An Indo-Persian majlis: Persian ghazals from the repertoire of Ustād Sarāhang

Undergraduate / Graduate

In this class we will read lyric poems by Amīr Khusraw Dihlawī (d. 1325), Ṣāʾib Tabrīzī (d. 1677), and Bedil Dihlawī (d. 1720) from the repertoire of the Afghan singer Ustād Sarāhang (1924-1983). After a general introduction to Indo-Persian lyric poetry and the life and works of the three poets mentioned above, we will read a selection of their poetry and use Ustād Sarāhang's writings on poetry and music, as well as audio and video recordings of his performances as a prism for their interpretation. The first half of each class will be devoted to a preliminary textual approach of the poems, which will be followed by an analysis of the poems as performed by Ustād Sarāhang. We will pay close attention to the way the Afghan singer introduced the poems; how he used certain musical features to convey his understanding and appreciation of certain verses in a constant dialogue with his audience; how he used the insertion of verses from other poems to interpret certain images from the main poem he was performing. In addition to the poems and recordings, we will also read excerpts from Ustād Sarāhang's own writings and transcribed interviews found in his Qānūn-i ṭarab and the recent study of his life and works titled Jān-i kharābāt.