What can i say-I'm obsessed with
qawwallis.
There is just something about them, the energy that they exude, the sheer power-its uplifting.
Its a unqiue method of musical expression, one that is never done justice by recordings-but i guess we just have to make do..
And lets not forget the lyrics-in a world over-run with the likes of britney spears, here is a genere where the words actually mean something, they mean alot.
Perhaps the greatest of qawwallis were penned by Amir Kusrau/Khusro (13th Century). He is also generally recognized as the inventor of qawwalli as we know it...
One of my favourite works of his is chaap tilak.
In the hands of the prodigy
nusrat fateh ali khan, the effect is mesmerising.
[i had originally included the translation, but it makes but a joke out of Khusrau's poignant, nuanced prose ]
Chhap tilak sab cheeni ray mosay naina milaikay
Chhap tilak sab cheeni ray mosay naina milaikay
Prem bhatee ka madhva pilaikay
Matvali kar leeni ray mosay naina milaikay
Gori gori bayyan, hari hari churiyan
Bayyan pakar dhar leeni ray mosay naina milaikay
Bal bal jaaon mein toray rang rajwa
Apni see kar leeni ray mosay naina milaikay
Khusrau Nijaam kay bal bal jayyiye
Mohay Suhaagan keeni ray mosay naina milaikay
Chhap tilak sab cheeni ray mosay naina milaikay
Often after a hard day of calculus i find myself lost in the depths of the lyrics. I guess that?s what attracts me to qawwalli so much-it is in essence poetry but with the added attraction of rhythm and rhyme.
This one in particular i love so much because the lyrics can mean so much, they seem to evolve with you-grow with you. As a lovestruck teenager, they meant something-and now they mean something else altogether.
Perhaps a brief introduction to amir kusrau would be in order:
www.angelfire.com/sd/urdumedia
Is a great source for his works, biography and even translations.
If you can get your hands on it, i would suggest having a listen to Nusrat's rendition of aaj rung hai, again by amir kushrau. Another marriage of Kusraus's inspired lyrics and Nusrat's inimitable style and vocals.