Happy Love Music: Bahauddin Qutbuddin Hamnava - Ya Habibi Ya Muhammad - Qawwali

Ustad Bahauddin Qawwal (1934-2006) came from a family which traces its musically extremely rich lineage back to the Qawwal Bachche formed by Amir Khusrow (1253-1325). He received formal musical training from his father, Suleman Khan, and his uncle, Sardar Khan, a legendary Khyal singer of Delhi Gharana. The Delhi Gharana of Tanras Khan is a branch of the Qawwal Bachche Gharana and in both there were many famous singers of classical Raga music and of Qawwali. For example the cousin of Bahauddin, Munshi Raziuddin, a very famous Qawwali singer, was the teacher of his nephew Naseeruddin Saami, an oustanding Khyal singer from Karachi and a cousin of Bahaudin, who used to live just opposite him in the same street.

In the 1950s and 1960s Bahauddin was, together with the legendary Munshi Raziuddin, part of the ensemble of Manzoor Ahmed Khan Niazi Qawwal of whom we had posted earlier an LP (see here). In 1965 Bahaudin formed with his brother Qutbuddin his own ensemble, as did also later Munshi Raziuddin Qawwal. These three ensembles were the great representatives of the old tradition of Qawwali. Today Munshi Raziuddin's son Farid Ayaz is the best one of those carrying on this tradtion.

The German musicologist, producer and festival organizer Peter Pannke brought Bahaudin Qutbuddin Qawwal several times to Germany and Europe. He also produced a CD by him and several beautiful compilations of Pakistani Sufi music like the double CD "Troubadoure Allahs", on which there are tracks by Bahauddin. These can be obtained from: info@raga-maqam-dastgah.com.

See more about Bahauddin in the links given below. Here we present a beautiful cassette from Pakistan. It seems that the name of Bahauddin is not correctly written on the cassette (Bahaddin) but its definitely him.

Side 1 (29:06)

Side 2 (29:18)