Ustād or ostād (abbreviated as Ust., Ut. or Ud.; from
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, ,
Azerbaijani
Azerbaijani may refer to:
* Something of, or related to Azerbaijan
* Azerbaijanis
* Azerbaijani language
See also
* Azerbaijan (disambiguation)
* Azeri (disambiguation)
* Azerbaijani cuisine
* Culture of Azerbaijan
The culture of Azerbaijan ...
,
Urdu,
Hindi,
Bengali,
Marathi,
Dhivehi
Dhivehi, also spelled Divehi, may refer to:
*Dhivehi people, an ethnic group native to the historic region of the Maldive Islands.
*Dhivehi language, an Indo-Aryan language predominantly spoken by about 350,000 people in the Republic of Maldives
...
,
Punjabi
Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan
* Punjabi language
* Punjabi people
* Punjabi dialects and languages
Punjabi may also refer to:
* Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...
,
Pashto,
Turkish
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and mi ...
,
Indonesian,
Malay
Malay may refer to:
Languages
* Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore
** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century
** Indonesi ...
and
Kurdish.
Etymology
The
Persian word () is from
Middle Persian (, 'master, craftsman').
Usage
The title precedes the name and was historically usually used for well-regarded teachers and
artists. It can be used for any sort of master of an art or occupation; for example, an acknowledged master motorcycle mechanic would be addressed as ''ustad''. The term is also used by an apprentice (''shagird'') for their teacher.
In
Persian and in the
Arabic-speaking world
The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western As ...
, it also refers to a
university professor. Ustad is only used for qualified
Islamic scholars
In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious ...
in
Brunei,
Indonesia,
Malaysia, the
Philippines,
Singapore, Southern
Thailand where it is a direct equivalent of terms such as ''
shaykh
Sheikh (pronounced or ; ar, شيخ ' , mostly pronounced , plural ' )—also transliteration of Arabic, transliterated sheekh, sheyikh, shaykh, shayk, shekh, shaik and Shaikh, shak—is an honorific title in the Arabic language. It commonl ...
'' in the
Arab world, and ''
mawlānā'' in the
Indian Subcontinent. In the
Maldives, the title ''al-usthaadh'' (އަލްއުސްތާޛު) or its abbreviation ''Uz.'' is used by people who are licensed to practice law.
Ustad as a title in Hindustani classical music
Ustad (abbreviated as Ust. or Ut. or Ud. and from
Persian ) is an
honorific title for an expert person in Indian classical singing and instrumental playing, used for a Muslim musician. It is used in
Hindustani classical music to recognize master performers. It is used as a music title. An expert other than a Hindu musician is given the title of ustad. The title is awarded to musicians by their teachers, prominent individuals, or members of their
gharana in recognition of their expertise. It is used in various languages including
Hindi,
Bengali, and
Punjabi
Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan
* Punjabi language
* Punjabi people
* Punjabi dialects and languages
Punjabi may also refer to:
* Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...
. A Muslim woman who is an expert in Indian classical music is given the title of ''begum''; some examples include
Begum Akhtar and
Begum Parveen Sultana.
''Pandit'' is the equivalent title for a Hindu man, and ''Vidushi, Pandita, or Panditain f''or a Hindu woman.
Usage
The title of ''ustad'' (and ''pandit'') is appended informally to the names of classical singers and players by their admirers, individuals or institutions once they have reached eminence in their performing art, especially in public performances. As they are informal titles, mentioning the names of eminent singers without those appendages is acceptable, unlike prefixes like ''doctor'' awarded formally by educational institutions.
The title ''ustad'' referring to a classical musician and the title ''ustad'' which is given to a knowledgeable person are different.
There are many ''ustads'' in
Hindustani classical music, for example,
Ustad Ahmed Jan Thirakwa
Ustad Ahmed Jan Khan "Thirakwa" was an Indian tabla player, commonly considered the pre-eminent soloist among tabla players of the 20th century, and among the most influential percussionists in the history of Indian Classical Music.
He was kn ...
,
Ustad Alla Rakha
Ustad Alla Rakha Qureshi (29 April 1919 – 3 February 2000), popularly known as Alla Rakha, was an Indian tabla player who specialized in Hindustani classical music. He was a frequent accompanist of sitar player Pandit Ravi Shankar and was ...
,
Ustad Zakir Hussain,
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (born 9 October 1945) is an Indian classical ''sarod'' player, best known for his clear and fast ekhara taans. Khan was born into a classical musical family and has performed internationally since the 1960s. He was awarde ...
,
Ustad Vilayat Khan,
Ustad Shahid Parvez,
Ustad Rashid Khan,
Ustad Bismillah Khan, etc.
References
Further reading
*{{cite encyclopedia , last=Baily , first=John , editor=Sadie, Stanley , encyclopedia=
The New Grove dictionary of music and musicians , title=Ustād , edition=2nd , year=2001 , publisher=
Macmillan Publishers , volume= , location=London , isbn=0-333-60800-3
Platts dictionary
Hindustani music
Persian words and phrases
Turkish words and phrases
Urdu-language words and phrases
Titles in Bangladesh
Titles in Pakistan
Titles in Iran
Indian music
Pakistani music
Bengali words and phrases