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 with his younger brother,

Ustad 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, Urdu, Hindi, Bengali, Marat ...

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 an ...

(1935 – 2017), he formed a famed singing duo that garnered widespread popularity across the Indian subcontinent. For his contributions to classical music, Amanat Ali was honoured (along with Fateh Ali) with the highest national literary award of Pakistan – the

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 ...

– by the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces. Khan was especially noted for ''

khayal Khyal or Khayal (ख़याल / خیال) is a major form of Hindustani classical music in the Indian subcontinent. Its name comes from a Persian/Arabic word meaning "imagination". Khyal is associated with romantic poetry, and allows the perfo ...

'', ''

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 ...

'', 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 ...

'' styles of singing and has been described as "the maestro of the Patiala gharana." He stands with singing icons like

Mehdi Hassan Mehdi Hassan Khan ( ur, مہدی حسن خاں , translit=) 18 July 1927 – 13 June 2012) was a Pakistani ghazal singer and playback singer for Lollywood. Widely considered one of the greatest and most influential figures in the history of gh ...

and

Ahmed Rushdi ), Rushdi Sahab ( ur, ) , birth_date = , birth_place =Hyderabad Deccan, British India , death_date = , death_place = Karachi, Pakistan , origin = Pakistani , instrument = Vocalist , genre = , ...

, having left behind a legacy of hundreds of classical and semi-classical songs.

Early life and background

Amanat Ali Khan was born in 1922 in

Hoshiarpur Hoshiarpur () is a city and a municipal corporation in Hoshiarpur district in the Doaba region of the Indian state of Punjab. It was founded, according to tradition, during the early part of the fourteenth century. In 1809, it was occupied b ...

(in present-day

Punjab, India Punjab (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northern India. Forming part of the larger Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, the state is bordered by the States and union territories of India, Indian states of Himachal ...

) to Ustad

Akhtar Hussain Khan Akhtar ( fa, links=no, ) means "star" in Persian. It is a unisex name. It is also a common surname. A variant spelling is Akhter. Notable people with the given name or surname include: Given name Akhtar * Akhtar Aly Kureshy Pakistani lawyer ...

who was a distinguished vocalist 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. ...

. He was the grandson of

Ali Baksh Jarnail Ustad Ali Baksh Jarnail Khan (1850 – 1920) was an Indian classical singer. Together with his friend Fateh Ali Khan, he founded the Patiala Gharana in the 19th century. They used to sing together as a team back then.https://www.swarganga.org/ar ...

, one of the founders of the Patiala vocal gharana of classical music. Amanat Ali and Fateh Ali both trained under the tutelage of their father. After the

partition of India The Partition of British India in 1947 was the change of political borders and the division of other assets that accompanied the dissolution of the British Raj in South Asia and the creation of two independent dominions: India and Pakistan. T ...

in 1947, Amanat Ali migrated to

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 ...

with his family.

Career

Khan, along with his brother Fateh Ali, started performing at the Maharaja of Patiala

Yadavindra Singh Maharaja Sir Yadavindra Singh () was the 9th and last ruling Maharaja of Patiala from 1938 to 1971. He was also an Indian cricketer who played in one Test in 1934. Early life and family Born at Patiala City in Patiala State, within the ...

's court when he was still in his mid-teens. Both brothers made their public singing debut in 1945 in Lahore, at a concert sponsored by an influential music patron, Pandit Jeevanlal Matoo. In 1949, the duo performed at the prestigious All Bengal Music Conference in

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

(then Calcutta), India, which brought them widespread recognition in both India and Pakistan. Thereafter, both brothers toured South Asia extensively and became representatives of the Patiala gharana across the subcontinent. Khan was a prolific performer on PTV and

Radio Pakistan Radio Pakistan serves as the national public broadcaster for radio in Pakistan. Although some local stations predate Radio Pakistan's founding, it is the oldest existing broadcasting network in Pakistan. The network was established on 14 Augus ...

and was one of the few vocalists in the 1960s and 1970s to gain popularity and critical acclaim for both classical and ''ghazal'' format''s'' of singing. Khan possessed an in-depth understanding of Urdu poetry which helped him not only select the works of renowned Urdu poets to use in his ''

s'' but also interpret their meanings fully in his musical renditions. He was especially known for his skill with melodic ornamentations and progressive intensification of ''taans''. One of the best-known thumris sung by the Amanat Ali-Fateh Ali duo – ''Kab Aaoge Tum Aaoge'' – was composed by Amanat Ali and is considered a classic. The song is also representative of the duo's efforts in making classical music accessible and appealing to all segments of the population. Indian playback singer

Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar () (born as Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 06 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is widely considered to have been the greatest and most influential singers in India. Her con ...

(1929 – 2022) trained in

Hindustani classical music Hindustani classical music is the classical music of northern regions of the Indian subcontinent. It may also be called North Indian classical music or, in Hindustani, ''shastriya sangeet'' (). It is played in instruments like the violin, sit ...

with Amanat Ali Khan for a brief period of time in the early stages of her career, before Khan migrated to Pakistan with his family in 1947. Throughout his career, Khan sang numerous patriotic songs, most notably "Chand Meri Zameen Phool Mera Watan" and "Aye Watan Pyare Watan." Along with composers such as

Sohail Rana Sohail Rana (born 31 March 1938) is a Pakistani music composer for films and television. He was introduced by actor Waheed Murad in Pakistan film industry and gained popularity when singer Ahmed Rushdi sang his compositions in such films as ...

and Mian Shehryar, Khan is credited with recognising "the necessity of establishing simple-to-grasp anthems that would augment the national morale of the masses" and for incorporating literary knowledge into his work.

Artistry and voice

Amanat Ali was said to have possessed "prodigious talent" and a "gifted voice." It is said that while Fateh Ali had mastery over ''ragas,'' Amanat Ali had great command and dexterity in ''sur'' (''

svara Svara or swara (Devanagari: स्वर, generally pronounced as ''swar'') is a Sanskrit word that connotes simultaneously a breath, a vowel, the sound of a musical note corresponding to its name, and the successive steps of the octave or '' ...

'')''.'' He was particularly well known for his full-throated and flamboyant singing style in the upper registers, while Fateh Ali was more adept at singing lower notes, thus complementing each other during their performances. Khan was lauded for simplifying the structure of complex Hindustani classical ragas and his vocals have been variously described as soft, sensuous, and smooth. He is considered by many as the most prominent scion of the Patiala gharana.

Death

Khan died of a ruptured appendix at the relatively young age of 52 in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th List of largest cities, most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is th ...

on 18 September 1974, only a few months after the death of his father, Akhtar Hussain. One of his sons,

Asad Amanat Ali Khan Asad Amanat Ali Khan ( ur, ; ; 25 September 1955 – 8 April 2007) was a Pakistani classical vocalist and ''ghazal'' singer belonging to the Patiala Gharana tradition of music. In a career spanning 32 years, Khan sang over 1,000 songs for Pa ...

(1955 – 2007), after a highly successful career as a classical vocalist and ''ghazal'' singer, died from cardiac arrest on 8 April 2007 in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

. Both father and son are buried in

Mominpura Graveyard The Mominpura Graveyard is a Shia cemetery in Lahore, Pakistan. It is one of the oldest graveyards in Lahore, and contains over 10,000 burials according to its records. Many graves are hundreds of years old. Established by the Qizilbash family ...

near Lakshmi Chowk in

. After the passing of his brother and lifelong singing partner, Fateh Ali struggled with depression and stopped singing for several years. He eventually resumed performing with his youngest brother

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 ...

and Amanat Ali's son Asad Amanat Ali Khan.

Discography

Some of Amanat Ali Khan's most popular songs are: * "Mora Jiya Na Lage" * "Pyar Nahi Hai Sur Se" * "Kab Aaoge Tum Aaoge" * "Dil Mein Meethe Meethe Dard" * "Aalam-o-Masaib Se" * "Piya Nahi Aaye" * "Chup Dhawen Te" * "Mah-e-Nau Ko Kya Pata" * "Piya Dekhan Ko" * "Kabhi Jo Nikhate Gul" * "Data Tore Dwar" * "Piya Nahi Aaye" * "Tum Re Daras" * "Chand Meri Zameen Phool Mera Watan" * "Aye Watan Pyare Watan" Some of Khan's most well-known ''

s'' are: * "Yeh Aarzoo Thi Tujhe Gul Ke" * "Mausam Badla" * "Yeh Na Thi Hamari Qismat" * "Insha Ji Utho" (first performed on

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 c ...

in January, 1974)'''' * "Honton Pe Kabhi Unke" * "Ab Haq Mein Baharon Ke" * "Meri Dastaan-e-Hasrat" * "Ae Dila Hum Hue Paband" * "Kaise Guzar Gai Hai Jawani" * "Yaar Ko Maine" * "Jo Guzri Mujh Pe" * "Ek Khalish Ko" * "Khudi Ka Nasha Charha" * "Har Ek Simt" * "Ae Dil Hum Huwe" * "Aa Mere Pyar Ki" * "Maze Jahaan Ke Apni Nazar Mein" * "Tere Hote Huwe" * "Har Ek Simt" * "Mujhe Dil Ki Khata Par"

References