Mehdi Hassan, with a mesmerizing collection of Urdu Ghazals. Ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets. Ghazals are generally Urdu or Hindi poetry sung in a melody. Urdu Ghazals has been an important part of the South Asian musical Diaspora. Ghazal is an ancient form of music originating in the 6th century Arabic verses. Ghazals came to South Asia through the Sufi mystics and the new Islamic Sultanate. Initially the poetry which was Urdu shayeri and the language used in Ghazals were of a very high standard and demanded an erudite listener-ship. But gradually it evolved into more popular formats to attain mass audience. Gradually these Urdu songs often shifted from the classical background it was based from.
When it comes to Ghazals the very first name that pops out is Ustad Mehdi Hassan. Mehdi Hassan who is fondly known as the Ghazal King was born in Rajasthan in India but his family along with him moved to Pakistan after partition. Mehdi Hassan is well known for his typical style of singing which infused Thumri, Khayal, Dadra, Dhrupad all the genres. Mehdi Hassan was known for creating atmospheric effects through his singing. He was also a noted playback singer and sang for lot of films. One of the greatest and most influential figures in the history of Ghazal, he is famously known as the "King of Ghazal" or the "Shahanshah-e-Ghazal". Known for his "haunting" baritone voice, Mehdi Hassan is credited with bringing ghazal singing to a wide audience. Born to a musical family, he influenced generations of singers from diverse genres, from Jagjit Singh to Sonu Nigam.He earned numerous awards and accolades in his career and remained a leading singer of film industry. Many of Mehdi Hassan’s Ghazals were used in both Pakistani as well as Bollywood films.
