Many Persian mystics and poets have penned down many famous ghazals. The ghazal culture spread into South Asia around the 12th century through wandering Islamic and Sufi mystics. The pronunciations and phonetics of the Urdu language are very exotic and unique and can be perfected only after much practice. In fact, now-a-days, ghazal is being composed in English as well. Though prominently used in the Urdu language, the Ghazals have influenced many other languages and many Ghazals have been composed in Hindi as well. To know more about Urdu ghazals, continue to read this insightful article on it. The couplets used in a ghazal have their own independent essence, but when used together in a sequence, they form a beautiful ghazal. Urdu Ghazals have found their way into many Hindi films and music. Ghazals in Urdu language are an extraordinary way to express your innermost feelings of love and romance. It was given a sense of mysticism in the Urdu language. It said to have originated as early as in 10th century Persian poetry and is highly influenced by Arabic and Persian forms of literature. It is just a musical recitation of a poem. India has produced some of the exceptional talents in the field of Ghazal singing like Begum Akhtar, Jagjit Singh and Pankaj Udhas.A Ghazal (pronounced "Ghuzzle") is a set of couplets or sher, which is sung as a short song. Then there are some Ghazal forms that are similar to Qawwali. The traditional Ghazals are similar to the Hindustani classical music forms such as "Dadra" and "Thumri". But the most important theme of Ghazals is unrequited love. The Ghazals are woven around unreciprocated love, madness, mystical reflection and even social commentaries ridiculing and highlighting religious orthodoxy. The Ghazal music revolves usually around a few common themes. The maqta is generally different from rest of the Ghazals as it is a personal statement. The "maqta" usually contains the pen name of the poet. The last couplet of the Ghazal is vital and is called the "maqta". At times there are two matlas, where the second one is referred as "matla-e-sani". The first couplet of the Ghazal is called "matla" and is the most important one.
#URDU GAZAL SONG SERIES#
The Ghazal is based upon a series of couplets which are woven together by a rhyming formation. The poetic arrangement of the Ghazal is precise. This had tremendous economic advantages for performers and producers of the Ghazals. With the development of recording and film industries, the Ghazal music became more popular as it went out from the confines of the courts to the masses. However, with the decline of the "tawaif" tradition in the 19th and the early 20th century, the performance part of Ghazals also underwent change. The "tawaif" tradition in the courts played an important role in the growth and development of Ghazal music. It was the period when the Ghazal became associated with courts. Some important patrons of Ghazal and Urdu were Nusrati, Wajhi, Hashmi, Mohammad Quli Qutab Shah and Wali Dakhini.įrom just a poetic form, Ghazal acquired musical form in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The Golconda and Bijapur rulers encouraged this tradition of Urdu. In the north, the rulers were very much oriented toward Persian but Urdu was beginning to be used for literary purposes in the south. It is interesting to note that the Ghazal was introduced first in the north but it got Urdu character in the south. Soon Ghazal came to enjoy widespread popularity among Indian Muslims and rulers for many centuries. The most notable contributor to Ghazal music in India was the famous poet Amir Khusro. Slowly and gradually Ghazal acquired local color and form. Thus Ghazal was imported into India from the 12th to the 18th centuries. With the coming of the Muslims, Ghazal got introduced in the 12th century. Many a times the Qasida often had 100 couplets or more. Ghazal grew from the Persian qasida (a verse form that had come to Iran from Arabia around the 10th century A.D).The qasida was usually a eulogy composed in praise of the emperors or their noblemen. Ghazal traces its roots in classical Arabic poetry. However, today it is commonly conceived of as an Urdu song whose prime importance is given to the lyrics. Strictly speaking, it is not a musical form at all but a poetic recitation. Ghazal is a common and popular form of music in Indian and Pakistan.