Student of Mass Communication

Semester 5th

MINHAJ UNIVERSITY LAHORE

THE ROLE OF MUSIC IN PAKISTANI CULTURE

by

HAFIZ SALMAN

It's hard to write well about music. The problem involves translating the sounds of a non-referential language with its own strictly musical meanings into a language that explains musical meanings logically and verbally. But the sound of music is not readily translatable into the sound of sense. Good music writing, nonetheless, somehow succeeds in making sense; it makes sense in what it says directly about the music, and in what it suggests indirectly, in what circumscribes the music as well.

PURPOSE of CHOOSING THIS TOPIC

Genres

ClassicalGhazals

SufiFolk & Qawalis

Pop & Rock Music

MUSIC of PAKISTAN

The Music of Pakistan includes diverse elements ranging from music from various parts of South Asia as well as Central Asian, Middle Eastern, and modern-day Western popular music influences. With these multiple influences, a distinctive Pakistani sound has been formed.

MUSIC of PAKISTAN

In poetry, the ghazal is a poetic form consisting of  couple ts which share a   rhyme and a  refrain. Each l ine must share the same meter. Etymologica lly, the word l i teral l y refers to

"the mortal cry of

a gazelle". The animal is cal led Ghizaal , from which the English word gazel les stems, or  Kastori haran  (where haran  refers to deer) in Urdu. Ghazals are traditionally expressions of love, separation and

loneliness, for which the gazelle is an appropriate image. A ghazal can thus be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation of the lover and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The structural

requirements of the ghazal are more stringent than those of most poetic forms traditionally written in English. In its style and content it is a genre which has proved capable of an extraordinary variety of expression around

its central theme of love and separation between lovers. [ c i t a t i o n n e e d e d]

The ghazals can be sung both for men and women, as an expression of love/beauty.

The ghazal spread into South Asia in the 12th century under the inf luence of the new Islamic Sultanate courts and Sufi mystics. Exotic to the region, as is indicated by the very sounds of the name i tself when properly

pronounced as ġazal . Although the ghazal is most prominently a form of  Urdu poetry, today, i t has inf luenced the poetry of many languages. Most Ghazal singers are trained in class ical music and s ing in e ither  Khyal or

Thumri.

GHAZALS

QAWWALI

is the devotional music of the Chishti Sufis. Qawwali is a vibrant musical tradition that stretches back more than 700 years in India. Originally performed mainly at Sufi shrines throughout the India, it has also gained mainstream popularity. Qawwali music received international exposure through the work of the lateBakhshi Salamat,Aziz Mian, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and sabri brothers, largely due to several releases on the Real World label, followed by live appearances at WOMAD festivals. Listeners, and often artists themselves are transported to a state of wajad, a trance-like state where they feel at one with God, generally considered to be the height of spiritual ecstasy in Sufism. The roots of Qawwali can be traced back to 8th century Persia, however, Qawwali in the form we know it today was essentially created by Amir Khusrau in the late 13th century.

QAWWALI

SUFI MUSIC

Sufi music is the devotional music of the Sufis, inspired by the works of Sufi poets, like Rumi, Hafiz, Bulleh Shah, Amir Khusrow and Khwaja Ghulam Farid.

Qawwali is the most well known form of Sufi music, and is most commonly found in the Sufi culture of the Indian Subcontinent. However, music is also central to the Sema ceremony of the whirling dervishes, which is set to a form of music called Ayin, a vocal and instrumental piece featuring Turkish classical instruments such as the ney (a reed flute). The West African gnawa is another form, and Sufis from Indonesia to Afghanistan toMorocco have made music central to their practises. Some of the Sufi orders have taken an approach more akin to puritan forms of Islam, declaring music to be unhelpful to the Sufi way.

SUFI MUSIC (cont)

RELIGIOUS FORM OF MUSIC

'Hamd' is also used extensively in Christian religious music from Pakistan and all over the world where people from this region are found.'Hamd' is not the exclusive domain of any religion. As pointed out – it denotes praise toGod, it is more extensively used in the Muslim world. It is usually used in conjunction with the Sanna and referred to as 'Hamd – o – Sanna'. 'Naat' denotes praise to the prophet Muhammad.

HAMAD AND NAAT

CLASSICAL MUSIC of PAKISTAN

Classical music of Pakistan is based on the traditional music of South Asia which was patronized by various empires that ruled the region and gave birth to several genres of classic music including the Klasik and Hindustani classical music. The classical music of Pakistan has two main principles, ‘sur’ (musical note) and ‘lai’ (rhythm). The systematic organization of musical notes into a scale is known as a raag. The arrangement of rhythm (lai) in a cycle is known as taal. Improvisation plays a major role during a performance.

The major genres of classical music in Pakistan are dhrupad and khayal. Dhrupad is approaching extinction in Pakistan despite vocalists like Ustad Badar uz Zaman, Ustad Hafeez Khan and Ustad Afzal Khan have managed to keep this art form alive. Khayal is the most popular genre of classical music in Pakistan as is also enjoyed with much enthusiasm in Afghanistan

CLASSICAL MUSIC of PAKISTAN (cont)

Balochi music The music of Balochistan province is very rich and full of varieties due to

the many different types of languages which are spoken in the province, including Balochi, Pashto, Brahui, Dari and Saraiki.

Punjabi music Music from the Punjab province includes many different varieties. Potohari music Potohari has a rich tradition of poetry recital accompanied by sitar, ghara,

tabla, harmonium and dholak. These poems (potohari sher) are often highly lyrical and somewhat humorous and secular in nature, though religioussher are also recited.

Sindhi music Music from Sindh province is sung in Sindhi, and is generally performed in

either the "Baits" or "Waee" styles.

REGIONAL MUSIC of PAKISTAN

MODERN MUSIC

Pop Music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form in the Western world

 during the 1950s and 1960s, deriving from rock and roll. The terms "popular music" and "pop music" are often used interchangeably, although the former describes all music that is popular (and can include any style).

Rock Musica form of popular music which evolved from rock and roll and pop music

during the mid and late 1960s. Harsher and often self-consciously more serious than its predecessors, it was initially characterized by musical experimentation and drug-related or anti-establishment lyrics.

MODERN MUSIC (Cont)

Music from the different parts of the country put the different influences on the people.

Just like the sufi music hard to understand, but it carrys a long massage inside.

However, Pop and Rock Music is grabbing the intention of youth and cultivating directly thier minds towards the tradational music by arranging some music shows like Coke Studio, Nescafe basement etc.

MUSIC INFLUENTIAL on PEOPLE

Pakistan has inherited musical traditions that go far back into history. Pakistani music takes influences from Central Asian, Arabic, Indian, English, South Asian, Persian and Turkish music. Pakistani music and musical instruments are a serenade of melody and rhythm composed in a delightful manner. Pakistan has a wide range of musical genres and musical instruments which forms the core of our music industry.

SUMMARY

THE END