Music of Pakistan

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The music of Pakistan is probably one of the most diverse selection of music in the whole world within one country; being at the crossroads of Central Asia, Iran, the Middle East and India. Pakistan has developed a multitude of different types of music and sounds. Major influences of Pakistani music are Arabic, English, Indian, Persian and Portuguese. Pakistani genres like sufi rock and bhangra have become popular throughout the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and around the world. With the multiple influences, Pakistani music has emerged as a "fusion" of many other types of sounds together to form a distinctly Pakistani sound. Pakistani musicians now sell records not only in Pakistan but in many countries around the world. Although there are plenty of genres of Pakistani music, it can be divided under two main headings. Traditional and East meets West.

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[edit] Classical music

See also: Hindustani classical music and Gharana

in popularity of classical music is due to increased globilization; the young generation in Pakistan are more influenced by the western generes such as pop, rock and hip hop, which are currently flourishing in Pakistan. However, it can be said that if Pakistani music were to be represented by a pyramid, classical music would be the base holding it up. Almost all musicians young or old are taught under classical music first, before they can go ahead and move into other types of music.

Musical instruments which are used in classical music are:

Today, many Pakistani folk and modern day music hold in one way or another, some classical element. Many modern day Pakistani musicians of ghazal, qawwali and folk musicians are still trained in subcontinent classical music; these types of musicians often belong to a gharana.

One of the prominent gharana's in Pakistan is the Patiala gharana. Some of the most popular musicians that belonged to these groups were:

Other established gharanas (and their main exponents)include the Kirana (Malika-e-Mausiqui Roshan Ara Begum), Gwalior ( Ustad Ghulam Hassan Shaggan), Talwandi (Ustad Hafiz Ali Khan), Agra (Ustad Asad Ali Khan), and Qawwal Bacchon ka Gharana (Ustad Chotte Ghulam Ali Khan)

[edit] Ghazal music

Main article: Ghazal

Ghazal is the name of a poetic form, but musically "Ghazal Gayaki" refers to the form of music in which a poem is sung. Ghazal Gayaki is often termed semi-classical music. Most Ghazal singers are trained in classical music and sing in either Khyal or Thumri. Mehdi Hassan Khan Sahib was considered the greatest Ghazal singer in South Asia and was globally known for his devotion to ghazal music. Some of the most famous Pakistani Ghazal singers are:

[edit] Qawwali music

Main article: Qawwali

One of the most dynamic and popular types of Pakistani music is qawwali, which has been internationally popularized by stars like the Sabri Brothers, Aziz Mian and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Qawwali, is a form of Sufi music and exists in multiple forms. It is widespread throughout Pakistan and Northern India.

Qawwali refers to both the performance and the genre of music. Qawwals typically consist of a lead vocalist, two back-up vocalists and any number of percussionists. Qawwalis are traditionally led by a sheikh and are meant to help the audience realize the mystical ideals of Sufism and Islam. Amir Khusrau is said to have invented qawwali in the 13th century; the legendary poet and composer is also said to have invented the tabla and sitar. The idea of music (sama) inspiring an understanding and love for the divine and communication with spiritual guides is known from at least the 9th century. Orthodox Muslims sometimes criticize qawwali for its erotic imagery and sometimes frank sensuality.

Qawwali consists of three components:

Poetic verses are usually mixed with a chorus and instrumental passages. Traditional languages used include:

Some of the most popular Pakistani Qawwali singers/groups are:

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was a huge legend, not just physically, but in his stature, he was adored by millions of fans worldwide. Unlike many singers of today, he was admired purely on his amazing vocal skills and also the passion and spirituality he displayed in his amazing improvisations. He was not afraid to mix the sacred with the profane, the popular with the niche, and a meeting of the East with the West, which has lead to his popularity and longevity. Khan died in 1997 aged just 49. His legacy shall not be forgotten. Many of his followers who wished to take the art forward however none till this day have been able to even come close to what he did. His collaborations with Michael Brook, a Canadian record producer, resulted in the unexpected hit of "Mustt Mustt", which was remixed by Massive Attack and popularized by its use in a Coca-Cola television commercial.

Nusrat's compositions have also been used in films such as:

[edit] Folk music

Main article: Pakistani folk music

Folk music has been influential on classical music, which is viewed as a higher art form. In Pakistan, each province has its own variation of popular folk music. The arrival of western sounds, also weakened folk music's popularity as it did classical music. Well known Pakistani folk artists include:

Pakistani pop singers such as Abrar ul Haq, Rahim Shah and Jawad Ahmed have been known to mix their performances with traditional folk music. The most popular artist to be known for mixing his music with folk and classicial types was Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, a world-renowned Pakistani qawwali and folk artist.

[edit] Balochi

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, Persian and Saraiki. Balochi music stems basically from Persian Music and is not the common type of music you would normally associate with Pakistan. The musical instruments used also stem from Persia and these include:

Balochi music are in several different forms and divided into the following:

  • Sepad - means praise; are a series of melodies which are sung after the birth of a child
  • Shabtagi - Hymns sung after birth of the baby for the good health of the mother and child
  • Vazbad - Similar to Sepad and Shabtagi
  • Lullaby - Similar to Sepad and Shabtagi
  • Zayirak - Songs for separation, complaining about hard times, which is the most melancholy Balochi form of music

Although Balochi singers have still not made a mark on the Pakistani music scene, there are many Balochi singers and these include:

  • Ali Reza Askani
  • Aref Baloch
  • Asim Baloch
  • Bakshi Baloch
  • Noorkhan Bezanjo
  • Saeed Borhanzahi
  • Shah Jaan Dawoodi
  • Gulam Rasool Dinarzahi
  • Jaadok

[edit] Pashto

Pashto music is commonly found in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and North West Frontier Province, which includes genres such as the Tappa, Charbeta, Neemkai, Loba, Shaan and Badala. The Tappa is believed to be one of the oldest forms of Pashto poetry; it is comprised of two unequal meters, with the second longer than the first. Charbetta is the most popular form of poetry, and epic poem which focuses on heroic figures. The music is sung at a fast tempo by two or more singers. Neemakai is composed by Pashto women, expressing a range of issues from daily life. Loba is another form of Pashto folk song composed as a dramatic dialogue, often to tell romantic tales. Shaan is a celebratory song performed at occasions such as marriage and child birth. Although Badala is a type of Pashto folk music, it is normally sung by professional musicians. It is an epic poem set to composed music which is performed with instruments such harmonium, drums and tabla. The Rubab, a kind of lute is a essential part of Pasthtu folk music. This music is uncommon as the ruling MMA has restricted the use of music in the province.

[edit] Punjabi

Music from the Punjab province includes many different varieties. The traditional music utilizes instruments like the dhol, flute, dholak, and tumbi. The most commonly recognized form of Punjabi music, bhangra, is based on drum rhythms of the dhol. Its modern popularity has led to the use of new instruments and electronic sound sampling. Bhangra is a Punjabi folk dance that has become popular all over Pakistan that originated pre-independence in the Punjab region of Pakistan and India.

[edit] Sindhi

Music from Sindh province is sung in Sindhi, and is generally performed in either the "Baits" or "Waee" styles. The Baits style is vocal music in Sanhoon (low voice) or Graham (high voice). Waee instrumental music is performed in a variety of ways using a string instrument. Waee, also known as Kafi, is found in the surrounding areas of Balochistan, Punjab, and Rajasthan. Common instruments used in Sindhi regional music include the Yaktaro, Narr, and Naghara.

[edit] Filmi music

Main articles: Cinema of Pakistan and Filmi

Pakistan's film industry known as "Lollywood" is based in Lahore. One of the most famous singers of the Pakistan film industry is Madame Noor Jehan (Malika-e-Tarranum). Noor Jehan had a brief and successful acting career before devoting herself completely to music. She sang extensively for Pakistani films and also sang Ghazals, folk songs and patriotic songs (milli naghmay) for Pakistan television.

Until the 1960’s Pakistani film music enjoyed a robust period of creative activity with a great number of songs acquiring popularity across the sub-continent. The major music directors of this period (with the noted exception of Khawaja Khurshid Anwar) were mostly rababis. Some of the great names were: Ustad Inayat Hussain, G.A. Chishti, Rashid Attre, Ustad Tasadduq, Master Abdullah, Firoze Nizami, Tufail Farooqi and Ustad Nazar.

During the early 1960s Urdu film and music quality declined as the result of various factors. The dominance of trend-setting music directors who had experience of seasoned pre-partition artists declined and they were replaced by a new and younger generation who tapped the Punjabi film market. Music from India's film industry, Bollywood, is also very popular in Pakistan. It combines Indian classical music, with its sophisticated, melismatic vocals and traditional instruments, with catchy tunes and stylings from Western pop music. Bollywood has also not helped the music industry in Pakistan, it has affected many regional markets as Bollywood songs became more popular.

[edit] East meets West

As the new century began, so did a new type of music in Pakistan, which has become popular not only in Pakistan, but also in many other parts of the world too such as India, Bangladesh, UK, USA, Canada and the Middle East. This new type of music had a rich blend of classical/folk with western sounds leading the music industry to rebuild and re-establish itself. The industry really began to pickup in late 2003, when media laws in Pakistan became more relaxed, and resulted in a mass explosion of private Pakistani television channels. While many "fusing" bands have produced genuine and equilibrium music, there are some who just managed to produce native language charbas(Pakistani slang for media meaning ripoff) of Western songs. Most old-school Pakistani music lovers deride this fusion as charbas and remain loyal to the classic ghazal and qawwalis.

[edit] Pop music

Main articles: History of Pakistani pop music and Pakistani pop music

Artists such as Nazia Hasan and Alamgir were pioneers of Pakistani pop music in the 1980’s, however the industry didn't takeoff until after 2000, when a fresh batch of new singers began to make there mark on the domestically. Some very popular Pakistani pop singers include:

See List of Pakistani pop singers

[edit] Rock music

Main articles: Pakistani black metal and Sufi rock

Rock music in Pakistan has become very popular not only in Pakistan but across South Asia. All these groups have millions of fans across the world including in India, other parts of South Asia. A landmark event occurred in 2003 when the Pakistani group Strings's song, Najane Kyun became a featured single on the Urdu Soundtrack for Spiderman 2. Rock music has developed so much in Pakistan, that it already has two sub-genere's. The Pakistani band Junoon popularised a genre of music called Sufi rock (influenced from legend Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan) that blended traditional Pakistani folk and Sufi music with western rock. Pakistani black metal has just recently begun, with many underground bands in cities such as Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and even Peshawar. Popular Pakistani Rock Bands are:

[edit] The West Connection

There are more than 3 million expatriates who live outside of Pakistan mainly in countries like Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, United Arab Emirates and many other countries as well. With this large population has also come a ton of musical talent, some of which is world recognized!

[edit] Hip Hop & Rap

Although hip hop and rap have not taken root in Pakistan, many musicians of Pakistani origin have begun to enter the hip hop industry. Some popular Pakistani hip-hop & rap artists includes:

[edit] UK Bhangra

The UK Asian music scene is full of talent and the most popular is often referred to as UK Bhangra, is a rich blend of Punjabi sounds with western beats such as hip hop and techno; some popular Pakistani UK Bhangra artists include:

[edit] Pop & Rock

Pop & Rock music hadn't seen many Pakistani artists until of late. Some popular Pakistani pop & rock artists include:


[edit] Music Journalism

Main article: Pakistani music journalism

Music journalism in Pakistan has grown tremendously over the years, especially with the growth of the country's pop music industry and underground rock culture. Popular music journalism was uncommon in the country till about 1985 when Karachi's tabloid, The Star started printing reviews written by Farrukh Moriani who is also considered to be the country's first ever pop music critic. At the end of the eighties and with the coming of the Liberal government of Benazir Bhutto in 1988, the once repressed and frowned upon (by the Islamist dictatorship of General Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq), Pakistani pop music emerged from the underground and started gaining mainstream popularity. With this came another pioneering Pakistani music and fashion critic Fifi Haroon who was amongst the first in the country to undertake full features on the growing local music scene. Another frontrunner in this regard was Mohammed Ali Tim, but it wasn't until the arrival of the iconoclastic Nadeem F. Paracha in 1990 that music journalism started to be taken as a serious form of journalism in Pakistan. With Paracha was Farjad Nabi (at The The News International) and Aysha Aslam (at The Herald).

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

South Asian music

Afghanistan - Bangladesh - Bhutan - India - Maldives - Nepal - Pakistan - Sri Lanka


Life in Pakistan
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