Mohammad-Reza Lotfi
Encyclopedia
Mohammad-Rezā Lotfi is a Persian classical musician renowned for his mastery of the tar
and setar
.
. While at the conservatory, he also studied western classical music and the violin which led to his collaboration with various orchestras under the direction of Hossein Dehlavi. Some of his other eminent teachers were Abdollah Davami
, from whom he learned the Radif
, and Master Sa'id Hormozi
, who taught him the setar. While attending the College of Fine Arts at Tehran University, Lotfi became the student of Master Nour-Ali Boroumand. He also worked at the Center for the Preservation and Propagation of Traditional Iranian Music, both as a soloist and a conductor. His other accomplishments were teaching at the Center for Intellectual Development of Children and Adolescents, researching folk music for National Radio and Television, and appearing at the Shiraz Arts Festival
. After graduating in 1973, Lotfi joined the faculty of Fine Arts at Tehran University. He continued his collaboration with Radio and Television and co-founded the Shayda Ensemble. Between 1978 and 1980, Lotfi became the Head of the School of Music at Tehran University. He served as the director of the Center for the Preservation and Propagation of Traditional Iranian Music and the Chavosh Conservatory. In 1984 Lotfi was invited by Fondazione Cini to participate in a seminar and perform concerts in Italy where he resided for two years. He has been living in the United States since 1986 and has performed widely throughout Asia, Europe, and North America. A prolific musician, he has made numerous recordings both as a solo artist and with major Iranian musicians such as, Mohammad Reza Shajarian
, Shahram Nazeri
, Hossein Alizadeh
, and Parviz Meshkatian
. Lotfi is one of the greatest contemporary masters of the tar and setar. He is among the major figures who, in the past twenty years, have revolutionized the Persian traditional (classical) music. His innovative approach of combining the classical with folk elements, both in terms of music and technique, has injected a new vitality into a very old tradition. His original creativity and the deep-rooted emotional quality of his playing have made him the father of a new aesthetics in Persian music.
Tar (lute)
The tār is a long-necked, waisted Iranian instrument. It has been adopted by other cultures and Azerbaijan. The word tar itself means "string" in Persian, though it might have the same meaning in languages influenced by Persian or any other branches of Iranian languages like Kurdish...
and setar
Setar
SETAR N.V., is the privatised full telecommunications service provider for the island of Aruba. The services provided by SETAR include: telephone, internet and GSM-related wireless services. SETAR also owns Tele Aruba....
.
Biography
Encouraged by his elder brother, he learned to play the tar and showed his talent by winning the first prize in Iran's Young Musicians Festival in 1964. The following year, he started his studies at the National Conservatory in Tehran under Habibollah Salehi and Master Ali Akbar ShahnaziAli Akbar Shahnazi
Ali Akbar Shahnazi was an Iranian musician and master of the tar.A very great master of tar , Ostad Ali Akbar Shahnazi was born in Tehran, Iran, 1897....
. While at the conservatory, he also studied western classical music and the violin which led to his collaboration with various orchestras under the direction of Hossein Dehlavi. Some of his other eminent teachers were Abdollah Davami
Abdollah Davami
Abdollah Davami was an Iranian musician and singer of traditional Iranian music.-References:*Haghighat, A., Honarmandan e Irani az Aghaz ta Emrooz, Koomesh Publication, 2004,...
, from whom he learned the Radif
Musical radif
Radif is a collection of many old melodic figures preserved through many generations by oral tradition. It organizes the melodies in a number of different tonal spaces called Dastgah...
, and Master Sa'id Hormozi
Sa'id Hormozi
Ostad Sa'id Hormozi was born in one of the old neighborhoods of Tehran called Sangalaj. He was a great radif master and virtuoso tar and setar player. His most important teacher was Darvish Khan, who awarded Hormozi with the medal of the "Golden Hatchet", which was given to his most prominent...
, who taught him the setar. While attending the College of Fine Arts at Tehran University, Lotfi became the student of Master Nour-Ali Boroumand. He also worked at the Center for the Preservation and Propagation of Traditional Iranian Music, both as a soloist and a conductor. His other accomplishments were teaching at the Center for Intellectual Development of Children and Adolescents, researching folk music for National Radio and Television, and appearing at the Shiraz Arts Festival
Shiraz Arts Festival
The Shiraz Arts Festival was an arts festival held annually from 1967 to 1977 in the Iranian city Shiraz. Its creation was suggested by Farah Pahlavi and sponsored by National Iranian Radio & Television...
. After graduating in 1973, Lotfi joined the faculty of Fine Arts at Tehran University. He continued his collaboration with Radio and Television and co-founded the Shayda Ensemble. Between 1978 and 1980, Lotfi became the Head of the School of Music at Tehran University. He served as the director of the Center for the Preservation and Propagation of Traditional Iranian Music and the Chavosh Conservatory. In 1984 Lotfi was invited by Fondazione Cini to participate in a seminar and perform concerts in Italy where he resided for two years. He has been living in the United States since 1986 and has performed widely throughout Asia, Europe, and North America. A prolific musician, he has made numerous recordings both as a solo artist and with major Iranian musicians such as, Mohammad Reza Shajarian
Mohammad Reza Shajarian
Mohammad-Reza Shajarian is an internationally and critically acclaimed Persian traditional singer, composer and ostad of Persian music...
, Shahram Nazeri
Shahram Nazeri
Shahram Nazeri is a contemporary Iranian tenor of Kurdish ancestry who sings classical Persian music from Kermanshah. He is one of Iran's most respected vocalists...
, Hossein Alizadeh
Hossein Alizadeh
Hossein Alizadeh , is an Iranian composer, radif-preserver, researcher, teacher, and tar and setar instrumentalist and improviser, described by Allmusic as a leading Iranian classical composer and musician....
, and Parviz Meshkatian
Parviz Meshkatian
Parviz Meshkatian was an Iranian musician, composer, researcher and university lecturer.- Biography :Born at Nishapur...
. Lotfi is one of the greatest contemporary masters of the tar and setar. He is among the major figures who, in the past twenty years, have revolutionized the Persian traditional (classical) music. His innovative approach of combining the classical with folk elements, both in terms of music and technique, has injected a new vitality into a very old tradition. His original creativity and the deep-rooted emotional quality of his playing have made him the father of a new aesthetics in Persian music.
External links
- The Art of Improvisation in Persian Music, in Persian, Institute of Culture and Arts, Āvāy-e Shaydā.
- Mohammad-Rezā Lotfi playing the Tār (a solo piece in Abu Atā DastgāhDastgahDastgāh is a musical modal system in traditional Persian art music. Persian art music consists of twelve principal musical modal systems or dastgāhs; in spite of 50 or more extant dastgāhs, theorists generally refer to a set of twelve principal ones...
), a slide show, YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/v/Vq70JeUCG58&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1 (8 min 34 sec). - Mohammad-Rezā Lotfi (Tār and song), Mohammad Ghavihelm (TonbakTonbakThe tonbak or zarb is a goblet drum from Persia . It is considered the principal percussion instrument of Persian music...
), Hushang EbtehājHushang EbtehajHushang Ebtehaj , with the pen name of H. E. Sayeh is an eminent Iranian poet of the 20th century, whose life and work spans many of Iran's political, cultural and literary upheavals....
(Poem), at Bāl dar Bāl Conecert, London, October 2007, YouTube: (1) (6 min 28 sec), (2) (7 min 28 sec). - Mohammad-Rezā Lotfi (Se'tār and song) and Mohammad Ghavihelm (Tonbak), playing in the Bāl dar Bāl Conecert, London, October 2007, YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/v/Sqa1VDTwd6U&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&border=1 (9 min 42 sec).