The prototype qawwal

By FT correspondent

The King of Qawwali, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, left us 20 years ago.

He revived qawwali not just in Pakistan or South Asia since his popularity in the rest of the world to date reflects the indelible impression he has left.

He is remembered for his extraordinary range of vocal abilities and his high level of intensity for several hours.

Between 1973 and 1993 his songs could only be described as exceptional, with more than 50 album releases to his name on numerous Pakistani, British, American, European and Japanese labels. "All these albums are experiments," he once said in 1993 about his fusion work with western and sufi music. "There are some people who do not understand at all but just like my voice. I add new lyrics and modern instruments to attract the audience. This has been very successful."

Following are his ten most memorable qawwalis:
Haq Ali Ali