The Heartbeat of Iran: Real Voices of a Country and Its People by Tara Kangarlou

Author:Tara Kangarlou [Kangarlou, Tara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781632462053
Google: c3-uzQEACAAJ
Publisher: Ig Publishing, Incorporated
Published: 2021-06-15T23:37:46.286530+00:00

Today, the award-winning pianist and composer lives in a small village on the outskirts of Shiraz, one of the oldest cities in Iran, which dates to the Achaemenid Empire (550–330 BC). Little is known about Persian music during that ancient era. The development of what is considered modern Persian music occurred during the Sassanid era (226–642 AD). Of particular importance during that period was Barbad, a minstrel-poet in the court of Khosrow II, the last king of the Sassanian Empire. Barbad developed the khosravani, believed to be the oldest system of modal music in the Middle East, and one that is still used by contemporary musicians in Iran. Nearly 200 years later, during the Samanid Empire, lived Rudaki, who is regarded as the first Iranian lyricist. Of his nearly 100,000 couplets, only about 1000 have survived—these are regarded as the blueprint for modern Persian poetry.

The diversity of classical Persian music is revealed in the mélange of the country’s ethnicities, cultures, and tribal traditions. Persian poetry, especially that of luminaries such as Gorgani, Nizami, Rumi, Saadi, Ferdowsi, Khayam, and of course Hafez, remain the backbone of the Persian ballads and epics that were recited by musicians of their era and beyond. Of some of the greatest Persian instruments that have weathered the test of time, the Setar, Tar, and Oud may be among those most recognized by the Western world. But other classical instruments such as the Ghanun, Nay (the vertical reed flute), Robab, Tanbur, Santoor, Kamancheh, Dayereh, Dutar, and Tombak are among the centuries’ old musical instruments that create the unique tapestry of classical Persian music.

In the sixteenth century, the Safavid Empire took power and proclaimed Shia Islam as the official religion of the country. As a result, the religion’s mournful requiems crept into the musical landscape of the country, which are still visible today in the yearly Ashura and Tasua ceremonies. The Safavid dynasty also began a wave of musical exchange with Europe that grew under the succeeding Qajar dynasty, introducing Western instruments and musical disciplines to Iran.

The popularity of classical Iranian music dwindled among the nation’s masses as European and American influence grew in the mid-twentieth century. The country then entered a musical dark age in the aftermath of the Islamic Revolution, as the new regime deemed music to be haram (forbidden), and began promoting a narrative that associated music, dancing, and any sort of joyous celebration with “paganism,” and against “Islamic” values. Western music was regarded as a divisive tool used by the United States and its allies to tempt Muslims and promote sinful behavior. In the blink of an eye, foreign and prerevolution music were banned, women could no longer sing in public, and instruments like the violin and piano were considered “anti-revolutionary.” The country essentially went musically mute—except for Islamic music that was approved by the newly established government and its Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance.

In the years following the revolution, musicians found different ways to dodge the censorship of the regime. Some left

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