QCA
Scheme of Work Unit 12: Bhajan/qawwali (exploring Indian musical
genres)
Bhajan
(pronounced Budgen)
“Bhajan
is the most popular form of Hindu devotional composition in
North India … musical elements of bhajans are usually
simple – uncomplicated rhythms and melodies that can be
learned and sung by a congregation. Percussion and harmonium
are the typical accompanying instruments.” (In Broughton
& Ellingham, 2000: 87)
Conventional
structure: a single asthayi followed by (often several) antara
(see QCA Schemes of Work Unit 12 for definitions)
Qawwali
“Qawwali
is the traditional form of Islamic song found in India and Pakistan
… A Qawwal is one who sings qawwali, or the dictums of
the prophets and praises of God. The Qawwali is closely linked
to the spiritual and artistic life of northern India and Pakistan
… inextricably linked to the Sufi tradition” (chandrakantha.com
website)
Traditional
qawwali ensemble:
Melodic
line – one or two lead singers plus chorus
Harmonium – reinforces melody
Percussion: dholak and/or tabla
Rhythmic hand clapping
Nusrat
Fateh Ali Khan
Leading
qawwali from Pakistan, largely responsible for bringing this
music to a worldwide audience. Raises all kinds of interesting
points relating to Eastern devotional music in a Western commercial
environment
Traditional
album: The Last Prophet (RealWorld, UK)
Vocals/chorus, harmonium and tabla
Fusion
album: Mustt Mustt (RealWorld, UK)
Vocals, guitar, synthesiser, harmonium, tablas, djembe, flute,
bass etc
Title track remixed by Massive Attack and used for a Coca-cola
advert (!). The CD inlay card (and Broughton & Ellingham,
2000: 210) contain a fascinating description of some of the
issues arising from fusing Sufi devotional music with Western
popular music techniques.
Common
Rags and Tals in Qawwali
Rag
Kalyan is one of the most common rags used in Qawwali.
It is very similar to Rag Yaman – seen as identical to
many (see BSUC guide to North Indian Classical Music for Rag
Yaman).
Tal
Kaharva is an extremely common 8 beat tal in Qawwali
| Sum/Khali |
X |
o |
o |
o |
O |
o |
o |
o |
| Beats |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
| Claps |
o |
* |
o |
* |
o |
* |
o |
* |
Sum
(first beat) = X .......Khali (empty
beat) = O
“The
hand claps come on the off-beat. It is this rhythmic element and
the obvious intensity of the performance that endear qawwali to
Western listeners. The syncopated rhythm set up by the hand clapping
is so close in feel to the ubiquitous rock ‘back-beat’
that Western audiences immediately feel at home” (Farrell,
1997: 206-207)
You
can hear this clearly on track 36 of the CD that accompanies
Sharman, 1998
Information
Sources
Allen,
P (1997) Singing Matters Oxford: Heinemann
There are two examples of bhajan here, on pages 159/160
Ed.
Broughton, S & Ellingham, M (2000/2nd) The Rough Guide to
World Music Vol. 2 London: Rough Guides
See pages 203-212 for detailed information about Qawwali, and
page 87 for a brief account of Bhajan
Farrell,
G (1997) Indian Music in the West Oxford: OUP
Useful material relating to East/West fusions stemming from
Qawwali
Farrell,
G (1994) Music of India Oxford: Heinemann
Useful in many ways, but pp 56-58 relate directly to Bhajan/Qawwali
Sharman,
E (1998) Music Worldwide Cambridge: CUP
www.chandrakantha.com/articles/indian_music/
This site has detailed information on both musical genres, plus
much more
Glossary
(reproduced from QCA scheme of work unit 12)
- antara:
the second part of a composition of which the first part is
the asthayi. The swars remain mostly in the upper tetrachord
and higher register
-
asthayi (also sthayi): the first part of a composition
of which the second part is the antara. The swars of the asthayi
remain mostly in the middle and lower registers
- mukhra:
the first musical/textual phrase of each part of a composition
restated to end musical phrases in improvisation
- rag:
the modal basis of Indian classical music. A prescribed selection
of melodic material that is the basis for composition and improvisation
- swar:
note or pitch, also term for solfège syllable
- tal:
the system of rhythm in Indian music as a whole. Also a particular
time cycle characterised by a recurring pattern of subdivisions
- theka:
the drumming pattern identified with a particular tal used for
keeping time in music and played on the tabla
