Ghulam Ali

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article may need to be wikified to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.
Please help improve this article, especially its introduction, section layout, and relevant internal links. (help)

Image:Ghulam ali.jpg

Ghulam Ali (1940-) is a famous Pakistani ghazal singer of Patiala Gharana. Ghulam Ali was born in the village of Kaleke, Sialkot, now in Pakistan. He belonged to a musical family, his father was a vocalist and sarangi player who gave him early training. At the age of 15, Ghulam Ali became a disciple of the legendary classical singer Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, who was a master of the Patiala Gharana. His training was provided mainly by Bade Ghulam Ali Khan's three brothers: Barqat Ali Khan, Mubarak Ali Khan, and Amanat Ali Khan, in Lahore. All these great teachers of classical music taught him the finer details of classical music and his solid foundation of classical music included studying Thumri and learning to sing raagas.

He started singing for Radio Lahore in 1960. Ghulam Ali's father named him "Ghulam Ali" after Bade Ghulam Ali. Along with singing ghazals, Ghulam Ali composes music for his ghazals too. His compositions are raaga-based and sometimes include a scientific mixture of raagas. A raaga is a scientific, precise, subtle and aesthetic melodic form with its own peculiar ascending and descending movement consisting of either a full seven note octave, or a series of six or five notes (or a combination of any of these) in a rising or falling structure called the Arohana and Avarohana. He is known for blending gharana-gaayaki into ghazal and this gives his singing the capability to touch hearts. He beautifully sings Punjabi geets too. Most of his punjabi geets have been extremely popular. Though from Pakistan, Ghulam Ali remains as popular in India as in Pakistan. On being questioned about Pakistani pop groups, Ghulam Ali replied, "Frankly, I am really bewildered at their style of singing. How can you sing a song by running and jumping around the stage? The stage is meant for performing not for acrobatics."

He is not to be confused with Chote Gulam Ali, who was a classical singer from Pakistan hailing from the qawaal bachha ka gharana.

Ghulam Ali has also sung some beautiful ghazals like Kina Kina Timro Tasveer, Gajalu Tee Thula Thula Aankha, Lolaaeka Tee Thula and Ke Chha Ra Diun in Nepali language with Narayan Gopal, the greatest Nepali singer, and composer Deepak Jangam. Those songs were compiled in an album entitled Narayan Gopal, Ghulam Ali Ra Ma, and are equally popular among Nepali music lovers to this day.