Map of Iran
Citation (3)
Books
The Art of Avaz and Mohammad Reza Shajarian by
The Art of Avaz and Mohammad Reza Shajarian: Foundations and Contexts, by Rob Simms and Amir Koushkani, examines the traditional art of singing classical Persian poetry, as represented by its greatest living exponent. This in-depth study surveys the social and historical context of the twentieth-century tradition of avaz while placing Shajarian's early career within this complex culture, from being a child prodigy of Qur'an recitation in Mashhad to his rise to national prominence in the 1970s. As a globetrotting celebrity who is renowned for singing medieval poetry with impeccable technique and radiant inspiration, Shajarian's life and work provide a compelling case study for larger issues of reconciling tradition and modernity, and the crucial role of the individual in maintaining and renovating traditional art forms. Avaz is discussed in the broader context of Iranian narrative performance traditions, where the performer retells well-known scripts in a way that is appropriate to the audience and the present occasion, spinning the tale to convey a personal message. Shajarian's career also exemplifies the huge changes that Iranian musical culture underwent in the 1960s and 70s. Finally, the study includes a detailed examination of the materials and creative processes of Shajarian's artistic craft, including his acquisition process and training, vocal technique, selection and treatment of poetry, use of traditional musical materials, and his balance of engaging preset materials with improvisation. The Art of Avaz and Mohammad Reza Shajarian is an impressively detailed study of the music, life, and environment of the most influential musician in Iranian classical music of the past three decades.
Call Number: ML420.S518 S55 2012
Heavy Metal Islam by
An 18-year-old Moroccan who loves Black Sabbath. A 22-year-old rapper from the Gaza Strip. These people are as representative of the world of Islam today as the conservatives and extremists seen on the news. Despite governmental attempts to censor them, musicians and fans keep playing and listening - partly for the joy of self-expression, but also because here everything is political. Mark LeVine tells the story of an aspect of modern Middle Eastern culture that seldom makes it into the news, but is nevertheless hugely important to the people living there today.
Call Number: ML3918.P67 L48 2008
Mohammad Reza Shajarian's Avaz in Iran and Beyond, 1979-2010 by
Mohammad Reza Shajarian's Avaz in Iran and Beyond, 1979-2010 is a comprehensive study of the legacy of Mohammad Reza Shajarian, the greatest living exponent of avaz, the traditional art of singing classical Persian poetry. Picking up where the authors' previous volume (The Art of Avaz and Mohammad Reza Shajarian: Foundations and Contexts) left off, this study examines the landmark recordings Shajarian made following the Islamic Revolution of 1979 as artistic masterpieces of avaz and as shrewd, mass-mediated expressions of frustration and dissent that boldly crystallized public sentiments under highly repressive conditions. These recordings transformed Shajarian into a national icon in Iran and through the diaspora. The book traces the subsequent expansion of Shajarian's music and presence in ever-widening circles to his current global profile, powerfully underlined by his receipt of prestigious awards from UNESCO and other global institutions. Shajarian's artistic accomplishments, including his recent activity in designing and crafting a range of new stringed instruments, and socio-political significance are placed in the broader context of Iranian musical culture in the decades following the Revolution. In surveying Shajarian's legacy, this study concludes with questions arising from the Election Crisis of 2009--where he was popularly proclaimed as "Master of the Green Movement" (Ostad-e Sabz) for his outspoken opposition to the violent crackdown--the subsequent political stalemate, and how these dynamics resonate with issues of the present state and relevance of Persian classical music in the twenty-first century. This book forms the conclusion of the most detailed study to date of the music, life, and environment of the most influential musician in Iranian classical music of the past three decades.
Call Number: ML420.S52415 S56 2012
Music of a Thousand Years by
A free open access ebook is available upon publication. Learn more at www.luminosoa.org. Iran's particular system of traditional Persian art music has been long treated as the product of an ever-evolving, ancient Persian culture. In Music of a Thousand Years, Ann E. Lucas argues that this music is a modern phenomenon indelibly tied to changing notions of Iran's national history. Rather than considering a single Persian music history, Lucas demonstrates cultural dissimilarity and discontinuity over time, bringing to light two different notions of music-making in relation to premodern and modern musical norms. An important corrective to the history of Persian music, Music of a Thousand Years is the first work to align understandings of Middle Eastern music history with current understandings of the region's political history.
Call Number: ML344 L83 2019
Soundtrack of the Revolution by
Music was one of the first casualties of the Iranian Revolution. It was banned in 1979, but it quickly crept back into Iranian culture and politics. The state made use of music for its propaganda during the Iran-Iraq war. Over time music provided an important political space where artists and audiences could engage in social and political debate. Now, more than thirty-five years on, both the children of the revolution and their music have come of age. Soundtrack of the Revolution offers a striking account of Iranian culture, politics, and social change to provide an alternative history of the Islamic Republic. Drawing on over five years of research in Iran, including during the 2009 protests, Nahid Siamdoust introduces a full cast of characters, from musicians and audience members to state officials, and takes readers into concert halls and underground performances, as well as the state licensing and censorship offices. She closely follows the work of four musicians--a giant of Persian classical music, a government-supported pop star, a rebel rock-and-roller, and an underground rapper--each with markedly different political views and relations with the Iranian government. Taken together, these examinations of musicians and their music shed light on issues at the heart of debates in Iran--about its future and identity, changing notions of religious belief, and the quest for political freedom. Siamdoust shows that even as state authorities resolve, for now, to allow greater freedoms to Iran's majority young population, they retain control and can punish those who stray too far. But music will continue to offer an opening for debate and defiance. As the 2009 Green Uprising and the 1979 Revolution before it have proven, the invocation of a potent melody or musical verse can unite strangers into a powerful public.
Call Number: ML3917.I7 S49 2017
Music
Garland Encyclopedia of World Music-Iran
- IranRead more about Iranian music!
Iran
Capital: Tehran
Official Language: Farsi
Current Population: 85,028,760
Area: 1,648,195 sq km.
Climate: Summer temperatures of more than 55°C (131°F) have been recorded, but in the winter the great altitude of much of the country results in temperatures of −18°C (0°F) and below.
Main Religions: Shi‘a Muslims, Sunni Muslims
Citation (2)
Iranian Ritual and Ceremony Music
Introduction
Ceremonial uses of voices and instruments vary significantly among the different regions, notably in relation to the functions assigned to specific instruments. Human responsiveness to divine ordinances can be thrown into vivid relief by the absence of instrumental sounds, as in the call to prayer (azān) and recitation or cantillation of the Qur’an.
Zekr.
The term zekr (literally ‘remembrance’) applies both to whole ceremonies and to short formulae or pieces that are sung or spoken at appropriate points within a ceremony. The sacred instrument of the Ahl-e Haqq order in southern Kurdistan and Lorestan is the ṭanbūr. It accompanies the singing of sacred texts (kalām) in the spiritual assembly (jam‘) using modal entities termed maqām (or, more recently, dastgāh) and often named after important figures in the order’s history. By contrast, the zekr ceremony of the Qāderi order in Kurdistan has two phases, during which participants are first seated and meditative then standing and singing as they move rhythmically. To introduce the entire ceremony, and during the ‘standing’ phase (qiyām or here), hymns and zekrs are sung to the accompaniment of large frame drums (daff).
Nowheh.
Responsorial singing also binds together the members of groups that have no connection with Sufi orders. In villages and some towns, members of a dasteh or hey’at meet regularly to sing verses (nowheh) that express their anguish over the martyrdom of the Shi‘a imāms. The leader sings to a somewhat variable pulse; this contrasts with the group’s short, more metrical responses, which are normally accompanied by rhythmic breast-beating (sinehzani) or by striking the shoulders with small chains (zanjirzani).
Ta‘ziyeh and Rowzeh.
Sung plays (ta‘ziyeh or shabih) depicting events surrounding the martyrdom of Imām Hossein and members of his family (or, less often, the martyrdom of another imām) are performed in most regions of Iran. The ta‘ziyeh reached its highest point of development in the late 19th century, when foreign dignitaries were regularly invited to witness the elaborate performances sponsored by the Qajar court. Some prominent classical musicians have come from families known for their expertise in ta‘ziyeh performance, and portions of the classical radif may have been adopted from ta‘ziyeh melodies. Rowzeh is an extended poetic narrative about the martyred imāms, performed by a specialized singer (rowzehkhān) at devotional gatherings, which are held at any time of the year in private homes, mosques and other public places. Texts are drawn from a large repertory of printed and manuscript collections dating from the 17th to the 20th centuries. The singer shapes and articulates conventional rhythmic and melodic formulae to elicit highly emotional responses from the listeners, many of whom weep profusely.
Citation (4)
Iranian Musician Highlight: Hossein Alizadeh
Hossein Alizadeh
b. 1951
Iranian tār and setār player, teacher and composer. He studied at the National Music Conservatory in Tehran from the age of 13 and then at the University of Tehran from 1970 to 1974; his teachers included Habibollah Salehi, Ali Akbar Shahnazi, Nur Ali Borumand, Abdollah Davami, Mahmud Karimi, Yusef Forutan, Said Hormozi, Dariush Safvate and Hooshang Zarif. From 1971 Alizadeh studied and taught at the influential Centre for the Preservation and Propagation of Iranian Music in Tehran; he later taught music theory and tār at the University of Tehran. In 1976 he began his association with Iranian National Radio and Television, working as a soloist, a composer and a conductor. He co-founded the Chavosh Cultural Artistic Centre in 1977 and the Aref Ensemble in 1983; he also worked with the Sheyda Ensemble. In the early 1980s he studied musicology and composition at the University of Berlin. In 1997 he served one year as head of the National Music Conservatory in Tehran.
Thoroughly trained as a classical musician, Alizadeh has worked towards finding a contemporary voice for traditional Iranian music. In particular, he has contributed to the development of a more prominent role for instrumental music in the traditionally voice-based classical music; most of his compositions are for instrumental ensembles, some incorporating western instruments. His work with children at the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults in Tehran helped him to develop new ideas concerning music education. At the beginning of the 21st century he remains active as a soloist, a composer and a teacher, regularly performing and recording in Iran and abroad in Europe, the USA and Asia.
Citation: Nooshin, L. Alizadeh, Hossein. Grove Music Online. Retrieved 17 Nov. 2021, from https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000048515.
Citations
(1): "Tehran Panorama" by "Сина"
(2): Location, Climate, Language, Religion, Flag, Capital (Iran), in Europa World online. London, Routledge. University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Retrieved 28 October 2021 from http://www.europaworld.com/entry/ir.is.2
(3): http://www.europaworld.com/entry/ir.MAP
(4): Lawergren, B., Farhat, H., & Blum, S. Iran. Grove Music Online. Retrieved 17 Nov. 2021, from https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000013895.