Munshi Raziuddin — Sanjan Nagar Institute, 1997

In a previous post we had shared a recording of Farid Ayaz and troupe made in 2007 at the Sanjan Nagar Institute, Lahore.  The session was appreciated by many visitors of this blog.  We were lucky to have obtained a copy thanks to the generosity of the institute's founder Mr. Raza Kazim.  This gentleman is a polymath and one can get a sense of his multi-dimensional tastes and achievements from an interview he recently gave to an online journal.  The interview (which is accompanied with a lovely introduction) is titled Meet the Lahore lawyer, philosopher and activist who also invented a musical instrument.  It can be found here.

Below is the second session Mr. Kazim shared with me.  This is another beautifully recorded and sung session.  Our blog's leading light Asif Mamu assessed it succinctly:  This is a fabulous recording, capturing nuance and the timbre of the voices. Munshi Razi's diction was special and comes out wonderfully.  One of the lovely aspects is that the harmoniums are really down-tuned to the point of non-existence and they are using a real tanpura.  Munshi Razi keeps the singers in check and moderated.  This is the way that proper Qaul should be recited.  There is no need to make it a hollering competition.  The music, kalaam, and tone of voice take it to another level of enjoyment.