qawwali
Americannoun
noun
Usage
What is qawwali? Qawwali is a style of devotional music associated with Sufism. It involves repeating a short phrase, meant to put the participants in a mystical, ecastic frame of mind. Qawwali is traditionally part of a religious gathering called a mehfil-e samā. These gatherings often take place at shrines to saints on the saints’ death anniversaries, though smaller ones can take place at other times. The singers, called qawwals, sit on the ground, singing poetry to the accompaniment of clapping, drums, and a harmonium. Qawwals also sing the name of Allah and improvise using traditional syllables assigned to particular pitches. During this improvisational section, the lead singer calls and responds to the audience, which helps build the ecstasy that qawwali is intended to invoke. Qawwali isn’t just a musical experience—it’s also a spiritual one. However, qawwali now has a growing commercial presence in pop music. Some people believe that popular qawwali is not quite the same as the more traditional spiritual experience of qawwali in religious ceremonies.
Etymology
Origin of qawwali
From Arabic, literally, utterance
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"Qawwali talks about stuff that wakes you up, and I related to that a lot," he told Platform.
From BBC • Feb. 16, 2023
On Saturday, the Rizwan-Muazzam Qawwali ensemble performs Sufi devotional music.
From New York Times • Oct. 9, 2014
Gabriel says a particular highlight was working with the late Qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, "the Pakistani Pavarotti", who was one of the first artists to be released by the label.
From BBC • Jul. 27, 2014
“The fusion of pneumatic electrofunk with breaker-wave tablas and Qawwali pursuit of higher falsetto ground is done as seamlessly and nongratuitously as you’ll hear this side of Miles Davis’ On the Corner.”
From Time • Oct. 24, 2011
Faiz Ali Faiz is surely the finest living exponent of improvised Qawwali singing, and he's joined on his album Jaadu by the inspired French guitarist Titi Robin.
From The Guardian • Sep. 2, 2010
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
