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Music Designs, masonries and miniatures belonging to the pre-Islamic
history of Iran all indicate Iranians' interest 1- The pre-islamic music (the music of ancient Iranian
tribes such as, Bakhtyari, Kordi, Lori, etc.) ago, Iran's traditional singing and music has been divided
into 12 groups. The seven groups which are wider and more independent are called Dastgah (mode) and the
other five groups which are not independent and have been derived from the Dastgahs or modes are called
Awaz (a group of melodies with the same gamut.) So, Iran's present traditional music is only a remainder
of the former 12 Maghams (modes) and what we have today is a very small part of the Iranian traditional
music. The seven main Dastgahs (modes) and the five Awaz groups have several pieces (gushe) which are now
the models of the contemporary musicians and singers. The number of these pieces (gushes) is said
to be 228. The varoius and well-known Radifs (Iranian classical music) of the masters of the 100-year old Iranian
traditional music such as Agha Hosein Gholi, Mirza Abdollah, Darvish Khan,
and Saba follow the same order. The Dastgahs (modes) and Awazes (melodies) in Iran's
Traditional Music. The seven main Dastgahs or modes are: Shoor, Mahoor,
Homayoon, Segah, Chahargah, Nava, and Rast Panjgah. The five Awazes
or melodies are: Isfahan, Abou Ata, Bayat-e-Tork, Afshari and Dashti. The Components of Dastgah and Awaz In order to perform a Dastgah or Awaz, a special order
must be followed and that is; prelude, Awaz, Tasnif (song) and Reng (dance tune). The late Darvish Khan innovated
and added Pishdaramad (what comes before the prelude) and Chahar Mezrab to this order. Iran's
Folklore Melodies The late Khaleghi said in this regard, " One of
the valuable sources of music in every country is the music and melodies played and sung by the rural people who live
in villages far from the cities. And since their music and songs have been less influenced by the urban people,
they are more natural and original and are closer to the country's ancient and authentic music. Collecting such
music not only preserves it, but also gives us more information about a country and the way its people live."
As Iran has different tribes with different cultures, its folklore music enjoys a vast variety, both in the songs
and the music. For instance, the music of Gilan, Azarbaijan, Khorasan, Kordestan, Shiraz, and Baluchistan
have different melodies and accents. Iran's folklore music has two forms: 1)- Local melodies which
are sung by one person or by a group. 2)- Local dances which are accompanied by native musical instruments. Iran's local melodies are one of the richest, most beautiful
and most various among the folklore melodies in the world. These melodies reflect the thoughts, lives,
and nature of the people who have created them. They are one of the rich cultural sources of Iran and can
be the best inspiration for our musicians to compose scientific music.
Musical Instruments Iran's musical instruments have been of immense importance
since ancient times. Around a hundred years ago, Iran's music was gradually
separated from songs and followed its own way Iranian musicians and composers masterted the Iranian
music and made innovations in this regard but, on the whole, Iran's instrumental music, has two main parts:
1)- solo which is based on traditional music and improvisation. 2)- Group playing, either small or large groups with
solo or chorus. Solo Solo is highly significant in oriental music and this
can be related to the eastern philosophy and mysticism and making a connection with the spiritual world. The eastern
musician, in his own sense, is engaged in some sort of worship, especially in his solitude. Group Playing Group playing became more common in Iran since the time
of Nasereddin Shah the Qajar king. It was both in the form of traditional music and instruments and martial
music and western instruments which were introduced in Iran by Monsieur Loumer (the French music
teacher who had been invited to Iran to teach at Darolphonoon school) later, group playing became more
common and with western musical instruments joining the Iranian ones and the playing of Iranian pieces
on western instruments, it further prospered. The oldest Iranian musical instruments are the ney (the
Iranian flute) and the tambourine. The following are the different kinds of Iranian musical instruments generally
classified: Wind Instruments The ney is the oldest instrument in this group. It is
a tube made of cane with seven joints and six knots. The ney is among Iran's rural instruments and is usually
played in all parts of Iran. Another Iranian wind instrument is Sorna (an oboe-like
Iranian instrument) which is common all over Iran andis of two types:Bakhtyari and Azarbaijani.
In Iran, the Sorna is usually accompanied by the Dohol or the naghareh (a drum-like Iranian instrument). This instrument
is played at different occasions according to the particular region of the country. In Iran's Kordestan, the dohol
and the sorna are played at mourning ceremonies while in the north, the sorna is played along
with the performance of ropewalkers and in West Azarbaijan, the villagers
play the Sorna in their marriage ceremonies along with wood dancing. The Korna is an ancient and historical instrument which
is made and played differently in various provinces of Iran. The main types
of the Korna (an Iranian instrument of the sorna family) are those
in the north of Iran, Gilan and Mashhad. The Korna is
mostly played in Kordestan and Azarbaijan. The Bagpipe: It is mostly used in the south of Iran. In some parts
of Iran, it is called "Khiknai". It is also played in some parts of Azarbaijan. String Instruments One of the oldest string instruments is Kamancheh (an
Iranian violin-like instrument resting on the ground during the performance). This instrument can be used
well both in solo and in group performance. Kamancheh is a national musical instrument which is played
in all the provinces of Iran, but is mostly common among Turkmen and Turk tribes. - The barbat (a harp-like Iranian instrument): this is
an instrument from the family of limited string instruments. It is also called Al-e-Oud or Lout. Its body is like
a pear divided lengthwise into two parts. It has a big body and a short neck which, in earlier times, used to have three
strings. The rabab: This instrument has four parts: a melon-shaped
body, middle, neck, and head. The strings of the rabab used to be made of the sheep bowel, but now they
are made of nylon threads. Its plectrum is made of chicken feather. This instrument is mainly rural and
is mostly played in Khorasan and also in some parts of Baluchistan and Sistan. The tar: It is one of the original Iranian string instruments.
It has a multi-part body and six strings. Other musical instruments of the tar family are the Dotar and
the Setar. The dotar is usually played in Turkmen Sahra and Khorasan. Musical Percussion Instruments The famous Iranian percussion instruments are the dohol, the dayereh, the
drum and the Tonbak. Dohol: It is a musical percussion instrument consisting
of a hollow cylindrical body with a diameter of around one meter and a height of 25 to 30 centimeters. Both
ends of the cylinder are covered with a tightly stretched skin. the dohol is played with two sticks, one of which
is like a walking stick and the other one is a thin twig. The dohol is a rural instrument which usually accompanies
the sorna and is mostly played in Fars, Baluchistan and Kordestan province. Dayereh(Tambourine): This percussion instrument consists
of a wooden circle on one side of which, there is a tightly strectched skin. It is struck with fingers of
the two hands. The Dayereh is commonly used in urban areas rather than rural and usually accompanies another
musical instrument. Presently, the Dayereh is mostly played in Azarbaijan. Drum: It is another percussion instrument which is smaller
than the dohol and is played with two sticks. In most parts of Iran, it is usually used in mourning ceremonies. Tonbak: The tonbak is a percussion instrument made of
wood (usually walnut wood). It consists of two parts: the upper part is a cylinder covered by skin and the
lower part is the neck of the tonbak which has a wide, open mouth. It is played by the fingers and the skillful player
performs artistic subtleties on it. String Percussion Instruments The unique Iranian musical instrument in this group is
the santir. It consists of a trapezoid wooden box over which 72 white (high) and yellow (bass) strings have
been stretched. It has two wooden plectrums. The santir is an instrument which can be played both solo and in
group and it is played in all parts of Iran " Rang-e Gilaki " In this region, music depicts the life of a people who
live in the woods, love nature, and lead a simple and easy life, Gilan music is mostly in the form of "shoor", and
its songs are mostly in the form of "sashti" and rarely "chahargah" and "shooshtari"; they
abound in splendid and expressive scenes, picturing the green and
fertile land, woods, farms, and paddy fields of Gilan. Vocal music is mainly rooted in the east of Gilan, that is, in the
mountainous area of this part of the country. In Gilan, instrumental music is generally played on special occasions
and ceremonies, and the instruments which are used are the "laleh" (the shepherds'
reed), "sorna", and "naghareh". The Gilan "reezmaghan" includes the divans,
the ditties, and the tunes which ae mostly sung by the women; these get their subjects from the real life of the people
living in this region, and they are sung by themselves and handed down by word of mouth from generation to generation. Talesh Music This music belongs to the northwestern part of Gilan, especially around
the cities of Rezvanshahr, Masal, Shanderman, Asalem, and Hashtpar. Talesh music takes its form from a popular song called
"dastoon", which is instrumental as well. These songs are extremely
sad and melancholic, and they deeply affect the listener. In the eastern sections of Chabahar, a high dome building is located
which belongs to the Timurid era. The Imamzadeh has been built in the western section of the
yard on a plate which is one meter above the ground. The main entrance of the Imam zadeh is located in the
middle of the western section, the surface of its wall appears extremely beautiful with the annexation of vaults
with stucco ornamentations in the form of juxtapose circles above the vaults. This building was built during
the Seljuk era 1038 -1194, and its walls were painted during the Safavid dynasty 1499 - 1723.
" Golneshan" Kurdistan music appears
in three countries: Iran, Turkey, and Iraq. For this reason, and for several other reasons, it has taken the particular traits and attributes
of each area where it appears. In spite of the technological advances and the modern way of life, this
music has still preserved parts of its original and ancient tunes and melodies. Kurdistan music falls
into two major caterories: religious and nonreligious. The religious
tunes belong to Sufi groups (groups of muslim mystics), and they are performed
as a part of special rituals in monasteries. Another form of music which is very popular in most parts
of Kurdistan is Kurdish ditties and dance music performed by intruments like " dozaleh", "narmenay",
"sorna", "shemshal", and "dohol".
Music and dance go hand in hand with one another; as a matter of fact, just
like the melodies and tunes in this region, Kurdish dances directly feflect the life of the people of Kurdistan.
At times a group of men, at times a group of women, and at thimes both men and women gather in groups and
dance to these popular tunes.
" Havar havar" For historical and geographical reasons, the music of
this region has been largely influenced by border countries like India and the Persian Gulf countries as well
as the migration of the Africans to this area; as a matter of fact, the greatest influence comes from African
music. A strong proof for this is the presence of dramatic, ritualistic, and mythological elements in this
music. The music of the south coast of Iran is absolutely rhythmic and mostly vocal. "Naneh Golmohammad" Due to the vastness of land, diversity of ethnic groups,
and a tumultous past, Khorasan music appears in a wide variety of forms. For this reason, we have divided
the music of this region into two major categories: the music of the north of Khorasan (including the cities of Bojnurd, Quchan, Shirvan, and Dargaz), and the music of the west and center of Khorasan (including the cities of Torbat-e-Jam, Taybad, Khaf, Neishabur, and Sabzevar.) The music in
this region is undoubtedly the richest throughout the whole country. Lorestan, Bakhtiari & Fars Music
" Daieh daieh" Music is an indispenable part of life in Lorestan, too; as a matter
of fact, it is present in many ceremonies and rituals such as wedding and " hennabandan"
ceremonies, revelries and festivities, periods of mourning and burials, and even at the time of work. The music of this
region falls into two main categories: ritualistic and nonritualistic. Ritualistic and Mourning Music In Lorestan region, especially in the country, the mourning rigual
has been performed with music, the " sorna", and the "dohol" since many years ago; even
today, music is still an essential part of the ritual. Among the songs which are sung in the mourning ritual one can mention
" sahari" and " pakotali". Nonritualistic music (Songs and Dances) Unlike other regions in Iran, this kind of music lacks the element of
love and devotion in Lorestan; it is mainly epic and heroic in this region. Most of the Lorestani
ditties and songs express the bravery and gallantry of the tribe's heroes.
" Oshari " Proceeding with a strong and galloping rhythm, Azarbaijan music has an
epic and heroic quality both in from and in content. This music is quite stirring and lyrical, abounding in
elements of folklore; it is played passionately and enthusiastically in many traditional ceremonies in this
region, such as wedding ceremonies, " hennabandan," etc. Azarbaijan Folk or Asheghi Music This music is deeply rooted in the rural life and ancient cultural traditions
of Azarbaijan people, and it is considered as folk music. " Asheghi" music has been popular in
this region since long ago, and the songs have been transmitted by word of mouth from one " ashegh" to
another; thus, they have been preserved through the years. This music is known as the chief root and source of
contemporary Azarbaijan music. Azarbaijan Rural or Radifi Music Although this music is deeply rooted in " asheghi" music, it
follows special principles, tone, structure, and combination of instruments. I personally believe that Azarbaijan rural
music is in fact urban in nature, and it has a great deal of teatures in common with the traditional " radifi"
music. Azarbaijan Orchestral Music This kind of music is not so old, and it has been written and performed
in various forms during the recent years. Among these forms are the opera, the symphony, the concerto, the
fantasy, and the ditties.
Ghazal-e Nader (Menar-e Kalleha) Turkmen music is sad and melancholic and at the same
time so effective, appealing, and tempestuous. This music is extremely primitive, and one may consider it
as a sort of simple and untainted music. The history of Turkmen music dates back to the migration of the "Aghoozes",
the first Turkmen people, from China to Transoxiana and the east coast of the Caspian Sea. Among these migrants there were wise men and masters of music known as " ozans". Ozans were the
forefathers of the Turkmen " bakhshees" of today. Mast-e Ghalandar Music has played a major role in the lives of the people
in this region since long ago. It is present in all aspects of their lives: in birth and death, in joy and sorrow,
and even in curing diseases. Balouchestan music is certainly influenced by west Indian music, and it is
divided into the two groups, instrumental and vocal. There are different kinds of this music: Likoo and Zahirook, Mootak, Mir Ghanbar, Sepat, Laroo
and Sheshgani, Liioo and Gooat (Gooati). Source: HASHT BEHESHT, Iranian folk music
Mahur Cultural- Artistic Institue- Hossein Hamidi 1996 |
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