizamuddin Auliya’s disciples who is considered the Godfather and inventor of Qawwali, Amir Khusru. It is believed that Amir founded Qawwali by fusing elements of Turkish, Persian and Indian music. For example, it is said Qawwali music combines Persian moqquams with Indian ragas (similar scales used in western music).

Because of the history of Qawwali and its influences are taken from other countries, songs can take the form of different languages and dialect depending on what topic is being sung. The main languages used in a performance is Punjabi and Urdu. Sections from a Qawwali repertoire include languages like Persian (retained from the Mughal era), Saraiki and dialects from north India like Awadhi and Brajbhasha. Regional dialects can also be sung depending on the location of the performance, however, this is relatively rare. The main theme surrounding a Qawwali performance is said to be a spiritual understanding of love, devotion and longing for man and its god. And while the lyrics can be hedonistic and secular it should always be taken at face value and should not overtake main reason of Qawwali music which is its spiritual meaning.

Qawwali music has always been an exclusively male scene, as traditionally it was prohibited for females to sing in the presence of men. however, in recent times this has gradually changed due to the presence of popular female Qawwali singers such as Abida Parveen, but outside of the exception, Qawwali is still seen to be music dominated by males.

A traditional set up for a Qawwali performance involves a party of musicians (called a Humnawa in Urdu). The layout of the party involves the performers to form two rows and sit cross-legged. The lead singer, backing vocalists and harmonium players sit in the front row, while the chorus and percussionists sit in the back row. The party set up consists of nine men, this includes the lead singer, one or two backing vocalists, one or two people playing the harmoniums, one or two percussionists and four or five men who form a chorus (their role is to repeat key verses and to aid the percussionist via hand clapping). Instruments traditionally played during a Qawwali song involve harmoniums (up to two harmoniums are usually played during a performance), any party member can be a harmonium player, including the lead singer. Percussion instruments such as the tabla and dholak are also used during a traditional Qawwali performance, if one percussionist is only available in the party he would usually have to multitask between the two instruments (he would do this by playing the tabla with his dominant hand and the dholak with his remaining hand). If two percussionists are available, they will be tasked with playing one instrument each.

The group, ‘Fanna-Fi-Allah’ performing Sufi Qawwali at the Venue Central in Luton. This picture displays how a typical ensemble is arranged on stage for Sufi Qawwali. It shows a Harmonium being placed on the hard right; the lead vocalist performing on the soft right; a Dholak being played in the centre of the picture; and three clapping, backing vocalists on the left of the picture.


A Dholak.


A Harmonium

Unlike typical western singing traditions or styles, in Qawwali music there is no distinction given between a head or a chest voice, this means that Qawwali singers tend to force their voice to achieve higher frequencies. This usually results in a loud and strained sound that would usually sound out of place in a conventional western song. Also unlike western singers, who like to pronounce the vowel after an “m”. Qawwali singers will usually hold the “m“, this tends to produce a muted tone.

The content, lyrics and languages used in a conventional performance, consists of the following categories:
  • Instrumental – an instrumental section will always start off a Qawwali, it is can be a combination of a structured and improvised performance lead by the main singer. Usually, the harmonium is being played while also being accompanied by the tabla. This is usually performed as a way to spiritually introduce the arrival of Moinuddin Chishti (followers of Sufis believe their saints are free of time and space). 
  • A hamd (حمد) (this means praise in English) – This section will usually begin after the instrumental opening, and is sung in praise for Allah. 
  • A na`at (نعت this means description in English) – This section always traditionally follows a hamd, and is sung in praise for Muhammed. 
  • A manqabat (مناقب this means characteristics in English) – This section traditionally follows a na’at, and is sung in praise of Imam Ali or one of the Sufi saints. If the lead singer chooses to sing a manqabat in praise of Imam Ali, the setting of the performance would traditionally be held at Sunni or Shi'a gathering 
  • A marsiya (مرثية this means lamentation for a dead person in English) – This section is sung in honour of the tragedy Imam Husayn suffered at the Battle of Karbala, losing most of his family members as result. This section is almost sung exclusively at a Shi'a gatherings. 
  • A ghazal (غزل this means love song in English) – This section focuses on hedonism and secular ideals like the joy of drinking or the pain of being separated from a beloved. These subjects are always taken at face value because of its deeper meaning, which is for the human’s soul to find a deeper love for the divine (God) and as a way to find spiritual enlightenment. Outside the traditional Qawwali setting, people in Pakistan and India consider ghazal a genre in its own right, performing many songs traditionally heard in a qawwali performance but using different musical structures. 
  • A Kafi – this section is usually a poem that is chosen by the lead singer. A kafi poem is usually read out of three languages (Punjabi, Seraiki or Sindhi). It is usually performed emulating the unique style of historical poets, such as Shah Hussain, Bulleh Shah, Sultan Bahoo and Sachal Sarmast. 
  • A munajaat (مناجاة this means conversation in the night or a form of prayer) – in this section the lead singer gives this thanks to Allah using different linguistic techniques and is often performed in Persian. Mawlana Jalāl-ad-Dīn Rumi is said to have created the munajaat. 
The duration of a Qawwali song typically lasts from anywhere between 15 to 30 minutes. However, this is not always the case, for example, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan recorded two songs that have lasted for just over an hour, and Aziz Mian Qawwal is noted for recording the longest commercially available qawwali single, titled Hashr Ke Roz Yeh Poochhunga, lasting just over 115 minutes. 

Qawwali music is intended to get the listeners and performers into a sort trance-like - hypnotic state. This usually happens by gradually building up Qawwali performance from a gentle start, to eventually reaching a very high energy level over the song's duration. A typical Qawwali song arrangement usually follows as:
  • A Qawwali song will always start with an instrumental prelude, the tabla is used to help accompany the main melody which is played on the harmonium, at times the main melody can be improvised from the usual structure. 
  • After the instrumental, the alap begins, this involves the led singer performing a long tonal improvised melody. This is used to start and develop a raga. 
  • The lead singer will then start to sing some verses that are not part of the main song but relates to the main theme of the Qawwali song. After the verse is sung by the lead singer one of the backing vocalists will repeat the verse (he has the licence to use his own improvisation on the verse if he wishes). These verses are accompanied only by the harmonium and are sung unrhythmically and improvised usually after the raga has finished. Depending on the length of the song a few, or many of these types of verses can be performed before eventually leading into the main song. 
  • As soon as the main song starts to play, all percussion instruments (the dholak and tabla) start to kick in and all choir members of the party begin clapping, all members of the group will then sing the verses simultaneously. The themes and lyrics from the main song are never changed or improvised while the verses are being played, this is due to the songs being traditional and have been sung by many Qawwali groups down the years. However, the sound of the song can be slightly improvised within the framework of the main melody. During the main song, the lead singer or backing vocalists may start performing an alap. Sargam singing could also start to be performed at this stage of the song. As the song and performance starts to build up in speed and intensity, the singers of the group will then start to outperform each other through a verity vocal acrobatics. Some singers may perform a Sargam improvisation that can last for an extended period of time, the song will then come to an end in an abrupt manner. 
Due to the large Muslim population in Luton (24.6% - of whom mainly constitute the 14.4% of Pakistani’s and 6.7% of Bangladeshi’s living in the town), you can usually hear Qawwali music being performed on a regular basis. It is typically played in local mosques within the area of Bury Park. Due to popularity and demand of the genre in the town, international recognised Qawwali singers such as Aziz Mian Qawwal have flown over from Pakistan to play in Luton (Aziz Mian Qawwal performed at a mosque in Bury Park in the year 2000 shortly before his death in 2001). Qawwal is also prominently heard in the town every year during the Ede festival which is celebrated by thousands of Muslims at the end of Ramadan.


This picture shows a Qawwali party (or group of Qawwali musicians) performing on 22nd of March 2017, at the Luton Hat Factory. It features the group, ‘Rizwan Muazzam’ performing a rendition of ‘Shah e Mardan’ (a particular raag).

This picture shows the artist, ‘Aziz Mian Qawwal’ performing at a mosque in the Bury Park area of Luton, shortly before his death, on the 6 December 2000. Aziz Mian Qawwal was one of Pakistan's leading traditional qawwals and also famous for singing ghazals (a form of poetry) in his own unique style of qawwali.


Recommended watching

Qawwali Music and Instrumentation

  • Instrumentation of Qawwal


  • Music of Qawwal





Further Readings

Statistics

Music


History of Qawwali Music

Location: Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

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