Riyaaz Qawwali

Riyaaz Qawwali is an ensemble of musicians who have been performing qawwali professionally for the past 15 years.

Qawwali is a genre of music that has been used for centuries to spark religious devotion and bring listeners to a state of spiritual union with God. Qawwalis are often sung by Sufis as praise for religious teachers, saints, and scholars. Qawwali lyrics draw inspiration from Islam and use several poetry forms such as Ghazals, Hamd, and Kafi. However, spiritual love is expressed through the themes of worldly love and intoxication. Qawwali songs are mostly sung in Punjabi, Urdu, Hindi, Farsi, and Bengali languages.

Qawwali music is usually performed by an ensemble consisting of a lead singer, a harmonium and a tabla or dholak player, and several side singers that serve as the chorus. This type of music is characterized by the voices of the lead singer and chorus, as well as hand clapping.