Qawwal
Qawwali (Punjabi: (Shahmukhi), (Gurmukhi); Urdu: ( Nasta'liq); Hindi: क़व्वाली (Devanagari); Bengali: কাওয়ালি (Bengali)) is a form of Sufi Islamic devotional singing, originating from the Indian subcontinent ...
. He belongs to the Qawwal Bachchon Ka Gharana of
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...
. He is the eldest son of
Manzoor Niazi Qawwal
Manzoor Ahmed Khan Niazi (1922 – 9 April 2013) was a renowned Pakistani Qawwal and a classical musician in India and Pakistan. He belonged to the well-known family of Qawwals, Qawwal Bachchon Ka Gharana of Delhi.
Career
Manzoor Niazi Qa ...
(no relation to the Pushtun Niazi tribe).
Abdullah Niazi was one of the principal Qawwals in Manzoor Niazi Qawwal's group and after the death of Manzoor Niazi Qawwal, he led a Qawwali Group formed with his brothers. In 2015, he branched out with his sons supporting him. His performance style is steeped in
Amir Khusro
Abu'l Hasan Yamīn ud-Dīn Khusrau (1253–1325 AD), better known as Amīr Khusrau was an Indo-Persian culture, Indo-Persian Sufi singer, musician, poet and scholar who lived under the Delhi Sultanate. He is an iconic figure in the cultural his ...
's Kalaam (verses) and has a based on Indian classical music. Abdullah Niazi carries the qawwali performance with a command and virtuosity rarely found in contemporary Qawwals capturing
Amir Khusrow
Abu'l Hasan Yamīn ud-Dīn Khusrau (1253–1325 AD), better known as Amīr Khusrau was an Indo-Persian Sufi singer, musician, poet and scholar who lived under the Delhi Sultanate. He is an iconic figure in the cultural history of the Indian ...
's poetry and its musical emotionality in all its subtlety and intensity. Abdullah Niazi Qawwal performs various genres of qawwali music such as
Thumri
Thumri () is a vocal genre or style of Indian music. The term "thumri" is derived from the Hindi verb ''thumuknaa'', which means "to walk with a dancing gait in such a way that the ankle-bells tinkle." The form is, thus, connected with dance, dr ...
Tarana
''Tarana'' is a type of composition in Hindustani classical vocal music in which certain words (e.g. "odani", "todani", "tadeem" and "yalali") based on Persian and Arabic phonemes are rendered at a medium (''madhya laya'') or fast (''drut laya'' ...
, Sufism, and Classical. This was all evident in their concert performance at the
National Academy of Performing Arts
The National Academy of Performing Arts ( ur, ; abbreviated as NAPA) is a performing arts school located at Hindu Gymkhana in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. NAPA was established in 2005 as an institution to conserve and teach performing arts and ...
arranged by the
All Pakistan Music Conference
The All Pakistan Music Conference (APMC) is a volunteer organization founded in 1959 for the promotion of classical arts in Pakistan and continues to preserve and promote Pakistani classical and folk music and dance. It hosts a concert of musi ...
.
Abdullah Niazi Qawwal's grandfather was Mir Qutub Bukhsh who was awarded the title of ''Tanras Khan'' by the last Mughal
Emperor
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...
Bahadur Shah Zafar. Tanras Khan was also the tutor in music and court musician of this emperor.
Early life and career
Abdullah Niazi Qawwal learned Qawwali from his late father
Manzoor Niazi Qawwal
Manzoor Ahmed Khan Niazi (1922 – 9 April 2013) was a renowned Pakistani Qawwal and a classical musician in India and Pakistan. He belonged to the well-known family of Qawwals, Qawwal Bachchon Ka Gharana of Delhi.
Career
Manzoor Niazi Qa ...
and his late uncle Bahauddin Qawwal.
Abdullah Niazi with his three sons Waqas Ahmed, Saad Ahmed, and Fahad Ahmed are now promoting their family's traditional music.
They have performed in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
,
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
Muscat
Muscat ( ar, مَسْقَط, ) is the capital and most populated city in Oman. It is the seat of the Governorate of Muscat. According to the National Centre for Statistics and Information (NCSI), the total population of Muscat Governorate was ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
,
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
,
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
Abdullah Niazi Qawwal has released many CDs/VCDs and Audio Cassettes. He also has recorded qawwalis on ARY Qtv channel and on
Pakistan Television Corporation
Pakistan Television Corporation ( ur, ; reporting name: PTV) is the Pakistani state-owned broadcaster. Pakistan entered the television broadcasting age in 1964, with a pilot television station established at Lahore.
Background
Historical co ...
channel. He has recorded qawwalis on South Africa's Radio Lotus in 1989, Oslo Television in 1991, and on Door Darshan of India. Abdullah Niazi Qawwal also worked with
Komal Rizvi
Komal Rizvi ( ur, ; born 3 August 1981) is a Pakistani actress, singer, songwriter, and a television host. She is famous for her songs in Coke Studio (Pakistan).
Early life
Rizvi was born in Dubai and then raised in England and Nigeria. As a ...
in her video song ''Jhoolay Lal'' which was released by HMV India in 2013.
Awards
Abdullah Niazi Qawwal are popular for their performances and they also have received many awards.