Everyone knows that old saying about Mohammad Ali that he
‘floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee.’
Well there were two brothers who sang together to whom that
same seemingly incongruous description could equally be applied. They are Nazakhat Ali Khan and Salamat Ali Khan until their demise the
great lampbearers of the Shamchaurasi gharana.
Like that other pair of singing siblings Amanat Ali Khan and Fateh Ali Khan, Nazakhat and Salamat
were child prodigies born into families of rich musical heritage. Sons of Ustad Vilayat Ali Khan the brothers
were steeped in the dhrupad style of
singing and brought a solid foundation in that form into their khayal.
They got their start as pre-teen youngsters. What follows is a
recollection of someone who was in the audience at one of their first major
performances.
I had the pleasure of first hearing them
in 1945 at the Durgiana Temple in Amritsar. During that time, an annual musical
event used to take place at the historic temple, mainly devoted to classical
music. I saw that there were two youngsters attired in black achkans, white pyjamas and red fezzes, sitting
on the stage in preparation to open the second day’s proceedings. They were
probably aged around ten or eleven, had dark complexions, smiling faces and
dazzling eyes. The organiser announced that the two boys by the name of Nazakat Ali- Salamat Ali were the
scions of the Shamchaurasi gharana
and the disciples of their father, Ustad
Vilayat Ali Khan. They had been specially invited from Shamchaurasi as a source
of encouragement and would present raag
Malkauns. I noticed that Ustad Bhai Lal
was also on the stage tuning the tanpura
for the brothers. When the performance started, it seemed like a feast of
musical notes had descended upon us in the audience. Every member of the
audience was amazed and in complete awe of the duo. It was almost unbelievable
that boys of that age could give such a fine performance. When the drut portion started, the brothers gave
a blazing display of taans, sargams
and layakari, which left the audience
stunned. On completion of the recital, the brothers received a fabulous
response from the audience, many people came up to the stage congratulating the
boys and their father. The brothers were showered with flowers, bouquets and garlands
and were even offered nazaranas in
the form of monetary amounts. It was certain that the youngsters would one day
capture the imagination of all music lovers and achieve great heights in the
field of classical music. (http://www.sadarang.com/Yaadein-SalamatNazakat.htm)
They continued to wow audiences all across India and
then moved to Pakistan after the 1947 Partition. After a quiet period in Multan
during which they continued to practice and develop their art, they moved to
Lahore from where, like many mighty rulers before them, they conquered the
world.
 |
| Nazakhat Ali Khan |
Salamat Ali,
the younger of the two brothers, was especially expressive and creative in his
singing. He has been called a genius for both his feathery touch and his
‘thundering’ taans. Indeed, I’ve yet to hear anything quite so
delicate and powerful in Hindustani classical music as his cascading runs. They
simply astound you with their lightness yet cocksure progress. Elder brother, Nazakhat was no side kick. His alaps
set the scene and opened the way for his younger brother to follow.
 |
| Salamat Ali Khan |
In later years the two brothers, as is so often the
case, fell out and stopped performing together. Nazakhat died in the early 1980s leaving his brother bereft in more
ways than one. Salamat continued to sing with his sons, one of whom, Shafqat Ali Khan, has been highlighted
in a previous post. He passed away in 2001 leaving the world deeply saddened by
the loss of an absolute stellar singer.
Tonight’s post is a recording made in India in the mid
1960s during one of their many tours to that country.
Both the artistes normally perform
together but each has his individual style of developing a theme. The elder
brother Nazakhat has a gradual and
elaborate method of workmanship whereas the younger Salamat is spectacular and his artistry matchless for its beauty,
form and conception. Nazakhat Ali
has a soft and mellow voice and his style is necessarily subdued. Salamat has a powerful and well
modulated voice that enables him to perform through an unusually wide range and
at an extremely fast tempo with perfect east and grace. (liner
notes)
In other words, these guys, float like that proverbial
butterfly and sting like the bee.
Track
Listing:
01 Raga
Madhuvanti (Tumhare Daras Bin Balama)
02 Thumri (Naheen Paro Maiko Chaina)
03 Raga Poorvi (Prabhune Maiko Sab
Kuchh Deeno)
