GAJENDRA PURI GOSWAMI
QAWWALI: The sound of the Sufis
Qawwali is the musical expression of Sufi poetry, a form of devotion that conveys mystical songs in a manner that is intended to make listeners more receptive to understanding the message of songs. Originally performed as a traditional spiritual genre, it now allows its presentation in a secular, concert genre as well as popular, commercial genre.
The art of singing Qawwal is inextricably linked to the Sufi tradition. Reciting and performing Sufi poetry or Qawwali are often prescribed mediums of the divine union which non-Sufis argue can only be achieved after death. Qawwali, as a musical expression, is said to have emanated from the Chishti Sufi order. It’ s leader Nizamuddin Auliya had asked the great poet and‘ Parakeet of India’- Hazrat Amir Khusro- who was a great erudite of music himself, to prepare a few Qawwals. In those days the genre was strictly spiritual and meant to stir the heart of people to seek god. Traditional Qawwali performances were conducted at shrines on occasions of Sufi anniversaries or other days of remembrance. Hence, a spiritual director pir was always present during the performance. The pirs used to sit at the head of a Sufi gathering, while the performers sat at the opposite end and after former readings of the Quran, singers sang mystical songs which helped listeners to achieve a state of spiritual arousal. Gradually, this spiritual genre transformed itself into a secular, concert, film, and popular music genre. These later evolved genres contain essential elements of the spiritual genre as well.
A traditional Qawwali ensemble consists of a male singer, soloists, and a chorus of male singers supported by musicians playing percussion instruments. In addition to normal instrumentation, hand clapping serves to emphasise the rhythmic structure and engage the audience. The Qawwal is guided by the general rules regarding the sequence of song types. Some of these are; praises of god hamd, Muhammad na’ t, and then saints manqabat. Although, the sequence rules may not be deferred when the performance is secularised or presented in a concert or film and the manner of performance is governed entirely by the performer himself. In a traditional Qawwali performance the spiritual texts are emphasised and repeated to evoke religious sentiments, although the sequence of the verses may not carry a fixed order. In contrast, at a secular presentation of Qawwali, the Qawwal relies more on the artistic expression rather than the mystical meaning of the text. An important feature of the Qawwali performance lies in the interaction between the audience and performers. The Qawwal gauges the mood, background, and cultural association of his audience, and accommodates his style to the setting as to uplift the audience. The performer is often rewarded by monetary offerings by the audience for inducing this spiritual ecstasy.
Apart from the Sufi texts, that encompass the religious poetry, couplets, and ghazals, a Qawwali performance relies on music. The genre borrows its melodic and rhythmic framework from Hindustani classical music. It draws its melodies from the same pool of framework( ragas) and metric patterns( talas) that is observed in classical music. Few notable illustrations of these rags and talas are conspicuous in Tajdar-e-Haram, rendered in Raag Bhairavi; Punjabi Qawwali by Bulle Shah iterated in Ragas like Tilang and Khamaj; and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’ s Traditional Sufi Qawwalis performed at the Kufa Gallery, London in various ragas like Raga Bhairavi, Bilawal, Bhopali, Yaman Kalyan, Bahar, and Mishra Khamaj. A Qawwali also features the formal structure similar to that of the Khayal song genre; like Khayal, Qawwali performances feature a mixture of evenly paced metric refrains and rhythmically flexible solo vocal improvisations. The open-ended improvisational structure, during the fast-paced passages called Taranas, serve the ever-changing needs of an individual listener via response in call.
Qawwali’ s religious affiliation, that once restricted its realm, later enhanced its popularity. Since, all-inclusiveness and myriad embodiments of god are accepted as the fundamental principles of Sufi philosophy; it has reflected in its artistic representation too. Qawwali is an exemplar of such representation, which has surpassed its religious constraints to become part of a much larger global music phenomena.
The Score Magazine
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