Persian traditional music (also known as
Iranian traditional music,
mūsīqī-e sonnatī-e īrānī, or
Persian/Iranian classical music,
mūsīqī-e aṣīl-e īrānī) is the traditional and indigenous
musicMusic is an art form whose medium is sound. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
of Iran and
Persian-speaking countriesPersian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is widely spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and to some extent in Iraq and Bahrain, and has a status of official language in the first three countries under different names...
:
mūsīqī, the science and art of music, and
moosiqi, the sound and performance of music (Sakata 1983).
Origins
Archeological evidence reveals musical instruments that were used in Iran during the Elamite era around 800BCE. Not much is known about traditional Persian music in the ancient world, especially about the music of the Achaemenid Empire. Alexander the Great is said to have witnessed many melodies and instruments upon his invasion, and music played an important role in religious affairs. Music played an important role in the courts of Sassanid kings in the much later Sassanid Empire. Of this period, we know the names of various court musicians like Barbad and the types of various instruments that were used like harps, lutes, flutes, bagpipes and others. Under Sassanid rule, modal music was developed by a highly significant court musician, Barbad, called the
khosravani. While today's classical music tradition in Iran bares the same names of some of the modes of that era it is impossible to know if they sound the same because there is no evidence of musical notation from the Sassanid period. Today's traditional Persian music began to develop during the period of Mongol rule in Iran and the creation of today's formal, classical music tradition is directly linked to the music systems of the Safavid Dynasty. Under the later Qajar Dynasty, the classical system was restructured into its present form.
Aspects
Iranian classical music relies on improvisation and composition and is based on a series of modal scales and tunes which must be memorized. Apprentices and masters,
ostad, have a traditional relationship which has declined during the 20th century as
music educationMusic education is a field of study associated with the teaching and learning of music. More than merely teaching notes and rhythms, music education seeks to develop the whole person. It touches on the development of the affective domain, including music appreciation and sensitivity. It helps to...
moved to universities and conservatories. The repertoire consists of more than two hundred short melodic movements called
gusheh, which are classified into twelve
dastgāh or "modes." Two of these modes have secondary modes branching from them called
āvāz. Each
gusheh and
dastgah has an individual name. This whole body is called the
Radif of which there are several versions, each in accordance to the teachings of a particular master or
ostad. A typical performance consists of the following elements
pīshdarāmad(a rhythmic prelude which sets the mood),
darāmad (rhythmic free motif),
āvāz (improvised rhythmic-free singing),
taṣnīf (rhythmic accompanied by singing, an ode),
Chahārmeżrāb (rhythmic music but rhythmic-free or no singing),
reng (closing rhythmic composition, a dance tune). A performance forms a sort of suite. Unconventionally, these parts may be varied or omitted. Towards the end of the Safavid Empire (1502-1736), more complex movements in 10, 14, and 16 beats stopped being performed. In fact, in the early stages of the
Qajar DynastyThe Qajar dynasty ) was a Turco-Persian Qajar royal family who ruled Persia from 1794 to 1925....
, the
uṣūl(rhythmic cycles) were replaced by a meter based on the
ghazal and the
maqām system of classification was reconstructed into the
Radif system which is used to this day (see
Dast'gāhDastgāh 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...
). Today, rhythmic pieces are performed in beats of 2 to 7 with some exceptions.
Rengs are always in a 6/8 time frame. Many melodies and modes are related to the
maqāmāt of the Turkish classical repertoire and Arabic music belonging to various Arab countries, for example Iraq. This similarity is because of the exchange of musical science that took place in the early Islamic world between Persia and her neighboring countries. During the meeting of
The Inter-governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Heritage of the
United NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and the achieving of world peace...
, held between 28 September – 2 October 2009 in
Abu DhabiAbu Dhabi is the capital of, and the second largest city in the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western coast...
,
radifs were officially registered on the
UNESCOThe United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on 16 November 1945...
List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
The classical music is vocal based. The vocalist plays a crucial role: she or he decides what mood to express and which dastgah relates to that mood. In many cases, the vocalist is also responsible for choosing the poems to be sung. If the performance requires a singer, the singer is accompanied by at least one wind or string instrument, and at least one type of percussion. There could be an ensemble of instruments, though the primary vocalist must maintain hers or his role. In some 'taṣnīf
(ctrl-click)">taṣnīf
(ctrl-click)">taṣnīf
songs, the musicians may accompany the singer by singing along several verses. Traditionally, music is performed while seated on finely decorated cushions and rugs. Candles are sometimes lit. The group of musicians and the vocalist decide on which dastgahs and which of their gushehs to perform, depending on the mood of a certain time or situation.
Iranian classical music continues to function as a spiritual tool as it has throughout its history, and much less of a recreational activity.
CompositionMusical composition is:* an original piece of music* the structure of a musical piece* the process of creating a new piece of music- Musical compositions :...
s can vary immensely from start to finish, usually alternating between low, contemplative pieces and athletic displays of musicianship called tahrir. The incorporation of religious texts as lyrics were replaced by lyrics largely written by medieval
Sufi poetSufi poetry has been written in many languages, both for private devotional reading and as lyrics for music played during worship, or dhikr. Themes and styles established in Arabic poetry and mostly Persian poetry have had an enormous influence on Sufi poetry throughout the Islamic world.Some of...
s, especially Hafez and Jalal-e Din Rumi.
The best reference in detailed bibliographical facts on history and effect of Persian music on other forms of classical music, like that of (Arabic-Turkish and Indian), please read Nur-Ratnakara (Ocean of Light)by the late prof. Shahab Sarmadi of AMU Aligarh India.
The Radif
:
Dastgah-e Shur
(considered the mother of all dastgah)
Avaz-e Dashti
Avaz-e Abu'ata
Avaz-e Bayat-e Tork
Avaz-e Afshari
Dastgah-e Homayoun
Avaz-e Bayat-e Esfahan
Dastgah-e Segah
Dastgah-e Chahargah
Dastgah-e Rastpanjgah
Dastgah-e Mahur
Dastgah-e Nava
Major instruments
Instruments used in Persian classical music include the bowed spike-fiddle
kamanchehThe kamānche or kamāncha is a Persian bowed string instrument related to the bowed rebab, the historical ancestor of the kamancheh and also to the bowed lira of the Byzantine Empire, ancestor of the European violin family...
, the goblet drum tombak, the end-blown flute
neyThe ney is an end-blown flute that figures prominently in Persian, Turkish and Arabic music. In some of these musical traditions, it is the only wind instrument used...
, the frame drum
dafA daf is a large-sized frame drum used to accompany both popular and classical music in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Kuhistoni Badakhshon of Tajikistan and other countries of the Middle East...
, the long-necked lutes
tarThe tār is a long-necked, waisted Iranian/Persian instrument But other cultures and countries adapted this instrument into their culture,like Azerbaijan, Georgia, and other areas near the Caucasus region. The word tar itself means "string" in Persian...
,
setarSetar is a Persian musical instrument. It is a member of the lute family. Two and a half centuries ago, a fourth string was added to the setar, which has 25 - 27 moveable frets. It originated in Persia around the time of the spread of Islam and is a direct descendant of the larger and louder tanbur...
,
tanburFor other uses, see Tanbur .The term tanbūr can refer to various long-necked, fretted lutes originating in the Middle East or Central Asia. According to the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "terminology presents a complicated situation...
, dotar, and the dulcimer
santurThe santur is a hammered dulcimer of Iran, Iraq and India and is also found as a less popular instrument in Turkey and Syria. It is a trapezoid-shaped box often made of walnut, with 72 or 96 strings. The name means one hundred strings in Persian...
. The ordinary
violinThe violin is a bowed string instrument with four strings usually tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola and cello....
is also used, with an alternative tuning preferred by Persian musicians. Harps, "[s]," were a very important part of music up until the middle of the Safavid Empire. They were probably replaced because of tuning problems or replaced by the qanun (zither)and later the piano which was introduced by the West during the Safavid Dynasty of Iran. Many, if not most, of these instruments originated in Iran. Perhaps the most loved string instrument is the
tarThe tār is a long-necked, waisted Iranian/Persian instrument But other cultures and countries adapted this instrument into their culture,like Azerbaijan, Georgia, and other areas near the Caucasus region. The word tar itself means "string" in Persian...
. Tar players are regurlarly chosen to function as the primary string instrument in a performance. The
setarSetar is a Persian musical instrument. It is a member of the lute family. Two and a half centuries ago, a fourth string was added to the setar, which has 25 - 27 moveable frets. It originated in Persia around the time of the spread of Islam and is a direct descendant of the larger and louder tanbur...
is also loved for its delicacy and is the favorite among Mystic musicians. Some instruments like the sorna, neyanban, dohol, naghareh, and others, are not used in the classical repertoire but are used in Iranian Folk music. The ghazhak (ghaychak), a type of fiddle, is being re-introduced to the Classical field after many years of exclusion. The instruments used in the Classical field are also used in Iranian Folk Music.
The reference is Ghonyat-al-Monyah an aged old manuscript translated and published by the Late Prof. Shahab Sarmadi of AMU Aligarh India. This book describes in detail the history of Persian musical instruments.
Here is an example of where the links are:
Prof. Shahâb Sarmadî of Aligarh Muslim University, due to his specific expertise in Persian and Indian Classical Music, translated a section called “Roots and Branches of Music,” which is a part of Volume II. When he was in Chicago for the 1987 conference he graciously agreed to stay over for a month and translated this chapter on music. This translation exposes AmÊr Khusrau’s expertise in music although he seems to attempt to avoid any credit to himself. The special feature of this translation is Amîr Khusrau’s description of a Pardah System, without mentioning the invention of sitar as an instrument. In the sitar design there are 12-13 mizrÉb, a typical form of plectrum made of steel wire played with a zamzama held in one hand that strikes against mizrÉb in a pattern creating a system of music. This system of music makes unlimited Pardah System by placing the 12-13 plectrums in various positions, thus exposing numerous potentialities. Amîr Khusrau’s ingenious definition of the Pardah System described in this section of Volume II, and equally ingenious effort by Prof. Shahâb Sarmadî in catching these in his translation enumerates value of this work. This Pardah System of music may have been easily transformed into the design of mizrâb and zamzama in sitar, when played together creating a Pardah System of music, thus providing a proof of Amîr Khusrau’s invention of sitar. It is reasonable to imagine that, because of his Turkish/Lachin (in the following introduction to I’jâz-i-Khusravî he calls himself Khusrau-Lachin) heritage, Amîr Khusrau may have been exposed to the Maqam System of Muslim Music, merging with the Sanstân System or Thât System of Music in north India and the Mela-Karta System in south India, provided a new scope of invention for Amîr Khusrau. The section on music in Vol. II is highly technical, which necessitated writing detailed footnotes by Prof. Shahâb Sarmadî resulting from our discussions. Translators
Major ensembles
- Aref ensemble
The Aref Ensemble was one of the leading Persian classical music ensembles of the 20th century. It was founded by maestro Parviz Meshkatian, Hossein Alizadeh, and Mohammad Reza Lotfi in 1977. The group was named after Aref Ghazvini, the 18th century Iranian poet and composer. Aref was dedicated to...
- Sheyda ensemble
- Masters of Persian Music
Masters of Persian Music is a Persian music group. The 2010 Masters of Persian Music: Three Generations performers include:* Hossein Alizadeh: tar* Kayhan Kalhor: kamancheh* Hamid Reza Nourbakhsh: vocals* M.R...
- National music ensemble (Shahram Nazeri
Shahram Nazeri is a contemporary Iranian Kurdish tenor who sings classical Persian and Kurdish music. He is one of Iran's most respected vocalists...
's group)
- Dastan ensemble
Dastan ensemble is a world-renowned Persian classical music ensemble.Founded in 1991 by Hamid Motabassem, Dastan has performed concerts throughout the world.-Members:* Hossein Behroozinia *Hamid Motebassem...
(winner of Grand Prix du Disque for World MusicThe Grand Prix du Disque for World Music is awarded by L'Académie Charles Cros.The following is a partial list of winners :...
)
- The Kamkars
- Shakila's group (winner of Persian Academy Awards International)
- Chemirani ensemble
Chemirani ensemble is a notable Persian classical music ensemble.The group is made of Chemirani family:*Bijan Chemirani*Djamchid Chemirani*Keyvan Chemirani*Maryam Chemirani...
- Lian ensemble
Lian Ensemble is a Persian classical music ensemble based in Los Angeles, California, USA.- History :The Lian Ensemble was established in 1997 by Pirayeh Pourafar, Houman Pourmehdi and Mahshid Mirzadeh. The group has performed throughout the U.S. and internationally...
- Homay & The Mastan Ensemble
- Parvaz Homay
Parvaz Homay is an Iranian composer, lyricist, vocalist, and performer specializing in Persian classical-style music. Also known by his given birth name Saieed Jafar-Zadeh, he is better known in the public as Homay...
- Parviz Rahmanpanah
Preservation
The Iranian Constitution of 1906 allowed some release from previous religious restrictions with regards to music. As a result, genres such as
popPersian pop music refers to pop music with songs in the Persian language. Although Persian pop music originated in Iran, it quickly spread throughout Afghanistan, Tajikstan, and eventually to the Iranian diaspora in America.- Early history :...
and rock started to become popular. This popularity was criticized by traditionalists who felt that traditional music was becoming endangered. In 1968,
Dariush SafvatDariush Safvat is an internationally renowned and well-respected Persian music master and ethnomusicologist. Along with Nur-Ali Borumand, Dr. Safvat was the co-founder and a former director of the Center for Preservation and Propagation of Iranian Music. Some credit Dr. Safvat with saving...
and Nur-Ali Borumand helped form the Center for Preservation and Propagation of Iranian Music with the help of
Reza GhotbiReza Ghotbi Gilani is a former Iranian politician who currently lives in US. He was head of NIRT from 1967 to 1979.Reza Ghotbi is a son of Mohammad Ali Ghotbi, cousin of Farah Dibah.....
, director of NIRT (National Iranian Radio-Television), an act credited with saving traditional music in the 1970s by other ethnomusicologists, including Nelly Caron, Tran Van Khe, and
Hormoz FarhatHormoz Farhat is a renowned Persian musician, composer, researcher and University lecturer.He studied music at the University of California, Los Angeles and Mills College, California, graduating with the degrees of BA in music, MA in composition and PhD in composition and ethnomusicology...
.
See also
- Golha
The Golha radio programmes comprise 1578 radio programmes consisting of approximately 847 hours of programmes broadcast over a period of 23 years – from 1956 through 1979....
- Music of Afghanistan
Since the 1980s, Afghanistan has been involved in near constant violence. As such, music has been suppressed and recording for outsiders minimal, despite a rich musical heritage....
- Music of Armenia
Armenia is situated close to the Caucasus Mountains, and its music is a mix of indigenous folk music, perhaps best-represented by Djivan Gasparyan's well-known duduk music, as well as light pop, and extensive Christian music, due to Armenia's status as one of the oldest Christian nations in the...
- Music of Azerbaijan
Music of Azerbaijan builds on folk traditions that reach back nearly 1,000 years. For centuries Azerbaijani music has evolved under the badge of monody, producing rhythmically diverse melodies. Azerbaijani music has a branchy mode system, where chromatisation of major and minor scales is of great...
- Music of Iran
The music of Iran has thousands of years of history, as seen in the archeological documents of Elam, one of the earliest world culture, which was located in southwestern Iran...
- Music of Pakistan
The Music of Pakistan includes diverse elements ranging from music from various parts of South Asia as well as Central Asian, Persian, Turkish, Arabic and modern day American music influences...
- Music of Tajikistan
Tajik music is closely related to Central Asian forms. The classical music is shashmaqam, which Uzbeks also developed classical music of Tajiks and made their own...
- Music of Uzbekistan
Central Asian classical music is called shashmaqam, which arose in Bukhara in the late 16th century when that city was a regional capital. Shashmaqam is closely related to Azeri mugam and Uyghur muqam. The name, which translates as six maqams refers to the structure of the music, which contains...
- Persian literature
Persian literature spans two-and-a-half millennia, though much of the pre-Islamic material has been lost. Its sources have been within historical Persia including present-day Iran as well as regions of Central Asia where the Persian language has historically been the national language...
- Persian Symphonic Music
Persian symphonic music generally refers to the pieces by the Persian composers which have been composed for Western ensembles and orchestras, mostly based on the Persian folk and classical melodies....
- Radio Golha
Radio Golha is a non-commercial Persian internet radio station dedicated solely to broadcasting the Golha programs. It was established in March 2006 by Mr...
- Sassanid music
Sassanid music refers to the golden age of Persian music that occurred under the reign of the Sassanid dynasty.Persian classical music dates to the sixth century BC; during the time of the Achaemenid Empire , music played an important role in prayer and in royal and national events...
- Dastgah
Dastgāh 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...
Further reading
- Miller, Lloyd. Music and Song in Persia : The Art of Avaz. Salt Lake City University of Utah Press, 1999.
- Akbarzadeh, Pejman. Persian Musicians, Navid Publications, Shiraz, 1998, ISBN 964-6810-20-9.
- Akbarzadeh, Pejman. Persian Musicians, Vol.II, Roshanak Publications, Tehran, 2002, ISBN 964-93867-3-4.
External links