Ustad Barkat Ali Khan (1908 – 19 June 1963) was a Pakistani classical singer, younger brother of

Bade Ghulam Ali Khan Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan (2 April 1902 – 23 April 1968) was an Indian Hindustani classical vocalist, from the Patiala gharana.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 ...

of music.

Early life and career

Barkat Ali Khan was born in

Kasur Kasur (Urdu and pa, ; also romanized as Qasūr; from pluralized Arabic word ''Qasr'' meaning "palaces" or "forts") is a city to south of Lahore, in the Pakistani province of Punjab. The city serves as the headquarters of Kasur District. Kasu ...

in the Punjab province of then

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. He had his initial training from his father, Ali Baksh Khan Kasuri, and later by his elder brother Bade Ghulam Ali Khan. After 1947

Partition of British 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 ...

, Barkat Ali Khan, with his family, 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 fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

and focused on the lighter aspects of Hindustani classical music. He was widely acknowledged as one of the great exponents of

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 ...

Dadra Dadra is associated with the Hindustani classical music of the Indian subcontinent. Dadra tala This is a Hindustani classical '' tala'' (rhythmic cycle), consisting of six beats in two equal divisions of three. The most commonly accepted theka ...

Geet Geet may refer to: Media * geet (song), a traditional Hindi or Urdu song * ''Geet'' (1944 film) * ''Geet'' (1970 film), a Bollywood film directed by Ramanand Sagar * ''Geet'' (1992 film), a Bollywood film directed by Parto Ghosh * ''Geet'' (TV ...

and Ghazal, and was well known for both Purab and Punjab Ang

s. The great Mohammad Rafi was a shagird of Barkat Ali Khan. Many still consider him a superior thumri singer than his elder brother, though he didn't receive acknowledgement to the extent

Bade Ghulam Ali Khan Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan (2 April 1902 – 23 April 1968) was an Indian Hindustani classical vocalist, from the Patiala gharana.Ghulam Ali. Many people in Pakistan say that simplicity and humility were the hallmark of his personality. He started a new trend of ghazal-singing in

. Before Mehdi Hassan became known as the 'King of ghazals' in the 1970s, Barkat Ali Khan and

Begum Akhtar Akhtari Bai Faizabadi (7 October 1914 – 30 October 1974), also known as Begum Akhtar, was an Indian singer and actress. Dubbed "Mallika-e-Ghazal" (Queen of Ghazals), she is regarded as one of the greatest singers of ghazal, dadra, and thu ...

were considered the stalwarts of ghazal-singing during the 1950s and 1960s. Barkat Ali Khan, in a rare live radio interview to

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 ...

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 ...

, had said," My forefathers, at one time, lived in the hilly tracts of Jammu and Kashmir, so they used to sing 'songs of the hills' (Pahari Geet). I learned to sing those Pahari Geets from them".

Super-hit ghazals and geets

* "Woh jo hum main tum main qaraar tha tumhe yaad ho ke na yaad ho" Ghazal sung by Barkat Ali Khan, lyrics by the famous poet Momin Khan Momin * "Donaun Jahan Teri Mohabbat Mein Haar Ke, Woh Jaa Raha Hai Shab-e-Gham Guzaar Ke" Ghazal sung by Ustad Barkat Ali Khan, lyrics by the renowned poet

Faiz Ahmad Faiz Faiz Ahmad ''Faiz'' (13 February 1911 – 20 November 1984; Urdu, Punjabi: فیض احمد فیض) was a Pakistani poet, and author of Urdu and Punjabi literature. Faiz was one of the most celebrated Pakistani Urdu writers of his time. Outsi ...

* "Baghon Mein Paray Jhoolay, Tum Bhool Gaey Humko, Hum Tumko Nahin Bhoolay" Sung by Ustad Barkat Ali Khan, a folk 'Mahia' geet. Later this same song made even more popular by his grandson

Sajjad Ali Sajjad Ali (born 1962) is a Pakistani semi-classical, pop and rock singer, poet, actor, film director as well as a film producer from Karachi, Pakistan.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 ...

Pahari

geet Geet may refer to: Media * geet (song), a traditional Hindi or Urdu song * ''Geet'' (1944 film) * ''Geet'' (1970 film), a Bollywood film directed by Ramanand Sagar * ''Geet'' (1992 film), a Bollywood film directed by Parto Ghosh * ''Geet'' (TV ...

Sung by Barkat Ali Khan * Hasti apni habab ki si haii., Ghazal penned by Meer taqi meer * "Uss Bazm Mein Mujhe Nahin Banti Haya Kiyyay"Mirza Ghalib ghazal sung by Barkat Ali Khan
published 25 January 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2018 Ghazal sung by Barkat Ali Khan, lyrics by Mirza

Ghalib ) , birth_date = , birth_place = Kala Mahal, Agra, Maratha Confederacy , death_date = , death_place = Gali Qasim Jaan, Ballimaran, Chandni Chowk, Delhi, British India , occupation = Poet , language ...

Death

He died a premature death at the age of 55 on 19 June 1963 in

, Pakistan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khan, Barkat Ali 1908 births 1963 deaths 20th-century Pakistani male singers Pakistani ghazal singers Pakistani classical singers Patiala gharana Vocal gharanas Hindustani singers Pakistani music educators Pakistani radio personalities Punjabi people People from Kasur District