Momtaz Begum

Not to be confused with Momtaz Begum, Bangladeshi Freedom fighter during 1971.

Momtaz Begum (Bengali: মুমতায বেগম Mumtaz Begum) better known as Momtaz for short, is a Bangladeshi music artist, singer and producer of Bengali folk music and Baul music.^[1] She is also known as The Music Queen, popular for her unconventional use of music lyrics. During her international career spanning two decades, she has recorded around 700 albums, in 2009 she was appointed a member of the Parliament of Bangladesh.^[2] Momtaj married her guru Abdur Rashid Sorkar(teacher of folk song)She learn music from her guru matal razzak dewan who is also a famous folk artist. she learn 1st music from her father Modhu boyati, 2nd from Matal Razzak Dewan 3rd from Abddur Rashid Sorkar, who was her husband later.

Momtaz has performed and held hundreds of concerts across Bangladesh, including outside Bangladesh mainly in Britain and the United States. She has performed numerous events for the diaspora communities, in particular in London, where she is very popular among the crowds of the Baishakhi Mela ^[3][4]

Early life

She was born in a village Joymontop in Singair of Manikganj, though she did go to school to pursue higher studies, she spending most of her childhood learning music from her father, Modhu Boyati who was also a singer.,^[5] and aside Matal Razzaque Dewan was another of her guru who she considers her mentor.

Mumtaz Begum's initiation into music occurred early. She was a mere child when she accompanied her singer father Modhu Boyati at first as an audience but very soon as a co-performer. She took to music almost unknowingly, but then she must have dipped deep into the sea of music and come out intoxicated, for ever. She never looked back again and never even distantly thought of doing something different. The kind of music she used to perform like Marfati, Boithoki, Murshidi can roughly fall under the genre of mystic songs.^[6]

Career

It was not always rosy though. There were also occasions when she did albums entirely free of cost and when those albums became popular the producer offered her Tk 2,000, not for the ones she had already done, but for the one she would do next. That too on the condition that if it didn't sell well she would be bound to pay the honorarium back. Mumtaz didn't have to pay back—the album sold out instantly and suddenly Mumtaz became extremely busy. At times she was recording two albums a day. "I used to be handed down the lyrics and the music tracks minutes ago and there used to be hardly any time for rehearsal and I had to record it at one go," she reveals in an interview with the Daily Star last May. Some of her most famous music albums include Return Ticket, Ashol Boithoki, Murshider Talim, Ronger Bazar etc.

Though Mumtaz sings other varieties than those of mystic songs her concentration remains there. One of Mumtaz's great achievements has been to broaden the audience base of mystic songs which has been largely confined to rural areas and rural people. And most surprisingly today's middle class urbanite youths also make a part of her fans.

Charity work

As a person Mumtaz is a woman of great kindness who is ever ready to extend a helping hand to people who come to her. She established a 50-bed Momtaz Eye Hospital with support from Orbis International, in her native village Joymontop, under Singair upozila the Manikganj District of central Bangladesh. The hospital was established in the memory of her father, Modhu Boyati, himself a much-loved recording artist, lost his eyesight as he could not afford cataract operation due to poverty.^[2]

References

1. ^ Concert: Concert for Bangladesh held The New Nation, July 19, 2008.
2. ^ ^{a b} A Singer’s Love Of Her Country Is Music To The Eyes Orbis International.
3. ^ Mela Magic Tower Hamlets Council.
4. ^ International artists announced for Mela Tower Hamlets Council.
5. ^ Interview: Faizul Khan Tanim (June 13, 2008) Momtaz, The travelling songbird. (Article first published in New Age's XTRA Magazine's Inaugural Issue - June 13, 2008). Retrieved on 2006-06-07.
6. ^ Momtaz:The Music Queen The Daily Star (Bangladesh), December 31, 2004.

External links

• Cover Story - Momtaz - The Music Queen The Daily Star
• Singer Momtaz Speaks to VOA (26-May-2006) VOA, Washington.
• Momtaz BanglaMusic.com

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