Aziz Mian
| Aziz Mian Qawwal | |
|---|---|
Aziz Mian Qawwal
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Abdul Aziz |
| Also known as | Aziz Mian Meeruthi |
| Born |
17 April 1942 Delhi, British India |
| Died | 6 December 2000 (aged 58) Tehran, Iran |
| Genres | Qawwali |
| Occupation(s) |
Singer-songwriter musician poet philosopher writer scholar |
| Instruments | Harmonium |
| Years active | 1966–2000 |
Aziz Mian Qawwal (Urdu: عزیز میاں قوال) (17 April 1942 – 6 December 2000) was one of Pakistan's leading traditional qawwals and also famous for singing ghazals in his own unique style of qawwali. Aziz is still one of the most popular qawwals of South Asia, and he has given us many Qawwali hits. He holds the record for singing the longest commercially released qawwali, Hashr Ke Roz Yeh Poochhunga, which runs slightly over 115 minutes.
Aziz Mian was born as Abdul Aziz (Urdu: عبد العزیز) in Delhi, British India. The exclamation Mian, which he often used in his qawwalis, became part of his stage name. He began to introduce himself as Aziz Mian Meeruthi. The word Meerut refers to Meerut, a city in northern India, from which he migrated to Pakistan in 1947.
At the age of ten, he began learning the art of Qawwali under the tutelage of Ustad Abdul Wahid Khan of Lahore. He received sixteen years of training at the Data Ganj Baksh School of Lahore, and earned degrees in Urdu literature, Arabic and Persian from the University of Punjab, Lahore.
Aziz Mian was one of the non-traditional Pakistani Qawwals. His voice was raspy and powerful. Aziz Mian was the only prominent qawwal to write his own lyrics (though, like others, he also performed songs written by other poets). Aziz Mian was a contemporary, and often a competitor, of The Sabri Brothers.
His break-out performance was in 1966, when he performed before the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. He won first prize and a gold medal from the Shah of Iran. In the early days of his career, he was nicknamed Fauji Qawwal (Urdu: فوجی قوال) (meaning "Military Qawwal") because most of his early stage-performances were in military barracks for the army personnel. He was known for a "more recitative, more dramatic diction" and was inclined toward qawwali's religious rather than entertainment qualities, though he also enjoyed success in more romantic qawwalis.
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