QAWW?L?

QAWW?L? A form of ecstatic Sufi Muslim worship in which a soloist leads a group of singers, qaww?l? (Arabic, qaww?l, "one who speaks well") possibly derives its name from a community of performers. Qaww?l? refers to both a nonliturgical religious musical gathering associated with the Chishti sect of Sufi Muslims, as well as the repertoire sung at these gatherings. The poetry of qaww?l? draws upon the traditions of Urdu and Persian poetry, although folk genres such as qawl and rang are a historic part of this worship. The most common musicopoetic forms of qaww?l? are gazal (expressions of divine mystical love or praises of God), hamd (praises of God), na?t (praises of the Prophet, Muhammad), and manqabat (praises of saints or imams).

Qawwals are religious musicians and, more specifically, the community that performs Sufi religious song. Many qaww?ls trace their performing tradition to Amir Khusrau (1253–1325) and to his ties with the Chishti sect of Sufism probably founded by Mu?inuddin during the twelfth century. Professional qaww?ls and dedicated amateurs perform qaww?l? at shrines and private homes, and increasingly in concerts, often on the death anniversaries (urs) of famous Sufi saints, as well as in informal weekly contexts. Today, qaww?l? is also a popular form of entertainment for wedding ceremonies and other auspicious occasions; performers appear in films and on television, and tapes and records are widely available in the marketplace.

The performance model for a qaww?l? ensemble is that of the mursh?id (director/guide) mur?d (aspirant) relationship of Sufism in which a knowledgeable guide assists a disciple in the pursuit of divine knowledge. The principle singer (mohr?) of a performance leads the ensemble of responding singers (aw?ziya, "voices") and instrumentalists, as well as other listeners in the pursuit of h?l, an ecstatic divine experience and personal knowledge of God (ma?rifa) through the musical performance. The services of the mohr? are essential both to performers and audience members who wish to transform the self ( fana? ).

A qaww?l? performance psychologically attempts to bring willing individuals from a state of passive observation to full involvement. The music often begins with an instrumental prelude (naghm?) and/or an ?l?p (sometimes known as mahfil-i sam?, "gathering for listening") and gradually builds in intensity. The responsorial structure of the music, while requiring a knowledgeable professional, allows for the easy involvement of those present.

The accompanying ensemble of performers, like the Sabri Brothers, commonly consists of drums (tabla and/or dholak) and harmonium; however, qaww?l? performers are, if anything, eclectic. Today, qaww?l? performances include instruments such as the mandolin, violin, s?rang?, and dilr?ba, and, perhaps, electric guitars and synthesizers. Notably, performers such as Nasrat Fateh Ali Khan demonstrated that not only can one incorporate new musical instruments into qaww?l?, one can merge Western pop idioms (for example, a drum-and-bass groove/ostinato) with a traditional song, such as "Mast Qalandar" (a manqabat in praise of the Sufi saint, Lal Qalandar).

The musical materials are fundamentally simple. The qaww?l? repertoire consists of both existing songs and new creations based on classical r?gs, r?g-like melodies peculiar to the qaww?l? tradition, and folk melodies. Generally, qaww?l? performances have featured only two short t?ls: the four-beat qaww?l?t?l and six-beat d?dra t?l. Contemporary performances build on these immediately perceivable meters, combining predictable cycles with internal syncopations. These catchy repetitive time cycles can have a hypnotic effect on performers and audiences alike.

Gordon Thompson

See alsoMusic .

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Qureshi, Regula. "Indo-Muslim Religious Music: An Overview." Asian Music 3, no. 2 (1972): 15–22.

——. "Islamic Music in an Indian Environment." Ethnomusicology 25, no. 1 (1981): 47–71.

——. Sufi Music of India and Pakistan. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 1986.