Music of Iran
The
music of Iran has thousands of years of history dating back to the
Neolithic age as attested by the archeological evidence chiefly in
Elam, one of the earliest world civilizations in the south western
Iran. A distinction needs to be made between the science of Music or Musicology (
Elm-e-Musighy) which as a branch of mathematics has always been held in high regards in Iran; as opposed to Music performance, (Tarab, Navakhteh, Tasneef, Taraneh or more recently Muzik) which has had an uneasy and often acrimonious relationship with the religious authorities and, in times of religious revival, with society as a whole.
The ambivalence of Iranian culture towards music may be seen in the context of what Darius Shayan has termed cultural schizophrenia: the contradictory nature of the two sources of
Iranian culture, ancient
Persia and
Islam.
In ancient Persia musicians held socially respectable positions. We know that the
Elamites and the
Achemenians certainly made use of musicians but we can not guess what that music might have been like. During the Parthian era, troubadours or Gosans were highly sought after as entertainers. There are theories in Academia that perhaps the early
Dari Poets of Eastern Iran like
Roudaki were in fact Gosans.
By the time the
Sassanids came to power, the position of the Musicians was so exalted that it is only them, amongst all practitioners of fine arts, whose names have come down to the present in numbers. We may know that Mani was a painter or Burzoe was a literary as well as a medical figure but these names have survived for reasons other than their arts. We may know Farhad was a famous sculptor but only because he had pursued a love affair with the queen. The names of famous musicians, as well as the nature of their fame have come down to us. Amongst the master musicians
Barbad,
Sarkad,
Ramtin and
Nakissa there was fierce rivalry during the reign of Khosroe Parveez. Barbad invented the
lute and the musical traditions that was to transform into the Maqam tradition and eventually the Dastgah system.
Even after Islam Persian Musicians did not disappear:
Zaryab is often credited with being the greatest influence over
Andalusian and Spanish music. [
1] Farabi and
Avicenna were not only musical theorist but adept at the lute and the Ney respectively. However late Medieval and modern Islam viewed music with suspicion. Music weakens reason and dance which is by necessity accompanied by music was seen as lewd.
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Taq-e Bostan carving, Women playing harp while the king is hunting, 6th century AD. |
The position of a particular work of Music often depends on the music genre and its relationship to music theory. The academic
Persian Classical Tradition (Musiqi Asil or Dastgah) is strongly based on the theories of sonic aesthetics as expounded by the likes of Farabi and Shirazi in the early centuries of Islam. It also preserves melodic formulae that are often attributed to the musicians of the Persian imperial court of Khosroe Parviz in the Sassanid Period. Dastgah is the music of those who have a greater share of, or affect to be in possession of, refined taste and high culture and as such, in spite of its present popularity has always been the preserve of the elite. However the influence of Dastgah can not be underestimated as it is seen as the reservoir of authenticity that other forms of musical genres derive melodic and performance ideas and inspiration.
Other genres of respectable music were those which were perhaps not as soundly based in abstract theory but from a utilitarian point of view were seen as useful. To this group belongs the martial music of Persia (Musiqi Razmi) whose roots go back to the Parthian era, as attested by Roman sources. This form of music has now been almost completely replaced by European forms ever since the modernization of the armed forces. This type of music with large drums, brass and reed instruments was used not only at war but also in official and solemn occasions. The Naqareh Khaneh or the house of drum, the chief exponent of this type of music survived into the Qajar Period but by this time much of the expertise, fostered during the Safavid era, had disappeared. The only trace of this form of music in a much simplified form is the music of the Zurkhaneh, the traditional martial arts of Iran, where the exercises of champions (Pahlavan, literally Parthians) is regulated by a drummer / vocalist known as the Murshid.
Religious music as a category for music is not a musicologically homogeneous genre. The Shiite passion plays depicting the martyrdom of Imam Hussein have its beginnings in the martial music of Iran. Similarly Sufi music, though having set traditions of its own such as the use of the mystical instrument daf and a set compendium of librettos in Persian mystical poetry, is nevertheless perhaps closest to Dastgah music but enjoys a greater freedom of composition and is rhythmically more sophisticated.
The recitation of the Koran is not considered music by Muslims, but something more sublime. Similarly, religious liturgy or
Noheh is a category of improvised song, but is never discussed in musical terms.
Popular music however occupies a low ebb in the rungs of respectability with the exception of folk music that plays an important role in the daily life of rural Iranians. Some of the most beautiful music composed in Iran is remembered in the folk songs in Kurdistan and Khorasan for example. Unlike all other form of music which can be considered children of
Classical Persian Music, Folk songs have greatly influence the Dastgah system and names such as Isfahan and Bayat e Turk attest to the regional origins of the melodic formulae that underly Persian Art Musical Tradition.
Musical theatre in the form of Rohozi, whereby the covered pool in the middle of an inner courtyard served as a stage, is considered decadent by many Iranians. Tasneefs or popular urban compositions were often put together for the purposes of dance often in all women parties and some of the more famous compositions like Baba Karam and the accompanying dance is today the height of Persian Kitsch.
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Ancient Iranians attached great importance to music and poetry, like today. Post Sassanid era silver plate. 7th century. The British Museum. |
Main article: Iranian folk music
Iran is home to several
ethnic groups, including
Kurdish,
Azerbaijanis,
Bakhtiari and
Baluchi peoples.
Turkmen epic poets similar to
Central Asian musicians are common in
Khorasan, while
Kurdish music is known for its double-reed
duduk and an earthy, dance-oriented sound. The most famous personalities in Iranian folk music are
Pari Zangeneh and
Sima Bina.
Mazandaran
The northern province of
Mazandaran has a diverse folk music culture that includes songs and instrumental and ritual music. Rhythm is usually simple in songs, which include
katuli, which is most common around the town of
Aliabad-e Katul; the song is sometimes said to be sung when people take a
catouli cow out to graze. Because the song was originally sung while walking and working, it often has syllables like
jana,
hey or
aye added, in order to allow the singer to breath while he was working (a
work song). Another kind of song is called
kaleh haal (or
kal kaal or
Leili's lover). The term
kaleh haal may refer to its shortness of length (
kale haal means
short present) or to its common wingers, housewives who sang it while cooking with a
kaleh, a type of oven.
Amiri songs usually use long poems written by
Amir Paazvari, a legendary poet from Mazandaran. There is also a type of song called
najma which describes the love between Prince
Najmedin of the
Fars area and a girl named
Ranaa. The najma is popular throughout Iran, adapted for the local cultures. The
Charvadars are an ancient class of merchants who sold commodities abroad for a local village; their songs are called
charvadari. In contrast to most Mazandarani music,
charvadari has a prominent rhythm, which may be because it was often sung on horseback.
Main article: Iranian pop music
or
Persian pop musicIran developed its own pop music by the
1970s, using indigenous instruments and forms and adding
electric guitar and other imported characteristics; the most popular musician of this period was
Googoosh. Pop music didn't last long, though, and was banned after the 1979 revolution. Many Iranians took to foreign countries, especially
Los Angeles in the
United States, and Iranian-in-exile pop stars include (in alphabetical order)
Dariush,
Ebrahim Hamedi (
Ebi),
Hayadeh,
Homeirah,
Mahasti,
Morteza and
Sattar.
There are also many newcommers in Persian/Iranian Music who have made huge impression. Below are a list:
Arian Band,
Andy Madadian,
Moein,
Mansour,
Sandy Group,
Leyla Foroohar,
Farshid Amin,
Shahrzad Sepanlou,
Arash,
Shadmehr Aghili,
Jamshid,
Cameron Cartio,
Mohammad,
Kamran & Hooman,
Fereydoun,
Shahriar,
Nima Nourmohammadi(composer) and much more...
Bandari music
Bandari, is a type of pop music with faded root of southern Iran folk music. Its fast-slow quarter tone rhytms makes it a suitable for folk-style dance - entitled the same - specially in weddings and other celebrations.
Main article: Iranian rock
Rock music in Iran has been influenced by many traditional forms of Iranian music and popular Western rock bands such as
Pink Floyd,
The Doors, and
Dire Straits, and
JULIA. The suffused influences continue to merge in creating yet another unique feature in the soundscape of Iranian music.
See main article: Musiqi-e assilPersian classical traditional music goes back a long ways. Musicians like
Barbod were legendary in the empire of the
Sassanid era.
Until the early
20th century, musiqi-e assil was heard almost entirely at the royal courts of the
monarchy. The
Qajar dynasty ruled until
1925, with their influence declining since the turn of the century. Musiqi-e assil became a more common past-time for the next few decades, especially after
cassettes were introduced in the
1960s. Before the
1979 revolution, Iran produced the singing star
Gholam Hossein Banan and instrumentalists like
Abol Hassan Saba,
Ahmad Ebadi,
Faramarz Payvar and
Hassan Kassai.
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This wall painting depicts a scene from a 17th century classical Iranian music ensemble. |
The 1979 revolution launched a renaissance in Persian classical music, from which emerged national stars like
Parisa,
Parviz Meshkatian,
Jamshid Andalibi,
Kayhan Kalhor,
Mohammad Reza Lotfi,
Hossein Alizadeh,
Shahram Nazeri and, most famously,
Mohammad-Reza Shajarian. Though the revolution created classical music's popularity, music and Islam have not always meshed well, and many Iranian conservatives disliked even the simple melodies and lyrics of classical music. The role of women in music was restricted, though they were allowed to continue performing as instrumentalists though not vocalists.
Sound file samples of classical Iranian music:
*
Nei and Dombak duet *
Tar composition*
Piano (Javad Maroufi style)Iran is not alien to western classical music either. Many radio stations in Tehran play Mozart's concertos on a daily basis, and many Iranians even make it to world fame and fortune. The late 20th century classical composer
Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji was of Iranian descent. The best examples of these Iranians are perhaps
Shardad Rohani (LA Symphony Orchestra conductor),
Lily Afshar (world class classical guitarist and student of
Andrés Segovia),
Loris Tjeknavorian(principal conductor to the Rudaki Opera House Orchestra in Tehran)
, and
Hormoz Farhat (Composer, Ethnomusicologist, Music Professor). Moreover,
Zubin Mehta, the world-famous classical conductor of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra , is of Iranian ancestry.
In 2005,
Ali Rahbari, the head of
Tehran Symphonic Orchestra, performed
Beethoven's 9th Symphony in Tehran Vahdat Hall.[
2]
There are also some growing attempts to combine
Persian classical music and
western classical music.
Davood Azad, a renowed Iranian musician and vocalist, tried to Combine
Johann Sebastian Bach's music style and Iranian classical musics.
Many of the expatriate Iranians in North America and Europe are involved in
electronic music. The best known group is the Washington, D.C.-based
Deep Dish which consists of Ali "Dubfire" and Shahram.
Known personalities
*
DJ Aligator,
Denmark*
Deep Dish: (Ali "Dubfire" Shirazi and Shahram Tayebi) Washington DC, USA
*
DJ Behrouz (Behrouz Nazai) San Francisco, USA
*
Fred Maslaki, Washington DC, USA
*
Omid 16b (Omid Nourizadeh) London, UK
*
Amir Baghiri,
GermanyIranian music style influenced the music of central Asia.
*
Music of Afghanistan*
Music of Tajikistan*
Music of Pakistan*
Music of India*
Music of Turkey*
Music of Azerbaijan* "
Ay Iran"
*
Dastgah*
Persian literature*
Persian music*
Persian culture*
Sassanid music*
Persian Symphonic Music*
List of Iranian composers*
Persian women musicians*Nooshin, Laudan. "The Art of Ornament". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.),
World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East, pp 355-362. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0.
*Nettl, Bruno (1989).
Blackfoot Musical Thought: Comparative Perspectives. Ohio: The Kent State University Press. ISBN 0873383702.
*
Nay-Nava the Encyclopedia of Persian Music Instruments*The Ney: http://www.xs4all.nl/~kvandoel/ney/players.html
*
Free Iranian Sheet Music - A small collection of Iranian Folk Music both as Sheet Music (PDF) and MIDI files.
*
Shoutcast of Persian traditional music*
Foozhan: Iranian Opera*
An Introduction to Persian Music by Prof. Hormoz Farhat
*
Encyclopedia Iranica: Piano in Persian Music
