Persian Classical Music: The Instrumental Side

A blog discussing the various instruments used in Persian Classical Music, with a focus on the history and origins of the music.

What is Persian Classical Music?

Persian classical music is a traditional art form that is still practiced today. This type of music is usually instrumental, and often features a solo singer with accompaniment from a stringed instrument called a tar. Persian classical music has a long history and has been influenced by many different cultures.

Origins

Persian classical music or Iranian classical music, also known as Parsi music or Dastgah music, is the traditional art music of Iran. It consists of characteristics developed through the country’s classical, medieval, and contemporary eras.

Persian classical music is appreciated and enjoyed by many Iranians and non-Iranians alike. It has its roots in various Iranian musical traditions, including the ancient folk music of Iran and Mesopotamia. In addition, Persian classical music has been significantly influenced by Central Asian, Turkic, and Caucasian musical traditions.

The history of Persian classical music can be divided into three main periods: the pre-Islamic era, the Islamic era, and the post-Islamic era.

The pre-Islamic era of Persian classical music began in ancient Iran with the development of Zoroastrianism around 1000 BCE. This religion had a major impact on Iranian culture, influencing everything from art to architecture. One of Zoroastrianism’s most important tenets is that good thoughts, words, and deeds will lead to eventual salvation. This belief likely helped shape Persian classical music’s focus on creating beautiful melodies that uplift the soul.

nomadic Arab tribes conquered Persia in 651 CE, marking the beginning of the Islamic era of Persian classical music. The Arabs brought with them their own musical traditions, which had a significant impact on the development of Persian classical music. For example, early Persian composers began using Arabic musical scales (known as maqamat) when creating new pieces. They also started incorporating Arabic instruments into their orchestral works.

Eventually, Persian musicians started to fuse Arab and Iranian musical traditions together to create a unique sound that was distinctly Persian. This process reached its peak during the reign of Abu l-Hasan Ali ibn Nusayr (893–936), a famous musician and composer who was also vizier to the Buyid ruler Adud al-Daula. Ibn Nusayr is credited with inventing several new melodic modes (known as dastgah) and developing an instrument known as the chang (a type of harp). He also wrote one of Persia’s earliest treatises on music theory, which helped codify many of the aesthetic principles that would come to define Persian classical music

Characteristics

Persian classical music or Iranian classical music, also known as Persian traditional music or Iranian traditional music, is the traditional and indigenous music of Iran.

The musical traditions of Persia date back to the Achaemenid era (550–330 BC), and has significantly influenced the music of Central Asia, Turkey, Afghanistan, India and Pakistan, as well as parts of Africa and Europe.

Instrumental Persian classical music consists of a wide variety of tonal structures, which are often based on modal systems. Persian instruments can be broadly divided into three categories: string instruments (tar and setar), wind instruments (sorna and ney), and percussion instruments (tom drums).

Characteristics
Persian classical music is characterized by its use of microtones ( notes that fall between the semitones of Western equal temperament ), as well as its intricate melodies. The features that most distinguish it from other types of music are its highly ornate melodic lines, improvisations , and wide range of timbres .

The repertoire of Persian classical music includes compositions for solo voice (usually accompanied by one or more instruments), as well as pieces for ensembles such as the radif -based Iranian orchestras . Theradif is a collection of traditional melodic patterns that serves as the repertoire for Persian musicians. The most important original source for radif-based ensemble performance is the 17th-century compilation by Mirza Abdollah . Other sources include 19th-century compilations by Hassan Karbalai , Ali Akbar Farahani , Moroccan musician Lamine al-Hassar , Afghan musician Mohammad Ebrahim Khaled , among others.

The Instruments

The mainstay of Persian classical instrumental music is the Radif, a collection of melodic figures and ideas passed down orally over the centuries. The Radif is the basis for much of the improvisation that is the hallmark of the genre, and it is also the source for the repertoire of precomposed pieces that form the core of most performers’ programs. The instruments of Persian classical music can be broadly divided into two categories: those of the string family and those of the wind family.

String Instruments

The Persian classical music tradition is one of the oldest and most influential musical traditions in the world. Persian classical music is based on the utilization of a wide range of instruments, many of which are unique to the region. The following is a brief overview of some of the most important string instruments used in Persian classical music.

The Tar
The tar is a plucked lute-like instrument with a long neck and a large, rounded body. It is perhaps the most important and iconic instrument in Persian classical music, and has been played in the region for over two thousand years. The tar has six main strings and a number of sympathetic strings, which are tuned to create different scales. The tar is usually played with a plectrum, and employs a variety of techniques including strumming, plucking, and harmonics.

The Setar
The setar (also spelled sitar) is another plucked lute-like instrument with a long neck and small, rounded body. It is related to the tar, but has fewer strings (usually four or five) and a smaller body. The setar is often considered to be a more delicate and refined instrument than the tar, and its sound has been described as “reminiscent of falling raindrops.” The setar is usually played with the nails or fingertips (metal tips) of the right hand, and employs a variety of techniques including strumming, plucking, slide playing (glissando), vibrato, and harmonics.

The Kamancheh
The kamancheh (also spelled qamancheh or ghamancheh) is a bowed string instrument with a narrow cylindrical body and frets on the neck. It is held vertically between the legs like a cello or viola da gamba, and has four main strings tuned in perfect fifths (similar to a violin). The kamancheh also has sympathetic strings which resonate when other strings are played, giving it a rich and complex sound. Kamanchehs come in different sizes with bodies ranging from 30-60 cm in length; larger instruments have deeper bass tones while smaller instruments have higher treble tones.

Wind Instruments

Wind instruments include the kamancheh (spike fiddle), ney (flute), sorna (alto horn), and dotar (long-necked two-stringed lute). The kamancheh, which belongs to the same family as the violin, has a beautiful, melancholic tone that often brings tears to the eyes. The ney is a flute made from a type of reed, and its wailing sound is an essential ingredient of Persian music. The sorna is a type of oboe, and the dotar is a pure Persian instrument that is related to the Russian balalaika and the Turkish saz.

Percussion Instruments

Percussion instruments are perhaps the most important part of Persian classical music, as they are responsible for keeping the rhythm. The most common percussion instrument is the tombak, a type of goblet drum. Other percussion instruments include the daf (frame drum), zarb (bass drum), and naqareh (small kettle drums).

The Musicians

Persian classical music is an Iranian musical style and consists of two main types of music, Radif and Dastgah. Radif is a collection of melodic figures that are used as the basis for improvisation and composition, while Dastgah is a set of related modes. Persian classical music is usually performed by instrumentalists, who use a variety of instruments, including the tar, setar, ney, kamancheh, and santur.

The Composers

Iranian classical music is world renowned for its intricate and beautiful melodies. The music is based on a series of modal systems, which use specific scales and melodic patterns. This type of music is commonly performed on traditional Iranian instruments, such as the setar (a lute-like instrument), the tar (a plucked lute), the santur (a hammered dulcimer), and the ney (a flute).

While the instrumental side of Persian classical music is certainly impressive, the composers are also responsible for creating some of the most beautiful and moving pieces of music in the world. Many of these composers were born into musical families and began playing instruments at a young age. Others, such as Ahmad Pejman, had no previous connection to music but developed a passion for it later in life.

Some of the most famous Persian classical composers include:

-Abolhasan Saba: Saba was born in 1902 in Tehran, Iran. He studied music under some of Iran’s most renowned musicians, including Mirza Hossein Gholi Vaziri Dabiran. Saba composed many pieces for traditional Iranian instruments, as well as for Western classical instruments such as the piano and violin. He also wrote several books on music theory. Saba passed away in 1957.

-Ahmad Pejman: Pejman was born in 1935 in Tehran, Iran. He did not begin studying music until he was 17 years old, but he quickly became a master of both traditional Iranian and Western classical music. Pejman has composed over 200 pieces of music, including several operas and ballets. He currently lives in Los Angeles, California.

-Faramarz payvar: Payvar was born in 1929 in Tehran, Iran. He began studying Persian classical music at a young age and eventually became one of Iran’s leading musicians. Payvar has composed over 500 pieces of music, including several works for traditional Iranian instruments as well as Western classical instruments such as the piano and violin. He currently lives in Germany.

The Performers

The music of Persia has always been a highly instrument-based form, with little or no place given to the voice within the classical tradition. The primary exception to this rule is the use of singing by Sufi dervishes, who may use their chanting as a means of attaining religious ecstasy. However, even within the realm of traditional Persian music, there has always been a strong emphasis on instrumental performance, and this is reflected in the large number of works that have been written specifically for one or more solo instruments.

The most important instruments in Persian music are the tar (a type of lute), the setar (a type of stringed instrument), and the ney (a type of flute). These three instruments are often used together in ensembles, and each one plays an important role in Persian musical tradition. The tar is generally considered to be the most important of the three instruments, and it is often featured as a solo instrument in works for orchestra or solo voice and tar. The setar is also frequently used as a solo instrument, and it plays an important role in vocal and instrumental chamber music. The ney is primarily used as an accompaniment instrument, but it also occasionally appears as a solo instrument.

In addition to these three primary instruments, there are also a number of other instruments that are commonly used in Persian music. These include the kamancheh (a type of bowed string instrument), the tombak (a type of drum), and the santur (a type of hammered dulcimer). These secondary instruments often play an important role in providing accompaniment or rhythmical support for the primary melodic instruments.

The Repertoire

The instrumental repertoire of Persian classical music is vast and includes both solo and ensemble pieces. The solo pieces are typically played on the shurangiz (a Persian lute) or the tar (a Persian stringed instrument). The ensemble pieces are typically played on the ney (a Persian flute) or the tombak (a Persian drum).

The Radif

The Radif is the core of Persian classical music, and contains the melodic figures which are the basis for improvisation. It consists of a set of ascending and descending scales, each with its own mode or dastgah. In addition, each mode has a main tonic (gahvareh), and a number of secondary tonics (taḵames). The various modes are distinguished by their intervals, melodic contour, and character.

The Dastgah

Persian classical music is based on a series of scales called dastgahs. Each dastgah consists of a series of ragas, which are like melodic templates. The musician improvises within the raga, making the music spontaneously composed yet deeply rooted in tradition.

There are approximately twelve dastgahs, each with its own unique character. They are traditionally grouped into three broad categories: shur ( melancholic), segah (joyful), and chahargah (passionate). The shur dastgahs are associated with winter and night, the segah dastgahs with spring and morning, and the chahargah dastgahs with summer and midday.

The most well-known dastgahs are probably shur, segah, chahargah, homayoun, and dashti. Other important dastgahs include yakangee nava, afshariyat, abu ata, mahour, rapteek-e esfahan, mahur-e kurd, saba yeravaniyat.

Conclusions

In conclusion, Persian classical music is a genre of music that is rich in history and culture. It is an important part of the country’s heritage, and its influence can be heard in many other types of music from around the world. Persian classical music is typically played on instruments such as the tar, setar, ney, and santur, and it often features a complex system of improvisation. If you’re interested in learning more about this fascinating genre of music, be sure to check out the resources listed below.