ISLAMABAD, Jan 04 (APP):Death anniversary of distinguished classical singer and one of the most celebrated vocalists belonging to the Patiala Gharana of classical music, Ustad Fateh Ali Khan was observed on Thursday.
Born in Patiala, in 1934 Ustad Fateh Ali Khan was Ustad Fateh Ali was the younger brother of the late classical singer, Ustad Amanat Ali Khan and elder brother of Ustad Hamid Ali Khan.
After independence their family moved to Lahore and Fateh Ali and Amanat Ali Khan started performing together attracting the attention of music lovers.
In 1945 they appeared for the first time on the big stage in Lahore at a concert sponsored by an influential music connoisseur, Pandit Jeevanlal Matoo. It was their performance at the All Bengal Music Conference in 1949, when Ustad Amanat was 17 and Fateh Ali was 14, that catapulted them to fame. From then on, the duo never looked back.Ustad Fateh Ali, along with his brother Ustad Amanat Ali, performed all across the world. Their classical and semi-classical singing won them countless admirers.
They went from strength to strength and received a host of awards and accolades, including the Pride of Performance Award in 1969.
As classical vocalists, the brothers had their specialised roles. Amanat Ali Khan had a gifted voice. He embellished his singing in broad sweeps by virtue of the lagao and blossoming in the upper register, while Fateh Ali Khan engaged in intricacies of countless behlawas and complex taans, in a much lower and gravelly voice, drawing inspiration from two seniors of the Patiala Gharana — Ustad Barre Ghulam Ali Khan and Ustad Ashiq Ali Khan.
A Thumri sung by the two brothers, ‘Kab aao gey’, is considered to be an all-time classic. Amanat Ali Khan composed it. The Thumri signified their invaluable contribution to classical music where they presented it in such a way that it became accessible to all segments of music lovers, including those for whom appreciating classical music was a difficult exercise.
Amanat Ali Khan’s death in 1974 shocked Fateh Ali Khan. He suffered depression for two years. Subsequently, he resumed singing and joined his younger brother Hamid Ali Khan and nephew Asad Amanat Ali. They sang thumris, dadras and ghazals and performed all over the world.
In 1992, Ustad Fateh Ali Khan collaborated with Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek. They released a CD titled ‘Ragas and Sagas’ which was very well received.
Acknowledging his contributions to field of classical music, the government of Pakistan gave him both the Pride of Performance Award and Tamgha-e-Imtiaz.
Ustad Fateh Ali died in Islamabad on January 4, 2017 and he was laid to rest in Lahore’s Mominpura graveyard.
مضمون کا ماخذ : گنہادورس دا میگا سینا
