Asad Amanat Ali Khan ( ur, ; ; 25 September 1955 – 8 April 2007) was a Pakistani classical vocalist and ''

ghazal The ''ghazal'' ( ar, غَزَل, bn, গজল, Hindi-Urdu: /, fa, غزل, az, qəzəl, tr, gazel, tm, gazal, uz, gʻazal, gu, ગઝલ) is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. A ghazal may be understood as a ...

'' singer belonging to the

Patiala Gharana The Patiala ''gharana'' (, ) is one of the vocal (tradition, school, or style of music) of Hindustani classical music, named after the city of Patiala in Punjab, India where it was established. The ''gharana'' was founded in the mid to late 19th ...

tradition of music. In a career spanning 32 years, Khan sang over 1,000 songs for

Pakistan Television 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 ...

and movie soundtracks, in addition to performing traditional classical music across the world. He was particularly noted for his command over the ''ghazal'' style of singing. Khan was the son of the prominent classical vocalist

Ustad Ustād or ostād (abbreviated as Ust., Ut. or Ud.; from Persian language, Persian ) is an honorific title used in West Asia, North Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is used in various languages such as Persian language, Persian, , Azerbai ...

Amanat Ali Khan Ustad Amanat Ali Khan ( ur, ; ; 1922 – 18 September 1974) was a Pakistani classical vocalist from the Patiala gharana tradition of music and is widely regarded as one of the finest classical and ''ghazal'' singers of all time. Together ...

. He was awarded the highest national literary award of Pakistan, the Presidential

Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance ( ur, ), officially known as Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sports, an ...

, on 23 March 2007 for his significant contributions to classical music.

Early life and background

Asad Amanat Ali Khan was born in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

to renowned classical singer

and his wife. His great-grandfather, Ali Baksh Khan, was the founder of the

discipline of music and his grandfather, Akhtar Hussain, was an eminent musician in the patronage of the

Maharaja of Patiala The Maharaja of Patiala was a maharaja in India and the ruler of the princely state of Patiala, a state in British India. The first Maharaja of Patiala was Baba Ala Singh (1695–1765). Yadavindra Singh became the maharaja on 23 March 1938. H ...

. Asad was 19 years old when his father died, and he trained in classical music primarily with his uncle,

Bade Fateh Ali Khan Ustad Bade Fateh Ali Khan ( ur, ; ; 1935 – 4 January 2017) was among the foremost Khyal vocalists in Pakistan, and a leading exponent of the Patiala Gharana tradition of music. He was the younger of the legendary singing duo Amanat Ali and ...

who also encouraged Asad to form a singing duo with his youngest brother (Asad's uncle),

Hamid Ali Khan Ustad Hamid Ali Khan ( ur, ; born 1953) is a Pakistani classical singer. He belongs to the Patiala gharana. Being a representative of the Patiala gharana, Hamid Ali Khan is an exponent of ghazal and classical singing. He has released sev ...

. Asad's youngest brother

Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan ( ur, ; ; born 26 February 1965) is a Pakistani pop and classical singer, songwriter, and composer belonging to the Patiala Gharana tradition of music. He was the lead vocalist of the Pakistani pop rock band Fuzön ...

is a pop, classical, and playback singer. He was the lead singer of the Pakistani music band Fuzön until 2006.The cursed song
Dawn (newspaper), Published 1 November 2015. Retrieved 15 December 2017 Shafqat describes his brother as being an innovator of Eastern music: "What we call fusion music today...Asad ''bhai'' started doing it in the 70s and 80s. He had released this album from London...It was arranged in such a way that it had one classical piece, followed by a ''ghazal'' or a Punjabi folk song and then a popular number. estarted singing ''arifana kalam'' and gave them a new spin. This Sufi wave that is so popular today, I would say Asad ''bhai'' is one of its pioneers."

Career

Khan started his musical career performing Patiala gharana ''

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, dra ...

s'' and recorded his first song at the age of 10. He began singing professionally after completing his FA (two year) degree and rose to prominence after singing his father's popular ''

'', ''Insha Ji Utho,'' which subsequently featured in almost every live concert he performed. He performed traditional classical music as part of the very successful singing duo with his uncle,

, in the 1970s and 1980s, performing not only in Pakistan and India but also in the United States, Canada, The Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, and Switzerland. Like his father before him, Khan is credited with demystifying and simplifying complex classical ''ragas'' and adapting them for easy listening, thereby boosting their popularity and appeal among contemporary audiences. Khan worked for

for many years and performed over 1,000 songs on live television.

Nisar Bazmi Nisar Bazmi (1 December 1924 – 22 March 2007) was a composer and music director of Indian and Pakistan film industry.

, composer and PTV producer, who died one week before him, gave him his first break in live television singing. Khan also sang for a number of Pakistani movie soundtracks.

Death

Khan traveled to London, United Kingdom in January 2007 to receive treatment for a condition known as

hypertrophic cardiomyopathy Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM, or HOCM when obstructive) is a condition in which the heart becomes thickened without an obvious cause. The parts of the heart most commonly affected are the interventricular septum and the ventricles. This r ...

.Asad Amanat Ali Khan dies of heart attack
Dawn (newspaper), Published 9 April 2007. Retrieved 14 December 2017 He returned to

during his treatment to receive the

Award from the President of Pakistan on 23 March 2007. After receiving the award, he left Pakistan for London on 3 April 2007 to continue his treatment. In London, he suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed in

Cassiobury Park Cassiobury Park is the principal public park in Watford, Hertfordshire, in England. It was created in 1909 from the purchase by Watford Borough Council of part of the estate of the Earls of Essex around Cassiobury House which was subsequently ...

while he was with his family. He died in London on 8 April 2007. Khan is survived by his wife Sharmeen Khan and two children, Sikander and Tanya Khan.

Discography

Some of his most well-known songs are as follows: * ''Awaz Who Jado sa'' (Saheli) * ''Insha Ji Utho'' * ''Ghar Wapis Jab Aaoge Tum'' * ''Jo Bhi Dil Ki Hai'' * ''Abhi Wahan Chal Diya'' * ''Abhi Kaliyon Mein Chatak'' * ''Umraan Langiyaan'' * ''Main Tere Sang'' * ''Kabhi Kaha Na Kisi Se'' * ''Pyaar Nahii Hai Sur Se Jisko'' * ''Abhi Kalion Mein'' * ''Diyaar Yaar Geya'' * ''Gham Tera Ham Ne Paa Liya'' * ''Ham Yeh Samajh Kar Aaye'' * ''Jo Bhi Dil Ki'' * ''Dayar-e-Yaar Gaya'' * ''Kal Chowdhwin Ki Raat Thi'' * ''Tujhe Adam Nahin Milta'' * ''Chand Sitaron Se'' * ''Doob Gayen Sab Yaadein'' * ''Zara Zara Dil Mein Dard Hua'' * ''Apne Haathon Ki Lakiiron Mein'' * ''Piya Dekhan Ko'' * ''Hum Pyar Ke Deewane'' (from the film ''Naqshe Qadam'') * ''Kisi Aur Gham Mein Itni'' (lyrics:

Mustafa Zaidi Mustafa Zaidi (born Syed Mustafa Hasnain Zaidi; 10 October 1930 – 2 October 1970) was a Pakistani Urdu poet and a civil servant. Early life In 1954, he passed the competitive examination and was sent to England for training before being gi ...

) * ''Ek Lamha-e-Wisal Tha'' (Poet:

Raees Warsi Raees may refer to: * Raees (1976 film), an Indian Hindi-language drama film * ''Raees'' (2017 film), an Indian Hindi-language action film * ''Raees'' (soundtrack), a soundtrack album from the film * Rais, a title used by the rulers of Arab stat ...

) * ''Yuun Bhi Tou Raas Rooh Ko'' ( Poet:

) * ''Bahot Mushkil Palat Kar Dekhna Tha'' (Poet: Faisal Hanif) * ''Hasti Meri Mera Nizam'' (Poet: Muhammad Iqbal) * ''Kachi Jai Tand Teri Yaari Si'' * ''Main Nay Kaha Aaye'' (duet with Irum Hassan) * ''Ankhain Ghazal Hain Apki''

References

External links