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Introduction to Traditional Iranian |
Reprinted from the Middle East Studies
Association Bulletin, July 1994 (with changes in orthography to HTML standards). Copyright 1994 by the Middle East Studies Association of North America |
These melodies existed as the basis of creative performance, or improvisation, similar to the use of melodies in jazz improvisation in the West. Within the last century these melodies became organized and systematized into what is known as the dastgāh system, twelve groups of melodies arranged in a traditional order. These dastgāh are each arranged into a progression of modes, which are specific tunings and organizations of tones with connotations of mood and ethos. The entire body of a master s repertoire arranged in such a way is known as the radīf. During a performance, specific melodies (gūshes) may be selected from the dastgāh, generally in the order they appear in the radīf, and are used as the basis of an improvised performance. The overall contour of the melody is arch-shaped, based on a progression of pitch levels from low to high to low, both within pieces and for the dastgāh as a whole. The ascending portion of the dastgāh gradually increases emotional tension, which is released approximately two-thirds of the way through a performance at the climax (auj) and then resolved as the dastgāh returns to the original pitch level and mode of the initial melody. Iranian music reflects central concepts in Iranian culture, particularly Islamic mysticism, and also reflects cultural themes found in other art forms, such as architecture and rug design. The performance of the dastgāh has the potential of producing a hāl, or inspiration, that can transport both the listener and performer outside the realm of ordinary consciousness. The progression of modes within the dastgāh is, by its arch-shaped pitch contour, designed to gradually take the listener away from his daily concerns into the realm of the mystic, where he releases his current problems and contemplates spiritual verities. Traditional music has been associated with Sufi philosophy, particularly through poetic themes. Classical poetry is an integral part of a performance of traditional dastgāh music, particularly the ghazals of Hāfez and Sa`adī, as well as the Masnavī of Rūmī. The form of the ghazal is an important structural element in the vocal performance (āvāz) of the dastgāh. Lines of poetry (bayt) are selected at the time of the performance and matched to one of the gūshes. Each bayt (or two) of poetry, then, is sung to a separate melody, as follows: vocalized introduction, misrā` (half-bayt), vocal ornamentation (tahrīr), then second misrā`, tahrīr and vocalized conclusion. Traditional instrumental music is also based on the dastgāh system, and particularly on vocal forms. The meter and rhythm of a ghazal forms the basis for the rhythm of the traditional repertoire of melodies, and is an elastic, interpretive rhythm, though not to be confused with free rhythm. In addition, instrumentally- or musically-based rhythm occurs more frequently in instrumental performances of the dastgāh. Instruments associated with the performance of classical music include the tār (double-bellied, long-necked lute), santūr (hammered dulcimer), nay (end-blown cane flute), kamānchih (spiked fiddle), tumbak (goblet-shaped drum), sitār (long-necked lute, usually played solo) and, to a lesser extent, dāyirih (frame drum) and `ūd (lute). Ensembles usually included a vocalist, one or two melody instruments and perhaps a drum. Beginning in the late Qājār period, ensemble performances and pre-composed forms became more frequent, attributed to the influence of music from Western cultures. A dastgāh performance became organized into a suite of sections, in the order of pīshdarāmad, āvāz, tasnīf and ring. The pīshdarāmad is a pre-composed overture for instrumental ensemble, the āvāz is the traditional body of the radīf, the tasnīf is a pre-composed song form for vocalist and instrumental ensemble and the ring is an instrumental piece in dance rhythm. Also interspersed in sections within the āvāz is the chahārmezrāb, a virtuosic instrumental solo. Although the basis of classical Iranian music has remained the dastgāh system, different trends during the last century have influenced the following characteristics: the extent to which the performance is improvised, the size of the ensemble, the order of pieces and the incorporation of musical characteristics from different cultures, particularly European, Arabic and internal regional styles. The following three sets of recordings can introduce the listener to tradi- tional Iranian dastgāh music: 1. Classical Music of Iran: Dastgah Systems. Compiled, edited and annotated by
Ella Zonis Mahler with the technical assistance of Mr. Ruhollah Khaleqi (4 pp., illus.,
photos), 1966, Folkways FW 8831/32. This two-record set contains samples from all twelve dastgāhs.
They include recordings of sitār, tār, kamānchih, santūr, tumbak, violin, nay
and male and female vocal style. 2. Iran: Musique Persane. Notes by Hormoz Farhat (6 pp., French and English, mus. ex., photos), 1971, Ocora OCR 57, or CD: 1987, C 559008. This includes recordings of Faramarz Payvar (santūr), Jalil Shahnaz (tār), Asqar Bahari (kamānchih), Hasan Nahid (nay), Hoseyn Tehrani (tumbak), Abdolvahhab Shahidi (`ūd and male vocalist). This recording, also available in music libraries, includes two performances of the dastgāh as a vocal- instrumental suite, in Māhur and Segāh. 3. Iran: Les Maitres de la Musique Traditionnelle: Talā i [sitār and tār], Musavi [nay], Kiāni [santūr], vol. 1, 1991, Ocora HMA 190391. This CD includes recordings of Isfahān, Chahārgāh, Homāyūn, Bayāt-i Kurd and Ring-i Shahr āshūb. These three performers represent a recent generation of musicians who actively learned from the older traditional masters, partly in an effort to revive an earlier pre-Western tradition of performance. This CD contains selections from the following records, which are also available in archives of international music: Anthologie de la musique traditionnelle: Iran, Volume 2. Santur par Majid Kiāni. Notes by Jean During, 1980, Ocora 558 550. This volume includes performances of Bayāt-i Kurd, Ring-i Shahr āshūb and Homāyūn. Iran, Volumes 3 & 4. Ney par Mohammad Musavi. Chant et ney par Mahmud Karimi et
Mohammad Musavi. Recorded in Tehran in 1980 by Jean During. Notes by Jean During (10
pp., French and English, illus., photo, texts), 1981, Ocora 558 562/63. Performance of Dashti,
Mukhālif-i Sigāh, Homāyūn and Navā.
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