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Ghazal is a special kind of light Indian classical music and it is more poetic rather than musical and it is never more than 12 shers (couplets) and usually have about 7 shers. The word ‘ghazal‘ refers to a way of talking to a women. So it reflects an expression of love. But today it has touched every aspects of human life from sadness to happiness there is hardly anytihing which has not been said through it.
Classical Ghazal
The art of Classical Ghazal was first introduced by Begum Akhtar and later on, Ustad Mehdi Hassan.These two artists have brought the sensuality of the ghazal and the complexity of Indian raagas to the main masses, and before their introduction, the common masses did not understand the Indian Classical Music tradition of “Khaayal”, “Thumri” and “Dadra.” A common misconception of Classical artists are that Ghazals are categorized as “light classical” when indeed that is not the case. Classical Ghazals are far more difficult to render because of the expression of the “shers” or couplets of the ghazal. Begum Akhtar and Mehdi Hassan have been hailed as the main pioneers of Ghazal “Gayaki” or singing. Other emminent maestros include Pakistani Ghazal artists Farida Khanum and Ustad Ghulam Ali.
Ghazal and its popularity
Pankaj Udhas Sharabi Ghazals Mp3 Download
Because of the complexity of the words, only the upper class could truly understand the sweetness of the Ghazal. The common masses could not understand most of the lyrics and the traditional classical raagas they were rendered in was too difficult to understand. Ghazal has undergone some transformations which helps it to reach a huge audience around the world. The simplification of Ghazal in terms of the words and phrases helps the masses to enjoy it. Most of the Ghazals are now sung with various styles which are not limited to ‘khaayyal’, ‘thumri’, ‘raaga,’taala and other classical music.However, these forms of Ghazal are snubbed by purists of the Indian Classical Tradition. Singers like Jagjit Singh ( he was the first ghazal singer to incorporate the Western guitar in ghazals) Chandan Das,Hariharan,Pankaj Udhas and many others have been able to give ghazal a new shape by its incorporation in the field of modern music. Another young Canadian talent, Cassius Khan has also been hailed as the only classical Ghazal singer in the world who can accompany himself on the tabla. He is also capable of singing the recitational style of ghazal singing while playing the tabla, which is unique.