The most distinctive and important genre of Muslim devotional music, Qawalli is closely identified with Sufism, the mystical form of Islam. At a Qawalli assembly, Sufi devotees gather under the guidance of a spiritual leader to experience states of mystical love and divine ecstasy through a ritual listening to music.In this study, Qureshi creates a "context-sensitive musical grammar"—a way to study the setting, audience, and performance as elements of the music."Superbly documented. . . . Sufi Music is an engaging read for those interested in understanding not just qawwali, but also how music—perhaps all musics—is informed by, shaped by, and interacts with the ideological, socio-economic, and performance environment of its composers and performers."—Kenneth Chen, Canadian University Music Review"A remarkably rigorous, creative, and insightful treatment of music as process, [this book] should serve as an exemplary approach to documenting performance in... [More...] [Edit review] [Delete review]