Sahib or Saheb (/ˈsɑːhɪb/, traditionally/ˈsɑː(iː)b/; Perso-Arab: صاحب, Devanagari: साहिब, Gurmukhi: ਸਾਹਿਬ, Bengali: সাহেব) is a word of Arabic origin meaning 'companion'. As a loanword, it has passed into several languages, including Persian, Kurdish, Turkish,[1]Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi, Pashto, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi and Somali. In English, it is especially associated with British rule in India. It can be used as a term of address, either as an official title or an honorific. It is often shortened to saab.
Emperor: Caliph, Shahanshah, Padishah, Chakravarti, Khagan |
High King: Sultan, Maharaja, Chhatrapati |
King: Emir, Shah, Raja, Khan |
Grand Duke: Nawab, Wāli, Nizam |
Crown Prince: Mirza, Yuvraj, Vali Ahd |
Prince: Shahzada, Şehzade, Sahibzada, Nawabzada |
Earl: Dewan Bahadur, Rao Bahadur, Rai Bahadur, Khan Bahadur |
Viscount: Khan Sahib, Baig, Begzada |
Baron: Lala, Agha, Hazinedar |
- 1Derived non-ruling princes’ titles
- 2Colonial and modern use
Derived non-ruling princes’ titles[edit]
Sahibzada[edit]
Sahibzada is a princely style or title equivalent to, or referring to a young prince.[2] This derivation using the Persian suffix -zada(h), literally 'born from (or further male/female descendant; compare Shahzada) a Sahib', was also (part of) the formal style for some princes of the blood of Muslim dynasties in the Indian sub-continent, e.g.:
- The sons of a ruling Nawab of Arcot (the head of the family; political pensioners, the only princely title still recognized by the Indian Republic) are styled: Sahibzada (personal name) Khan Bahadur, not Nawabzada (literally 'son of the Nawab').
- In Bahawalpur, in Pakistan, the younger sons of the ruling Nawab/Amir are styled: Sahibzada (personal name) Khan Abassi; but the Heir Apparent: Nawabzada (personal name) Khan Abassi, Wali Ahad Bahadur.
- In Baoni, the younger sons and other male descendants of the ruling Nawab, in the male line, were styled Sahibzada (personal name) Khan Bahadur, while the Heir Apparent was: Nawabzada (personal name) Khan, Wali Ahad Bahadur; either could be personally promoted to Nawab.
- In Bhopal, the grandsons of the ruling Nawab were styled: Sahibzada (personal name) Khan, while the Heir Apparent was the Wali Ahad Bahadur, the younger sons: Nawab (personal name) Khan Bahadur.
- In Jaora, more distant male relatives of the ruling Nawab then the sons (who were Nawabzada) were styled: Sahibzada (personal name) Khan.
- In Khudadad, Tippu Sultan's short-lived Muslim empire, the grandsons and other male descendants of the sovereign Padshah bahadur were styled: Sahibzada (personal name), until in 1860 the colonial (British) Indian Government extended to them the existing style for sons of the ruling Nawab: Shahzada (personal name) Sahib.
- In Malerkotla, where the Heir Apparent was Nawabzada (personal name) Khan Bahadur, the younger sons of the ruling Nawab were styled: Sahibzada (personal name) Khan Bahadur.
- In Savanur, where sons of the ruling Nawab were Nawabzada, the other male descendants in the male line: Sahibzada (personal name) Khan Sahib, and the more remote male descendants of the ruler: Sardar (personal name) Khan Sahib.
This could be further combined, e.g.:
- In Hyderabad, a mainly Muslim state of the Nizam, every son of the ruler was fully styled Walashan Nawab (personal title), Sahibzada Mir (personal name) Khan Bahadur; in the case of the Heir Apparent, all this was followed by The Prince of Berar, with the style of His Highness, normally reserved for ruling princes with at least an 11 (later 9) guns-salute;
- In Loharu, where the Heir Apparent was Nawabzada Mirza (personal name) Khan, both the younger sons, and male descendants, of a ruling Nawab, in the male line, were styled: Sahibzada Mirza (personal name) Khan.
- In Sachin, the grandsons and other male descendants of the ruling Nawab, in the male line, were styled: Sahibzada Sidi (personal name) Khan Bahadur, while the Heir Apparent was Nawabzada Sidi (personal name) Khan Bahadur, Wali Ahad Sahib, and the other sons: Nawabzada Sidi (personal name) Khan Bahadur.
- In Bengal, male members of Muslim zamindari families with distant connections to ruling or formerly ruling royal families, were styled Sahibzada if the head of the family was called sahib. It could be affixed to more titles or family names.
- In Murshidabad (present title-seat of the royal house of Bengal), the other sons and male descendants of the reigning Nawab, in the male line: Sahibzada Sayyid (personal name) Mirza;
- In Hangu, the grandsons of the male line of the ruling Sahib are styled as Sahibzada (personal name) Noor.
Wali-ahad Sahib[edit]
- In Palanpur, the younger sons of the ruling Nawab, and other male descendants in the male line, were styled Sahibzada (personal name) Khan; but the Heir Apparent: Nawabzada (personal name) Khan, Wali-ahad Sahib.
- In Junagadh, younger sons of the ruling Nawab and other male descendants in the male line, were styled ' Sahibzada' and (personal name) Khanji Babi.
Jam Sahib[edit]
- Jam Sahib (Gujarati: જામ સાહેબ), is the title of the ruling prince of Nawanagar, now known as Jamnagar in Gujarat, an Indian princely state.
Colonial and modern use[edit]
Sahib means 'owner' in Arabic and was commonly used in the Indian Sub-continent as a courteous term in the way that 'Mister' (also derived from the word 'master') and 'Mrs.' (derived from the word 'mistress') is used in the English language. It is still used today in the Sub-continent just as 'Mister' and 'Mrs.', and continues to be used today by English language speakers as a polite form of address.
In the British Indian Army, a British officer would address a Viceroy's commissioned officer (i.e., a native Indian officer) as '<rank> sahib' or '<name> sahib'. This form of address is still retained in the present-day army of independent India.
The term sahib was applied indiscriminately to any person whether Indian or Non-Indian. This included Europeans who arrived in the Sub-continent as traders in the 16th Century and hence the first mention of the word in European records is in 1673.
Pukka sahib was also a term used to signify genuine and legitimate authority, with pukka meaning 'absolutely genuine'.
Sahiba is the authentic form of address to be used for a female. Under the British Raj, however, the word used for female members of the establishment was adapted to memsahib, a variation of the English word 'ma'am' having been added to the word sahib.
The same word is also appended to the names of Sikhgurus.
The term sahib (normally pronounced saab) was used on P&O vessels which had Indian and/or Pakistani crew to refer to officers, and in particular senior officers. On P&O Cruises and Princess Cruises vessels the term continued to be used by non-Indian/non-Pakistani junior officers to refer to the senior deck and engine officers for many years, even when no Indian or Pakistani crew featured in the ship's company.
Literary reference[edit]
The term is used throughout the children's novel A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
In Herman Cyril McNeile's 1920 novel Bulldog Drummond, an Indian magician was performing tricks in front of a crowd and drew attention to a mysterious box.
- 'You don't mean the fourth dimension, do you?' demanded a man incredulously.
- 'I know not what you call it, sahib,' said the Indian quietly. 'But it is the power which renders visible or invisible at will.'
E.M. Forster also employed the term in his 1924 novel A Passage to India. His Anglo-Indian characters refer to the Collector as Burra Sahib, implying the respect felt for him.[3]
The following dialogue in Dorothy Sayers's 1926 novel Clouds of Witness shows what the term implied in British society at the time.
- Coroner: 'What kind of a man was Captain Cathcart?'
- Duke of Denver: 'Well – he was a Sahib and all that. I don't know what he did before joining up in 1914. I think he lived on his income; his father was well off. Crack shot, good at games, and so on.'
It is noteworthy that the character referred to had never been in India and had no connection with India.
In Bruce Marshall's The World, the Flesh and Father Smith, the protagonist serves as a military chaplain in the trenches of WWI and gives absolution to soldiers and officers about to go into battle. A major tells him: 'God's a bit hard on a chap at times. Still, I am sure God's too much of a Sahib to run a fellow in for ever and ever just because he got messed up with a bit of fluff' (i.e. casual affairs with women).
Later, the same major is mortally wounded. As the priest is about to administer last rites, the major says: 'It's all right, Father; I still think God is a Sahib'.(Ch.IX-X).
Jim Davis uses the term in a 1983 Garfield comic strip in which Garfield refers to Jon Arbuckle as 'sahib' after Jon asks Garfield to retrieve his newspaper,[4] and again in a 1989 strip after Jon asks Garfield to go outside and see if it's still raining.
Musahib[edit]
This title (pl. musāhibān), etymologically the active part. of to associate, or consort (with), means originally companion, associate, friend (the abstract term is musāhabat); not unlike the Hellenistic Greek Philos and the Latin Comes in the Roman empire, it became a title for a favourite (of a Sahib, especially a prince), and such 'personally close' positions as aide-de-camp, in some princely states even a Minister.
Other compound titles[edit]
- Burra sahib (Hindi: बड़ा साहबbaṛā sāhab) 'big man' or important person (Burra meaning big in Hindi)
See also[edit]
- Raja Sahib, compound royal style
- Thakur Sahib, compound princely style
- Babu Saheb, term of respect used to address members of the Rajput caste in Bihar
- Sahib-i-Subah or subahdar, provincial governor, notably in the Mughal empire
- Sahibzada Syed Faiz-ul Hassan Shah (1911–1984)
- Pathan
- Khan or Khanzada
- Mirza
- Beg, Baig, Bey or Begzada
- Shah
- Shahzada
- Begzada
- Begzadi
- Khanzada
- Khanzadi
- Shahzada
- Shahzadi
- Akhoondzada
- Akhoondzadi
References[edit]
- ^van Schaaik, Gerjan (1996). Studies in Turkish Grammar. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag. pp. 144–145. ISBN978-3447038065.
- ^Ramaswal mi, N.S. (2003). Political History of Carnatic Under the Nawabs. India: Abhinav Publications. p. 76. ISBN978-81-7017-191-1.
- ^Forster, E. M. A Passage to India. New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1924. Print
- ^Davis, Jim. Garfield, 12 July 1983. <https://garfield.dale.ro/garfield-1983-july-12.html>
Background information | |
---|---|
Birth name | Edmund Gregory |
Born | June 23, 1925 Savannah, Georgia, U.S. |
Died | October 24, 1989 (aged 64) Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
Genres | Jazz |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instruments | Baritone and tenor saxophone, Flute |
Years active | 1940s–1980s |
Associated acts | Gene Quill, Phil Woods, Hal Stein, Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band |
Sahib Shihab (born Edmund Gregory; June 23, 1925, Savannah, Georgia – October 24, 1989, Nashville, Tennessee) was an Americanjazz and hard bop saxophonist (baritone, alto, and soprano) and flautist. He variously worked with Luther Henderson, Thelonious Monk, Fletcher Henderson, Tadd Dameron, and Dizzy Gillespie amongst others.[1]
- 2Discography
Biography[edit]
Edmund Gregory first played alto saxophone professionally for Luther Henderson at age 13[2] and went on to study at the Boston Conservatory and to play with trumpeter Roy Eldridge. He played lead alto with Fletcher Henderson in the mid 1940s.
He was one of the first jazz musicians to convert to Islam and changed his name in 1947. During the late 1940s, Shihab played with Thelonious Monk and on July 23, 1951 he recorded with Monk for the Lp Genius of Modern Music: Volume 2. During this period, he also appeared on recordings by Art Blakey, Kenny Dorham and Benny Golson. The invitation to play with Dizzy Gillespie's big band in the early 1950s was of particular significance as it marked Shihab's switch to baritone.
On August 12, 1958, Shihab was one of the musicians photographed by Art Kane in his famous photograph known as 'A Great Day in Harlem'. In 1959, he toured Europe with Quincy Jones after getting disillusioned with racial politics in United States and ultimately settled in Scandinavia. He worked for Copenhagen Polytechnic and wrote scores for television, cinema and theatre.
In 1961, he joined the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band and remained a member of the band for the 12 years it existed. He married a Danish woman and raised a family in Europe, although he remained a conscious African-American still sensitive to racial issues.
In the Eurovision Song Contest 1966, Shihab accompanied Lill Lindfors and Svante Thuresson on stage for the Swedish entry 'Nygammal Vals'.
In 1973, Shihab returned to the United States for a three-year hiatus, working as a session man for rock and pop artists and also doing some copy writing for local musicians. He spent his remaining years between New York and Europe and played in a partnership with Art Farmer.[3]
From 1985-86, Shihab was a visiting artist at Rutgers University.[4]
Shihab died October 24, 1989, in Nashville, Tennessee, United States, aged 64.[1]
Discography[edit]
As leader[edit]
- 1957: The Jazz We Heard Last Summer (Savoy) split album shared with Herbie Mann
- 1957: Jazz Sahib (Savoy)
- 1963: Sahib's Jazz Party (Debut) also released as Conversations
- 1964: Summer Dawn (Argo)
- 1965: Sahib Shihab and the Danish Radio Jazz Group (Oktav)
- 1968: Seeds (Vogue Schallplatten)
- 1964-70: Companionship (Vogue Schallplatten)
- 1972: Sentiments (Storyville)
- 1972: La Marche dans le Désert - Sahib Shihab + Gilson Unit (Futura)
- 1973: Flute Summit (Atlantic) with Jeremy Steig, James Moody and Chris Hinze
- 1988: Soul Mates (Uptown) with Charlie Rouse
- 1998: And All Those Cats (compilation)
As sideman[edit]
With Art Blakey
- Theory of Art (1957)
- Art Blakey Big Band (Bethlehem, 1957)
With Brass Fever
- Time Is Running Out (Impulse!, 1976)
With Donald Byrd
- Jazz Lab (Columbia, 1957) with Gigi Gryce
- Modern Jazz Perspective (Columbia, 1957) with Gigi Gryce
With Betty Carter
- Out There (1958)
- I Can't Help It (1992)
With the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band
- Jazz Is Universal (Atlantic, 1962)
- Handle with Care (Atlantic, 1963)
- Now Hear Our Meanin' (Columbia, 1963 [1965])
- Swing, Waltz, Swing (Philips, 1966)
- Sax No End (SABA, 1967)
- Out of the Folk Bag (Columbia, 1967)
- 17 Men and Their Music (Campi, 1967)
- All Smiles (MPS, 1968)
- Faces (MPS, 1969)
- Latin Kaleidoscope (MPS, 1968)
- Fellini 712 (MPS, 1969)
- All Blues (MPS, 1969)
- More Smiles (MPS, 1969)
- Clarke Boland Big Band en Concert avec Europe 1 (Tréma, 1969 [1992])
- Off Limits (Polydor, 1970)
- November Girl (Black Lion, 1970 [1975]) with Carmen McRae
- Change of Scenes (Verve, 1971) with Stan Getz
With John Coltrane
- Coltrane (1957)
With Tadd Dameron
- Fontainebleau (1956)
With Art Farmer
- Manhattan (Soul Note, 1981)
With Curtis Fuller and Hampton Hawes
- Curtis Fuller and Hampton Hawes with French Horns (Status, 1957 [1962]) - also released as Baritones and French Horns (Prestige, 1957)
With Dizzy Gillespie
- Jazz Recital (Norgran, 1955)
- The Dizzy Gillespie Reunion Big Band (MPS, 1968)
With Benny Golson
- Benny Golson's New York Scene (Contemporary, 1957)
- Take a Number from 1 to 10 (Argo, 1961)
With Johnny Griffin
- Lady Heavy Bottom's Waltz (1968)
- Griff 'N Bags
With George Gruntz
- Noon in Tunisia (1967)
With Roy Haynes
- Jazz Abroad (Emarcy, 1955)
With Milt Jackson
- Plenty, Plenty Soul (Atlantic, 1957)
With Philly Joe Jones
- Drums Around the World (Riverside, 1959)
With Quincy Jones
- The Birth of a Band! (Mercury, 1959)
- The Great Wide World of Quincy Jones (Mercury, 1959)
- I Dig Dancers (Mercury, 1960)
- Quincy Plays for Pussycats (Mercury, 1959-65 [1965])
With Abbey Lincoln
- It's Magic (Riverside, 1958)
With Howard McGhee
- The Return of Howard McGhee (Bethlehem, 1955)
With Thelonious Monk
With Phineas Newborn, Jr.
- Phineas Newborn, Jr. Plays Harold Arlen's Music from Jamaica (RCA Victor, 1957)
With Oscar Pettiford
- The Oscar Pettiford Orchestra in Hi-Fi Volume Two (ABC-Paramount, 1957)
With A. K. Salim
- Blues Suite (Savoy, 1958)
With Tony Scott
- The Modern Art of Jazz (1957, Seeco) - with Bill Evans, Paul Motian
- Free Blown Jazz (1957, Carlton) - with Bill Evans, Paul Motian
With Mal Waldron
- Mal-2 (1957)
With Julius Watkins and Charlie Rouse
- The Jazz Modes (Atlantic, 1959)
With Randy Weston
- Uhuru Afrika (Roulette, 1960)
With Gene Quill, Hal Stein and Phil Woods
- Four Altos (Prestige, 1957)]
With Phil Woods
- Rights of Swing (Candid, 1961)
With Idrees Sulieman
- The Camel (Columbia, 1964)
References[edit]
- ^ abDoc Rock. 'The Dead Rock Stars Club : 1980s'. Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Retrieved 2014-09-01.
- ^'Artist Profiles : Sahib Shihab: Seeds And Sentiments'. Allaboutjazz.com. Retrieved 2014-09-01.
- ^'Sahib Shihab: Biography'. Allmusic. Retrieved 2014-09-01.
- ^http://www.jazzwax.com/2013/04/sahib-shihab-and-bill-evans.html