"It was in the year 1971', recalled Mohsin after raking his memory somewhat, "when I recorded my first (patriotic) song Vatan kay mohafiz jarry paasbaan in the voice of Parvez Mehdi for Radio Pakistan, Lahore. In 1974, I produced my first LP record, containing popular ghazals of classical and modern poets. It was launched by EMI (Pakistan). The king of ghazals, Ustad Mehdi Hasan lent his voice for the recording of all those pieces of poetry, one of which, Guncha-e-shauq laga hai khilnay, by late Wajiusaman Irfani reached the lips of millions.
Mohsin Raza can be singled out from other Pakistani composers for his sharp musical grasp, acute sensitivity and abundant creative inventiveness. The level of confidence, usually shown by a composer within the intimate form of ghazal is to be found in his compositions in the referenced LP. He rightly claims that no musical form or style becomes obsolete, if a composer can inject it with freshness, creative strength and a personal point of view.
In addition to the LP, Mohsin Raza has also composed tunes for a number of cassettes, containing songs of late melody queen Nur Jehan, Fareeda Khanum, Ghulam Ali, Afshaan, Shaukat Ali and other singers during his 33-year long career. A large number of his compositions for radio, television, stage and gramophone recording companies won wide popularity.
"My skill at composition impressed Madam Nur Jehan so much," he claimed with a ting of euphoria, "that she asked me to compose music for her first 13-episode popular TV programme Tarannum. So successful was that programme that I was upgraded by PTV to the category of outstanding composers".
Born in a family wherein music was practiced regularly, Mohsin Raza started dabbling in the art of composition at a young age. The creatively-conducive environment in the family helped him in developing a refined taste and an acute sense of tone perception. He took lessons in music from late Master Sadiq Ali, the versatile blind pianist while discontinuing his formal education when an intermediate student. After completing a two-year apprenticeship with Master Sadiq, he came under the tutelage of Ustad Nazar Husain, a composer known for his penchant for utilizing rapidly changing meters and complex rhythms. "I was also inspired by Pakistan's ace composer Khwaja Khurshid Anwar", he said in a tone that radiated nostalgic pride.
Mohsin's fame surged when his LP Ghuncha-e-Shauq was recreated and re-recorded for the mini screen in the voice of Mehdi Hasan. Over the years, he has acquired expertise for composing children songs, especially those used during calisthenics presentations. For several years, he produced music and rehearsed with thousands of children at the National Horse and Cattle Show.
Mohsin's tally of awards is quite impressive. He has won Bolan, Al-Fankar, Bahu, Musawwar and Filmi Duniya awards for his skill as a perceptive composer. His knowledge of classical music admittedly shows some inadequacies, yet he has developed himself as a creative artiste by using intuitive method for his compositions.
Responding to query whether he ever thought of becoming a singer, he said that he was more interested in letting other crooners sing his compositions than opting for a singing career. He uses his voice only when rehearsing his compositions with singers.