We offer a trip down memory lane for avid music-lovers, especially listeners of Qawali music to the era of Shehenshah-e-Qawali (meaning ‘The King of Kings of Qawali’), the mighty maestro of music, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
The world may have sadly lost him at just the age of 48 on 16th of August in the year 1997, but he continues to live on in our hearts with his huge talent and unparalleled range of vocal abilities that allowed him to perform at a high level of intensity for a stretch of several hours – accomplishing this is a feat that still cannot be boasted by many even in today’s age.
On his death anniversary today, let’s cast a loving glance on some of his most proud moments as a musician:
- Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan received the President of Pakistan’s Award for Pride of Performance for his contribution to Pakistani music in 1987.
- Khan also received the UNESCO Music Prize in 1995.
- In 1996 he was awarded Grand Prix des Amériques at Montreal World Film Festival for exceptional contribution to the art of cinema, and in the same year, NFAK also received the Arts and Culture Prize of the Fukuoka Asian Culture Prizes.
- Apart from winning countless awards and gaining a rock-solid fan-base worldwide, NFAK has also been a musical influence for numerous artists across the globe including Alexandra A. Seno of Asiaweek who was quoted saying:
NusratFateh Ali Khan’s voice was otherworldly. For 25 years, his mystical songs transfixed millions. It was not long enough … He performed qawwali, which means wise or philosophical utterance, as nobody else of his generation did. His vocal range, talent for improvisation and sheer intensity were unsurpassed.
- Google paid homage to this extraordinary talent on 13 October 2015 (his birth date) with a doodle on its homepage for India, Pakistan, Japan and others, calling our beloved UstaadNusrat, “….who opened the world’s ears to the rich, hypnotic sounds of the Sufis”.
“Thanks to his legendary voice, Khan helped bring “world music” to the world.”
Next, get ready to revel in the maestro’s magic of music once again as we bring to you 5 of his most beloved tracks for sweet listening. Enjoy!
