FAR EAST ASIAN MUSIC-MUS 111

Violin and Persian Music

The impact of the violin on Iranian classical music between 1950 and 1979 is covered in the lecture titled ‘The influence of violin 1950 – 1979 Iran’. Alfred Lemaire, who wrote the country’s first anthem and was the country’s first classical music professor, is credited with starting the history. Other well-known individuals are A.N. Vaziree, who studied Western music in Paris and Berlin before rising to the position of director of the Tehran Conservatory, and H. Hangafarin, the first Iranian violinist to be recorded in Russia and England. A. Saba, who studied English and Persian literature, was also a key figure in violin improvisation. He created about a dozen violin tunings while studying radif with well-known performers, such as Hangafarin. Saba made a notable innovation by combining avaz radif with instrumental radif for the first time in his violin notation, which deviated from the conventional tar radif. With an estimated student body of over 3,000, Saba had a significant influence and authored three books on radif for the violin (Week 8 Lecture).

This presentation highlights the violin’s importance in Persian music during the mentioned time period and points out that it outperformed the tar, which was traditionally the main instrument. It talks about how the violin evolved into the primary instrument for ornamentation and glissandos, and how tar playing did not include glissando in its early days. K. Daroughe a master folk artist, is the only one who has fully utilized violin techniques, including ornamentation, glissandos, and tuning a feat that has not been repeated (Week 8Lecture). I discovered that Violin not only became popular western instrument, it was accepted by the Persian musician such as Kamancheh because it had no frets to make it limited to playing. The instruments allowed Kamancheh musicians to play in Persian musical intervals unlike other instruments such as piano that was problematic to integrate in Persian music. Kamancheh players prefer violin instead of their own instrument or piano because violin was more progressed and comfortable. Unlike violin, Kamancheh instrument had a skin “which makes for some difficulties in tuning and sound quality in different temperature and humidity conditions” (Ardalan 14-15).

We also learned that Persian music explores the features of contemporary Persian poetry, highlighting the adoption of darker themes, realistic imagery, and direct interaction with social and political issues. Forough Farrokhzad, Ahmad Shamloo, and Nima Youshij are among the well-known Persian poets who are mentioned. Additionally, a 1979 Shajarian performance titled “Iran, O House of Hope” with music by Mohammad Reza Lotfi and a poem by Houshang Ebtehaj is included in the note. Despite difficult circumstances, the poem expresses hope for Iran’s future. There is also information about Shajarian and Lotfi’s “The Abuata Concert” (1981), which highlights the musical components found in various dastgahs. The notes conclude with a discussion of Shahid-e Motahhar, a poem that offers insights on loss and grief. Subsequently, April 1983 regulations concerning music transmission emphasize the necessity of diverse components in melody, rhythm, and tonality. The last section of the notes discusses contemporary musical forms and methods, such as Western polyphony, pedal tones, ostinatos, voice as an instrument, and regional rhythms and instruments (Week 8Lecture).

This piece, “Improvisation in Homayoun Scale on Persian Tuned Violin,” which features vocals by Mohammad Reza Shajarian and violin accompaniment by Habibolah Badiei, is a fascinating look into Persian musical aesthetics. Exhibiting the tranquil beauty frequently connected with traditional Persian music, the composition is marked by a serene and contemplative nature. Evocative melodies created by Badiei’s Persian-tuned violin blend harmoniously with Shajarian’s masterful vocal improvisations. With a rich tapestry of emotions, the performance demonstrates the artists’ profound understanding of the complex Homayoun scale. Badiei’s violin phrases and Shajarian’s vocal techniques work in perfect harmony to create a composition that is peaceful. Their combined efforts produce a subtle performance that features elements of classical Persian traditions and emphasizes the complexities of improvisation within this musical context. A comprehensive and captivating musical experience is created by the combination of Shajarian’s vocal skill and Badiei’s violin mastery, honoring the grace and delicacy typical of Persian musical aesthetics. Therefore, the improvisation in this piece is almost similar to the previous Persian music we have studied in the course employing different instruments (Week 8 Lecture).

Another well-wrought piece that remains in the history of Persian music is the Violin Concerto. Loris Tjeknavorian is the composer of this piece and he proved that music can bring cultural connection as the Violin concerto was a mixer of Iranian-Armenian culture. In the sense that, the melody line of the violin solo is part of  Iranian music –Isfahan and Dashti Āvāz– while  chromatic harmony, melody and accompaniments are closer to European and Russian music (Panahi, 160). Some of the prominent violin players we learned in class include Habibollah Badiee, Parviz Yahaghi and Asaddola Malek (Week 8 Lecture).

References

Ardalan, Afshin. “Persian music meets West.” (2012).

https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/47450/Ardalan_Afshin.pdf

Panahi, Mehdi. “Evaluating cross-cultural Connections within the Modal Structure of Iranian Music.” Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov, Series VIII: Performing Arts 15.Suppl (2022): 157-162.

file:///C:/Users/USER1/Downloads/17-panahi%20(1).pdf

Week 8 Lecture Slides. World Musical Traditions Persian/Iranian Music

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/14CG3HU7Zr6XPi88sdg9i6jncPm6P3Cx7/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=101951224985260339430&rtpof=true&sd=true

Week 8 Lecture Slides. The Influence of Violin 1950 – 1979 Iran

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1-hDt3vYBCwpwhhaEMy0ihy9emVwWdBJg/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=101951224985260339430&rtpof=true&sd=true