Persian
music is undoubtedly of very ancient origin, and there is limited knowledge
of the instruments used as far back as the Achaemenian period, thanks to
references by the Greek historians and archaeological evidence.
Persian Music
Persian
music is undoubtedly of very ancient origin, and there is limited knowledge
of the instruments used as far back as the Achaemenian period, thanks to
references by the Greek historians and archaeological evidence.
There is every reason to believe that the musical tradition of today, although threatened in recent decades by Western and other influences, is a direct descendant of Sasanian music, about which much detail is known. While early Islam disapproved of music, it was such a strong force that it survived in private unscathed. Later, musicians were encouraged by the royal patrons of every Iranian dynasty.
Persian music is essentially personal, intimate and spontaneous, and although tradition is important there is none of the formality of Western classical music. A Persian musician does not play or sing from a written score, but improvises within a framework of seven basic modal structures, known as dastgah, which are melodic rather than harmonic.
The main Persian instruments are the tar, a six-stringed plucked instrument, the setar with four strings, the ud, from which the medieval European lute developed, the santur, ( left ) a dulcimer played with wooden mallets, the ney, the name given to various kinds of flute, and the tombak, a vase-shaped drum.
A typical ensemble would consist usually of no more than three or four instrumentalists, accompanying a singer, for the human voice is paramount, even though long instrumental solos are common. Classical Persian music, exotic but often monotonously so to the Western ear, has influenced other Eastern schools and also the flamenco tradition of Spain.
In the sixties and seventies, there has been growing interest in Western music, both popular and classical, assisted by the opening in Tehran of the Rudaki Hall, where internationally known musicians regularly perform. The Shiraz Festival of Arts has also done much to familiarize Iranians with the music of other lands, as well as to introduce Persian music to a wider public.
The National Iranian Radio Television, which organized the Festival, has played an important part in popularizing music of all kinds, and was affiliated Centre for the Preservation and Propagation of Traditional Music did much to keep alive a rich tradition. A number of Iranian musicians are also acquired fame in concert halls and opera-houses in Europe and America.
Related Topics:
