Music has been played on instruments, vocalised and enjoyed by the humans since time immemorial' although its role as a social accoutrement has not yet been determined during early days of recorded history.
Several religions have used music for enhancing the cathartic impact of their rites and rituals. It has also been used for galvanising their followers into better-integrated groups. The hymns of the Christians, the gongs of the Buddhists and the Bajjans of the Hindus are some of the examples of such usage. Even among the Muslims, the use of melody sans instruments has remained in vogue while reminding the faithful of their liturgical obligations to God. The selection by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (SAW) of Bilal-e-Habashi (who possessed an extraordinarily dulcet voice) for calling Azaan, the convening of mehfil-e-samaa by the Sufis and soze khawani by the Shias substantiate the point.
Despite its use as an agent of cathartic effectiveness, music came under pressure from the fundamentalists in almost every religion. Even the most tolerant and permissive among them, like Hinduism did not allow music to be used for the satiation of amorous instincts.
Calling it sacred music the Pundits restricted its use only within the four walls of the temples. With the passage of time, however, the Brahimins deprived low caste Hindus of the right to pray in the temples thus effectively closing the doors of music on them.
The Sufis, especially of the Chishtia order, learnt Indian languages and melodies. By using local dialects and music they communicated their message of love and universal brotherhood of mankind, communion with God and other higher spiritual values and philosophies related to eternal realities of life. This touched a responsive chord in the minds of the masses. Unlike the high cast Brahamins, the Sufis did not ascend high pedestals, while conveying their message of brotherhood and Tauheed (Unity of God). On the contrary, they intermingled with the common rung of people and even emulated them in several local customs and social practices. They sang their mystical songs, which were juxtaposed on local tunes.
A number of musicians came to the sub-continent with the Sufis. Consequently, the abodes of the Sufis served as venues for confabulations where a synthesis of local and foreign melodies gradually took place. The cross-fertilisation of mind and dialects metamorphosed into the emergence of a new language Bhaasha or Hindi, which later on helped much in the flowering of Urdu. Simultaneously, Muslims born of Indian mothers from Muslim soldiers/ commanders/ courtiers increased in numbers. Such cross breeds had the unique distinction of wielding equal influence in the courts of Muslim kings as well as among the Sufis and their disciples.
The Sufis communicated their mystic thoughts in several different ways. They spanned out to every nook and cranny of the Muslim Empire (and even beyond) in an apparently not-well-organised way. The Muslim kings/emperors, who maintained their liaison with the Sufis, sometimes patronised them while at others treated them harshly. However, notwithstanding the whims and fancies of the rulers, the Sufis carried on with their spiritual pursuits in an undaunted manner.
The courts of Muslim kings in India abounded with musicians originally from many areas of the Middle East and Asia Minor (now known as the Central Asian Republics). They came from the Arabian Peninsula, Iran and Turkey. They were provided jobs in the royal courts and consequently they prospered on the munificence of Muslim kings and emperors..
Thus musicians of so many different ethnic, geographical and social backgrounds were put on the payrolls of the kings. It was this royal patronage that encouraged them to vigorously carry on with their melodic pursuits, which resulted in a fusion of local and foreign melodies. These efforts of the non-Indian musicians received ample support from the Sufis, who had earlier on started work on similar lines. Emulating the emperors of Delhi, local chieftains and provincial rulers also extended their patronage to musicians in a magnanimous way and often presented well-groomed musicians to the emperors at Delhi in their annual tributes.
The Mughal period, especially beginning with Emperor Akbar (1556-1605) is considered the golden era of music in South Asia. The generous royal support to musicians during this period spawned the evolution of several new genres of classical music like the new dhurpad (in contradistinction to the old Vishnupad), kheyal, thumri, dadra and tappa. The genres of qawwali and tarana had earlier on been refined during the pre-Mughal period.
After the disintegration of Mughal empire classical music fell on bad days and despite brief interlude of Oudh Nawabs, it continued to go down in social acceptance. The philandering rulers of small and large princely states, which surfaced on the political map of disintegrated Mughal Indian empire after the break-up of the central authority in Delhi, caused incalculable damage to the great reputation of this performing art. It was during the post-Mughal period that the social status of musicians gradually lowered in public esteem as they were forced by the circumstances to accept employment with the dancing/singing/nautch girls, who prospered on the munificence of erotic Rajas and Nawabs.
With the elimination of princely states after August 14, 1947, the last nail to the coffin of classical music was driven the consequences of which one can witness now. During the last 57 years several attempts have been made by the government and private organisations to encourage practitioners of classical art, but have not produced any encouraging result. As it is, the future of art music in Pakistan seems very bleak.
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