Singers obviously know which song they are going to sing before they start, but they also usually have a repertoire of ‘spontaneous’ diversions (or ‘girah’ see note on transliteration at end of document), or verses from other compositions which they may or may not use in a particular song in order to emphasize or echo some point in the words.
Qawwali has a strong element of spontaneity in its performance. The performances are recorded either ‘live’ in front of an audience, or in a studio with probably only the technicians and a few friends listening. The songs are transcribed from recordings which are commercially available. This modest collection is intended to give a flavour of popular qawwali. Singers such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and the Sabri Brothers and their ‘Parties’ have provided us with many recordings, ranging from simple hymns in praise of God or the Prophet, to renderings of popular Urdu, Punjabi and Persian poetry, as well as the wide range of traditional qawwalis preserved within the families of the performers for unknown centuries. Since the 1970s, the music recording industry has provided an opportunity for this style of music to be appreciated by a much wider, or so-called, ‘world’ audience. Qawwali is also performed in private parties and in public concerts. However, there are still many Muslim shrines where qawwali has a solid and continuing tradition, still experienced by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. It is a living tradition of the Muslims of India and Pakistan, although the resurgence of a more puritanical or ‘wahhabi’ influenced strand of Islam over the last few decades has cast a shadow over many of the more mystical Islamic practices, including qawwali. Qawwali is undoubtedly old, certainly going back many centuries. There are arguments about the origins of qawwali, some say that it comes from an Iranian tradition, others argue that it is an adaptation of popular native Indian traditions, put to use by missionary Muslims trying to get their message across to Indian audiences of every religion. Qawwali is linked to the Sufi tradition in Islam and the vast majority of performers are Muslims.
The style bears some resemblance to other subcontinental singing styles, like the ‘bhajans’ of the Sikhs and other similar ‘bhakti’ traditions. In the recordings from which the following transcriptions and translations are made, you can also hear a clarinet, and a ‘japani baja’ (strummed or plucked, similar to a zither), guitars and electronic keyboards. The groups of ‘qawwals’, almost exclusively male, usually a lead singer and a ‘chorus’, are accompanied by percussion, hand-clapping and a harmonium, although occasionally other instruments are heard. ‘Qawwali’ is the name of an Indo/Pak subcontinental style of singing.
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