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Obituary Mehdi Hassan Singer
known as 'the emperor of the ghazal' guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 13
June 2012
Mehdi Hassan. Manchester. circa 1975. Pic Abrar Shah
Tirmazi.
ehdi
Hassan, who has died aged 84, was the Indian subcontinent's outstanding
male exponent of the ghazal, a form of sung Urdu lyric verse, set to the
appropriate raga melodies. Urdu poetry, which springs from the Persian, is
filled with pathos, yearning, political and social injustice, loss,
unrequited love and pleasure. Hassan evoked these with rare mastery, which
is why devotees and eager students flocked to hear him from far and wide.
It is claimed that he sang more than 50,000 ghazals
during his lifetime, becoming known as the "emperor of the ghazal". Born
into a family of kalawants
(professional musicians) in the village of Luna, now in the state of
Rajasthan, he was taught by his father, Azeem Khan, and uncle, Ismail
Khan. Dhrupad, an ancient, austere musical style, was their forte and they
instilled it in the boy. While still in his teens, Hassan was recognised
as a rising talent and was invited to sing for the maharajahs of Jaipur
and Baroda. However,
in 1947 came independence and the creation of Pakistan, and the future of
the Indian princes, upon whom the musicians were traditionally reliant,
became insecure. Hassan's family, who were Muslims, migrated to Pakistan. The
new country was in turmoil and there was no opening for a young man whose
only trade was music. Hassan managed to get a job in a bicycle shop and
graduated to become a tractor driver and mechanic. But at night, he
persevered with his vocal exercises. He
soon realised that the Pakistani people had an appetite for the ghazal,
so he applied himself assiduously to the study of Urdu, particularly
Urdu poetry. With his knowledge of ragas and the sentiments associated
with them, he discovered that he had a tremendous advantage as a composer
who could marry verses to melodies. Hassan
first appeared on Radio Pakistan in 1952 and after that, his success was
meteoric. Leading poets such as Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Ahmad Faraz and Qateel
Shifai were happy to have their verses set to haunting music and sung by
him. Hassan was now associated with the literary and musical elite. His
voice featured on the soundtrack of many Pakistani films, and ghazal
singers on both sides of the border paid homage to him. Hassan
thus became an abiding cultural bridge between India and Pakistan. He
often returned to visit the village of his birth. His popularity in India
was immense, and whenever he performed there he was heaped with garlands
and gifts and showered with awards. The Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar,
with whom he recorded a
duet in 2009, compared his singing to "the voice of a
god". He
toured the world to packed auditoriums. His visit to the Hindu kingdom of
Nepal was particularly memorable. While singing one night at the palace of
King
Birendra, he was so exhausted after a gruelling schedule that
for a moment his concentration faltered and he hesitated. The king, an
ardent admirer of the singer, knew the ghazal well. He immediately stood
up and sang, as best he could, the next verse. Hassan raised his hand to
acknowledge the king's assistance and then rendered the verse as only he
could. For
the last few years Hassan had been in poor health. He was twice married.
Both his wives predeceased him. He is survived by nine sons and five
daughters. • Mehdi
Hassan Khan, singer and composer, born 18 July 1927; died 13 June 2012 [Obituary
courtesy Guardian and picture Amarjit Chandan]
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