25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

SINGER:MEHDI HASSAN

LYRICS: OBAIDULLAH ALEEM

1) TERE PYAR MEIN RUSWA HOKAR

http://www.mastimag.com/download.php?song_id=43484

After ruining their reputation in your love, where are all those crazy people supposed to go

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

SINGER : MEHDI HASSAN

LYRICS : TASLEEM FAZLI

2) RAFTA RAFTA WOH MERI HASTI

http://www.mastimag.com/download.php?song_id=13613
Slowly and steadily, she became the part of my identity

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

SINGER: MEHDI HASSAN
LYRICS: AHMAD FARAZ

3) RANJISH HI SAHI DIL HI DUKHANAY

http://www.mastimag.com/download.php?song_id=44279 
Let it be anguish, come still to torment my heart

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

Mehdi Hassan was born on 18 July 1927 in a village called Luna Rajastan in Jhunjhunu district in India into a family of traditional musicians. He claims to be the 16th generation of hereditary musicians hailing from the Kalawant clan of musicians. Mehdi Hassan had his musical grooming from his father Ustad Azeem Khan and uncle Ustad Ismail Khan who were both traditional Dhrupad singers. Hassan started to perform at a young age and the first concert of dhrupad and kheyal with his elder brother is reported to have been held in Fazilka Bungla, near present DC House (1935) of Undivided Punjab. After the Independence of Pakistan in 1947, 20-year-old Hassan and his family migrated to Pakistan and suffered severe financial hardships.

Mehdi initially started working in Chichawatni, in a bicycle shop Mughal Cycle House. He later became a car and diesel tractor mechanic. Despite the financial hardships, he kept up the routine of his singing practice on a daily basis.

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

In 1957, Mehdi Hassan was given the opportunity to sing on Radio Paklistan, primarily as a thumri singer, which earned him recognition within the musical fraternity. He had a passion for Urdu poetry, and therefore, he began to experiment by singing ghazals on a part-time basis. He cites radio officers Z A Bukhari and Rafiq Anwar as additional influences in his progression as a ghazal singer. His first song was "Jis ne mere dil ko dard diya" film Susral in 1962. In 1964, his ghazal for a film Farangi, "Gulon mein rang bharay,baad-e-naubahar chale" written by renowned Pakistan poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz and composed by Rasheed Attre, gave him a major break and he never looked back after that.

Following a severe illness in the late 1980s, Mehdi Hassan stepped down from playback singing. Later due to severity of his illness he completely departed from music.

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

SINGER: MEHDI HASSAN
LYRICS:  TASLEEM FAZLI

4) KHUDA KARE KE MOHABAT MEIN

http://www.mastimag.com/download.php?song_id=13851
With God's blessing, may my love attain such height

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

In 1977, Lata Mangeshkar was so moved by his dulcet vocals during a New Delhi concert that she’s reported to have said, “Aisa lagta hai ke unke gale mein bhagwan boltein hain,” (God sings through his voice). In October 2010, HMV released "Sarhadein" in which probably the first and last duet song Tera Milana featuring Mehdi Hassan and Lata Mangeshkar was released. This song was composed by Hassan himself written by Farhat Shahzad. Hassan recorded it in Pakistan in 2009, and Lata Mangeshkar later heard the track and recorded her part in India in 2010, and later mixed together for a duet. "Tera Milna" was also sung by Madam Madam Noor Jehan with Khan Sahib.

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

AWARDS

He has been the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions:

The Tamgha-i-Imtiaz granted to him by Gen Ayub Khan;
The Pride of Performance bestowed on him by Gen Ziaul Haq;
The Hilal-i-Imtiaz conferred by Gen Pervez Musharraf.
*The Nigar Film and Graduate Awards from Pakistan, 
The Saigal Award in Julandhar, India, in 1979,
The Gorkha Dakshan Bahu Award was given to him in Nepal in 1983.
Recently, he travelled to Dubai to receive yet another award.

Mehndi Hassan has throughout the years received a few more awards that were not listed:

*Mehdi Hassan won the Nigar Award nine times in his career for best male Singing. This award is equivalent to the Bollywood Filmfare Awards:

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

SINGER: MEHDI HASSAN
LYRICS : KWAJA PERVAIZ:

5) PYAR BHARE DO SHARMILE NAIN

http://www.mastimag.com/download.php?song_id=13619
Those shy eyes are brimming with love

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

SINGER :

LYRICS :

BEWAFA KOUN HAI KOUN HARJAI

http://www.mastimag.com/download.php?song_id=13749

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

  
MEHDI HASSAN IS BEING TAKEN LIKE A KING ON A THRONE: TO RECIEVE HIS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD:

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

SINGER : MEHDI HASSAN

LYRICS : DAAG DELHVI

6) DUNIYA KISISI PYAR MEIN JANNAT SE KAM NAHIN

http://www.mastimag.com/download.php?song_id=13563

The world is nothing less than heaven if one is in love

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

SINGER : MEHDI HASSAN

LYRICS : NISAR BAZMI

7) DIL DIYA DARD LIYA

http://www.mastimag.com/download.php?song_id=13572

Give up the heart and accept the pain

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

SINGER : MEHDI HASSAN

LYRICS : AKHTAR YOUSUFF

8) TUM ZID TO KAR RAHE HO

http://www.mastimag.com/download.php?song_id=12009

You are forcing me but what shall I sing for you

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

SINGER : MEHDI HASSAN

LYRICS :  KWAJA PARVAIZ

9) BAHUT KHOOBSURAT HAI MERA SANAM

http://www.mastimag.com/download.php?song_id=13626

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

"A SUBLIME VOICE"

Renowned ghazal maestro Mehdi Hassan has for quite sometime now been suffering from ill health caused by a paralytic stroke. Fortunately he is on the road to recovery and hopes to resume his singing career. Saqib Razaq looks back at an eventful career of the artiste who single handedly revolutionized ghazal gayaki.
Saqib Razaq:

continues.........

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

"A SUBLIME VOICE"

It is widely considered that the era of the 1950s and 60s was the golden age of radio broadcasting in the Indian sub-continent. It was during this period that a rich and mellifluous voice captured the hearts of all the listeners through broadcasts on Radio Pakistan. The melodic renditions of classical ghazals in a cultivated and cultured manner were its attributes and created a storm amongst the masses, musical connoisseurs and erudite musicians. Almost half a century has gone by and yet it still never fails to captivate. The voice is indeed that of Mehdi Hassan, the unparalleled master of ghazal. 

The evolution of the ghazal is a momentous one. Initially written in Persian, it can trace its origins in India during the advent of the Muslim rule in India during the 12th century. Hazrat Amir Khusrau (1253-1324), the eminent poet, scholar, statesman and musicologist is credited with many masterpieces of Persian poetry and can be termed as a major propagator of the ghazal. The pinnacle of the ghazal can be said to have been between the 18th and 19th centuries when Urdu became the preferred language of poetry and culture throughout India, poets such as Sauda, Mir Taqi Mir, Zauq, and Mirza Ghalib penned ghazals which are considered as hallmarks of Urdu poetry. Gradually, during the course of time, ghazals started to be expressed through melody and musicians started to use them as part of their repertoire. Ustad Mauzuddin Khan and Gauhar Jan were the early pioneers who built a reputation in the field and set the initial groundwork. Later, vocalists of the calibre of Ustad Barkat Ali Khan, Mukhtar Begum and Begum Akhtar established themselves as major exponents of ghazal gayaki. However, Mehdi Hassan has added a further dimension to this art form.
Saqib Razaq:

continues.........

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

"A SUBLIME VOICE"

Mehdi Hassan was born in 1927 in a village called Luna in Rajasthan, India into a family of traditional musicians. He claims to be the 16th generation of hereditary musicians hailing from the Kalawant clan of musicians. Mehdi Hassan had his musical grooming from his father Ustad Azeem Khan and uncle Ustad Ismail Khan who were both traditional Dhrupad singers. The life story of Mehdi Hassan is a journey of trials and tribulations. After partition the family migrated to Pakistan and suffered severe financial hardships.

Mehdi Hassan during his youth:

To make ends meet Mehdi started working in a bicycle shop and later became a car and diesel tractor mechanic. Despite the hardships, his passion for music didn't wither and he kept up the routine of practice on a daily basis. His struggle ended when he was given the opportunity to sing on radio in 1952, primarily as a thumri singer, this got him recognition within the musical fraternity. At that time, Ustad Barkat Ali Khan, Begum Akhtar and Mukhtar Begum were considered the stalwarts of ghazal gayaki,  Mehdi Hassan also had a passion for Urdu poetry and started to experiment by singing ghazals on a part time basis. He cites radio officers Z.A. Bukhari and Rafiq Anwar as additional influences in his progression as a ghazal singer. They gave him ample opportunities to display his mastery over the ghazal on radio. He sang ghazals of all the renowned Urdu poets and soon his innovative style was soon appreciated by both the masses and discerning audiences.
Saqib Razaq:

continues.........

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

"MASTERS OF GHAZALS"

 
GHAZAL'S GREATS MEHDI HASSAN AND TALAT MAHMOOD
Courtesy: Son of Talat Mahmood: Khalid Mahmood

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

SINGER : MEHDI HASSAN

LYRICS : QATEEL SHIFAI

10) ZINDAGI KI RAAH MEIN

http://www.mastimag.com/download.php?song_id=44282

I ran into someone on the road of life

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

SINGER : MEHDI HASSAN

LYRICS :  FAIZ AHMAD FAIZ

11) GULON MEIN RANG BHARE BAAD E NAUBAHAR CHALE

http://www.mastimag.com/download.php?song_id=43722

Let the flowers be filled with colors, let the wind of early spring blows

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

SINGER : MEHDI HASSAN

LYRICS :  MASROOR ANWAR

12) MERE DIL SE ZINDAGI BHAR

http://www.mastimag.com/download.php?song_id=13621

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

"A SUBLIME VOICE"

The most important aspect of the ghazal is its theme, themes ofmost ghazals revolve around unrequited love. They can also be about mysticism, rebellion, yearning and pathos. It is vital that the ghazal singer has a clear perception of what message the poet is trying to convey. The musician faces a further challenge in trying to emphasize the correct emotion of the ghazal through music. Traditionally, ghazals were sung in a thumri like manner and were also composed in raags which were best suited for thumri such as bhairvin, khamaj, tilak kamod, desh and piloo. This somewhat constrained the ghazal composition within a small framework and there wasn't much room to experiment. However Mehdi Hassan pioneered ghazal gayaki by capturing the mood of the ghazal through his compositions. He is a master composer and uses raags which best suit the ghazal's appeal regardless of whether the raag is khayal or thumri orientated. Most of his compositions are based around the correct structure of a raag and keep the vaadi and samvaadi of the raag into strict consideration.
Saqib Razaq:

continues.........

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

"A SUBLIME VOICE"

Mehdi Hassan's gayaki incorporates the subtle elements of both Dhrupad and Khayal. He carefully embellishes ghazals by using behlawas, murkhis, taans and zamzamas. Further grace is given by touches of  Rajasthani folk singing. Another important feature of his style is the importance of correct pronunciation, delivery of words are of utmost importance and he never compromises the true expression of a word regardless of the constraints put forward by the musical composition. The mutual bond between melody and the lyrical content is responsible for making the art of Mehdi Hassan so appealing. In addition he has raised the profile of ghazal gayaki which was previously considered a taboo amongst classical exponents and reformed it into a major melodic genre which sits on an equal footing with thumri, dadra, kajri and tappa. His influence was such that some leading classical vocalists of that era took to ghazal singing.

Mehdi Hassan's popularity resulted in his becoming one of the most popular playback singers of the Pakistani film industry from the early 1960s to the late 1980s. Many of his film based ghazals have become classics.
Saqib Razaq:

continues.........

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

"A SUBLIME VOICE"

At this stage we wish to express our sincere thanks to Mr Saqib Razaq for presenting us a scholarly and unique article on the Legendary Mehdi Hassan. We can assure Mr Razak that his article will be only used for information and educational purposes.
We do hope that fans worldwide will find Mr Razaq's article interesting.

asj/file

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

While he was singing in the Court of Nepal's King Shah Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, he forgot the lines of his song "Zindagi mein to sabhii pyar kya kerte hain". Shah, then stood from his seat and start singing the next line. This was really a great tribute to him.

Love this Story:

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

SINGER : MEHDI HASSAN

LYRICS :  MASROOR ANWAR

12) MERE DIL SE ZINDAGI BHAR

http://www.mastimag.com/download.php?song_id=13621

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

By Ustad Ghulam Haider Khan

In 1963, a concert was held in the lawns of the Lahore radio station. A man called Mehdi Hasan was scheduled to perform the last item of the evening, just before the night transmission ended. In appearance the young man was high-browed and plump-lipped and had a soulful gaze. At last he began to sing his ghazal (it was ‘Aya meri mehfil mein gharat gharey hosh aya&rsquo, and it was so mellifluous and heart-stopping that it mesmerized not only the audience but the radio staff as well. Eventually someone had to point out that we had gone 10 minutes past 11 pm, which is when the transmission was supposed to end. Presently Azizur Rehman (the radio announcer) closed the night’s proceedings with a short declaration, and this was followed by the national anthem. But the audience remained sitting and Mehdi Hassan went on singing until they were satiated.

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

Mehdi Hassan

By Ustad Ghulam Haider Khan

He was born in Mandava state in present-day Jaipur in 1932 to a family of dhrupad singers known as Kalawants. His father Azeem Khan was a court musician of the Maharaja of Jaipur. Mehdi studied music with his uncle Ismail Khan and his elder brother Pandit Ghulam Qadir (the man was later employed as a composer by Radio Muzaffarabad). The brothers (young Mehdi and his mentor, Ghulam Qadir) performed dhrupad at Fazilka Bangla in district Ferozepur in a public concert in 1945. After the Partition, Mehdi migrated with his family to Pakistan and came to reside in Chichawatni, where some relatives of his were already living. It was a terribly turbulent time; abruptly people lost their homes and identities, and had to find new ones if they wished to survive. Musicians were no different; in fact some have argued that musicians, the best among whom were attached to princely states all over the subcontinent, suffered the most at Partition because they went from a life of security and comfort to one of poverty, anonymity and irrelevance.

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

MOVIE  : SHABANA 1974

SINGER: MEHDI HASSAN

MUSIC  : M. ASHRAF

LYRICS : TASLEEM FAZLI

13) YE TERA NAZUK BADAN HAIN

http://www.mastimag.com/download.php?song_id=13625

ye tera naazuk badan hai ya koi mehka gulaab
kya karoon taarif teri har adaa hai laajawab

kyoon na ye dil tumko chaahe husn se bhi tum ho haseen
paaon padte hain jahan pe phool khil jaate hain wahin
jaan le lega hamaari ik na ik din ye sabaab
ye tera naazuk badan hai ya koi mehka gulaab

ruk gaye saawan ke baadal zulf jab chehre pe paDi ho
dekh le jo unko shaayad bhool jaaye wo shaayari
sang-e-marmar ka badan hai ya kisi shaayar ka khwaab

ye tera naazuk badan hai ya koi mehka gulaab
kya karoon taarif teri har adaa hai laajawab

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

Mehdi Hassan

By Ustad Ghulam Haider Khan

Mehdi Hassan was no different. A young, relatively unknown singer at the time, he had nothing to lean on in his new homeland. He started a cycle repair shop. Within the year he had upgraded it to a motor mechanic’s workshop. Determined though he was to survive, Mehdi didn’t give up his passion for music: it is said that he would drive a tractor along the Punjabi fields under the setting sun, and use the machine’s persistent drone as a kind of background music against which to practice his sur. Keeping his voice steady on that impossibly bumpy tractor must have removed every extraneous quiver from his voice!

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

Mehdi Hassan

By Ustad Ghulam Haider Khan

Eventually he handed over his workshop to his older brother and came away to live in Lahore. He had decided now to devote himself solely to singing, and to make it in the new film industry.

In Lahore he resided at the old Sheranwala Gate, where he soon befriended and lured with his already-attractive voice a music director duo by the name of Asghar Ali Muhammad Hussain. They were composing the music for a film called Shikar, which was being produced by Eastern Studios in Karachi. One of the songs was given to Mehdi to perform. This was ‘Mere khayal-o-khaab ki duniya liye huay’. This song was a kind of break for him; it was followed by a set of songs for the film Kanwari Bewa and then for another few films produced in Karachi. After recording these he came back to Lahore and made his way into that city’s radio station.

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

MOVIE  : HAADSA 1978

SINGER: MEHDI HASSAN

MUSIC  : KAMAL AHMAD

LYRICS : TASLEEM FAZLI

14) PHIR CHALE JAANA

http://www.mastimag.com/download.php?song_id=13615

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

SINGER: MEHDI HASSAN

MUSIC  : NISAR BAZMI

LYRICS : QATEEL SHAFAI

15) YUN ZINDAGI KI RAH MEIN TAKRA GAYA KOI

http://www.mastimag.com/download.php?song_id=10911

I ran into someone on the road of life

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

SINGER: MEHDI HASSAN

MUSIC  : NISAR BAZMI

LYRICS : QATEEL SHAFAI

16) ZINDAGI MEIN TO SABHI PYAR KIYA KARTE HAIN

http://www.mastimag.com/download.php?song_id=44284

In a lifetime, everyone loves someone

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

SINGER: MEHDI HASSAN

LYRICS : BAHADUR SHAH ZAFAR

17) BAAT KARNI MUJHE MUSHKIL KABHI AISE

http://www.mastimag.com/download.php?song_id=44280

It was never as difficult for me to talk, as it is now

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

Mehdi Hassan

By Ustad Ghulam Haider Khan

His first important ghazal was a Mirza Ghalib number. The words were ‘Arz-e-niaz-e-ishq ke qabil nahi raha’. It won him a band of followers, who expressed their delight in letters of appreciation they sent to the radio station. The idea that Mehdi Hassan’s voice was particularly suited to the ghazal form had begun to take hold in the popular imagination.

Some people have pointed out that the post-Partition roster of towering Pakistani singers is lacking in testosterone. This is partly true – no male voice has dominated the musical scene here for too long a period of time. (The only male voice that comes to mind in this regard is that of the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and even he was famous in the national and eventually global sense for only the last decade of his life.) But that is because the popular music scene – and I mean the whole of it, from filmi geet to folk tune to ghazal – was dominated for a good 50 years by that tough old bird called Noor Jahan, who insisted on hogging the limelight and was known on occasion to have even threatened her competitors with physical violence if they didn’t get out of her way. Most of these hapless competitors were women, of course; but in the course of her singing career the feisty Madame came across one male voice that even she couldn’t put down or snuff out. And this was the voice of Mehdi Hassan. In her televised interviews she claims to have heard him only in the 60s (and this is part of a characteristically embellished Noor Jahan anecdote that comes complete with glamorous innuendo): she was once driving around (late at night, of course) in Lahore with her then-husband Ejaz, and while passing a khokha she heard the words ‘Yeh dhuaan sa kahan se uthta hai’. “Stop the car!” she claims to have told Ejaz, who then indeed stopped it so that Madame could listen to the enigmatic male voice that was singing that particular ghazal.

But the truth is probably different. Noor Jehan knew of Mehdi Hassan and even recorded a song with him in 1958 for the film Qaidi. This was ‘Aik dewaney ne iss dil ka kaha maan liya’ and it was an instant hit. Soon after this success, Mehdi sang for the film Susraal. The song was ‘Jis ne mere dil ko dard diya’. It was composed by the talented Hasan Latif. This was the song that made Mehdi Hassan a big name in the world of Pakistani music: after this he never looked back.

25 SONGS BY MEHDI HASSAN:

By Ustad Ghulam Haider Khan

And success followed success. The next year, in 1959, Mehdi composed in the Rajasthani maand style a ghazal of then-rising poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz. This ghazal was ‘Gulon mein rang bhare, baad-e-naubahar chalay’. It was to become a signature work for both singer and poet, and a lasting testament to the emotive power of that uniquely Pakistani form, the musical ghazal. This particular ghazal became wildly popular soon after it was aired on radio, and Mehdi sang it again and again, in private mehfils as well as public concerts, adding new touches and interpretations to its many intricate parts in the Rajasthani folk tune that issued from the very core of his soul and came to him like a first tongue