What is the difference between a Geet and a Ghazal?
The ocean of Hindi music is very vast and many musical genres such as Geet (songs in Hindi), Ghazal, Bhajan, Qawwali and other forms can be found. Among all these, Geet and Ghazal were listed by the largest number of people. I have often heard Hindi music lovers ask, ‘What is the difference between a Geet and a Ghazal? And here in this article, you will find some important differences. So let’s get started.
Ghazal is strictly based on a defined poetic meter from start to finish, while Geet is based on a melody that can have different meter in a single song.
Most of the Ghazals lack the musical attachment and only a few are composed musically. Furthermore, the Ghazals strictly follow Radeef / Qafiya and other conventional rules, where, like Geet, the writing is not required to follow those rules and can be written independently to incorporate it into a musical melody.
A particular Ghazal can bring several different thoughts in all its couplets, but in Geet it is not possible. A Geet cannot be sad when it begins on a romantic note and vice versa, theme and theme are strictly followed until the end of the Geet. However, there are some exceptions where the theme of a Geet has different nuances.
Ghazal writers are poets and sometimes write songs, but most song writers generally do not write Ghazals.
Ghazal poets do not need to learn about music, but for a lyricist or a Geetkar (especially those who write lines in a melody) some basic music is required.
In Ghazal, takhallus is used and in Geet it is not used. Takhallus is the poet’s pseudonym and is used extensively in the last Ghazals couplet.
A Ghazal often becomes part of the Mushaira (poetry symposium) and a Geet part of musical culture and an instrument of pleasure for DJs.
Geet are more popular than Ghazal and are backed by movies and music albums, where Ghazal poetry is free from theme and melody limitations, paving the way for a more beautiful expression. Also, in earlier periods, the Ghazals were the talk of the town.
A Ghazal poet can sum up the entire universe in a single Ghazal, but for a Geet poet it will take many songs to achieve the same.
The ghazales are intellectually high and as a result there is more “praise” for a poet from Ghazal compared to the poet from Geet.
There are few singers from Ghazal and an abundance of singers from Geet. When it comes to Ghazals, names like Jagjit Singh, Mehdi Hassan, and Pankaj Udhaas will instantly come to mind, and for Geet, names like Mohd Rafi, Kishore Kumar Lata Mangeshkar, and Asha Bhosle come to mind.
Geet is a type of poem and each verse revolves around the central idea of the poem and is logically developed and written where, like a Ghazal, it can have many nuances and subject matter. Ghazal, which means “talking to women” in Arabic, is a form of poetry in which a woman is admired.