| “Life is only for devotion” Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan |
Born in Punjab in 1948, Nusrat
Fateh Ali khan was part of a
Qawwali family that traced its
history back 600 years. The
Qawwali is the tradition form of
Islamic song found in India and
Pakistan.
The word qawwali is devrived from
the Arabic word Qaol, which
means “axiom” or “dictum”. The
qawwali is linked to the Sufi
tradition Sufism is mystical school
of Islamic thought which strives to
attain truth and divine love by
personal experience. But, the
coming together of music and
spiritual practice certainly
predates the birth of Muhammad.
In fact, it predates Buddha and
Jesus and all historical religions.
The knowledge of the divine
nature of music is one of mankind’
s oldest truths.
He became through his great
artistry the foremost exponent of
qawwali in the 20th century. He
also did much to bring this
tradition to Western audiences.
Peter Gabriel’s Real World label
has release 5 albums of his. There
are two Western artists that
certainly invite comparisons in
their artistry and their devotion to
the spiritual and divine nature of
music: John Coltrane and Glenn
Gould. Listen to him sing and I
think you will hear the vision of
John Coltrane’s “Love Supreme”
or the transcendence in Gould’s
performances of “The Goldberg
Variations”.
Fateh Ali khan was part of a
Qawwali family that traced its
history back 600 years. The
Qawwali is the tradition form of
Islamic song found in India and
Pakistan.
The word qawwali is devrived from
the Arabic word Qaol, which
means “axiom” or “dictum”. The
qawwali is linked to the Sufi
tradition Sufism is mystical school
of Islamic thought which strives to
attain truth and divine love by
personal experience. But, the
coming together of music and
spiritual practice certainly
predates the birth of Muhammad.
In fact, it predates Buddha and
Jesus and all historical religions.
The knowledge of the divine
nature of music is one of mankind’
s oldest truths.
He became through his great
artistry the foremost exponent of
qawwali in the 20th century. He
also did much to bring this
tradition to Western audiences.
Peter Gabriel’s Real World label
has release 5 albums of his. There
are two Western artists that
certainly invite comparisons in
their artistry and their devotion to
the spiritual and divine nature of
music: John Coltrane and Glenn
Gould. Listen to him sing and I
think you will hear the vision of
John Coltrane’s “Love Supreme”
or the transcendence in Gould’s
performances of “The Goldberg
Variations”.
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Spirtual Music of The
Orient & Mystics
Orient & Mystics
| Video: A Voice from Heaven Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan performs in London. One of the best performances available on line. Recorded by the BBC, 1.50 minutes |