Iranian Music Radif: A Tool for Understanding Structure, a Model for Creative Work

Faramarz Payvar, in an interview in episode 65 of Iranian Music Review, said:

“The radif of music is for learning music, not for performance… Anyone who wants to become an Iranian musician must learn the Iranian radif.”

In an interesting analogy, he compares the radif to the alphabet, where learning Persian begins with the alphabet, but the foundation for writing and creating great literary works stems from this seemingly simple structure. This perspective on the radif, as a tool and foundation for creation, naturally affects how it is taught to students. Over time, students, while understanding the frameworks and subtleties of the narrated radifs, are driven by the desire to create works with personal expression within the continuation of a historical tradition. The fading or diminishing of this drive over the years has sparked many debates under the title “stagnation in radif education,” which turns music students from creative artists into mere preservers of radif. In a better scenario, they may find themselves caught in a long process of trial and error to implement their personal motives and reach a unique expression.

Simplifying Rhythmic Forms in Radif

In the common instrumental radifs, the rhythmic forms of “Chaharmezrab” and “Reng” are present in all narrations. However, the Chaharmezrabs have a much simpler structure compared to the Rengs, and it seems that this simplicity stems from the novelty of this instrumental form during the Qajar era and its creation by the narrator of the radif (a specific individual). The question is whether the recording and transmission of this simplest form of Chaharmezrab itself is not a tool for idea development and practice for creating rhythmic pieces based on the potentials of radif? In the radif of Mirza Abdollah, as narrated by Nour-Ali Borumand, a simple Chaharmezrab is introduced at the beginning of the dastgahs of Segah, Nava, and Homaayoun, similar to those narrated for important modal gushehs like Delkash. These Chaharmezrabs, which are very similar in meter and rhythmic patterns, mostly have sequential phrases that show the melodic movement range appropriate to a specific mode. No special changes occur in their rhythmic patterns, and it can be said that they represent the simplest form of a Chaharmezrab. Mehdi-Qoli Hedayat calls this form of Chaharmezrab “Chakavaki,” as he writes in the third edition of Majma al-Advar:

“After a brief Chakavaki prelude, the Nava dastgah consists of avaz, gardaniya, naghmeh, Bayat-e Raje, Panj-e Moya, Oshaq, and Nahafte, which proceed within the context of avaz.”

An image of the notation for this “Daramad-e Chakavaki” (which Hedayat has recorded as “New Pishdaramad of Homayoun” in the notation text) and also “Pishdaramad-e Nava” follows. These are essentially what have been called “Chaharmezrab” in other radifs.

In the newer publication of these notations, the editor explains that the samples are essentially the same Chaharmezrabs of Nava and Homaayoun found in the well-known radifs.

Different naming of Chaharmezrabs in radifs

The description of these Chaharmezrabs as “Chakavaki” based on their rhythmic patterns and structure seems an appropriate choice for distinguishing this specific type of Chaharmezrab. A review of Chaharmezrabs in the radifs of Musa Ma’rofi, the santur radif of Abolhasan Saba, and the radifs of Mirza Abdollah (in the narrations of Montazem al-Hokama and Nour-Ali Borumand), as well as the radif of Ali Akbar Shahnazi, shows that this different naming and the ambiguity in defining the form only appear in Hedayat’s notation. His work represents the first complete transcription of a radif with a specific narrator.

This issue, along with the unique naming, reinforces the speculation that the form of Chaharmezrab was relatively new during the author’s time. The development and evolution of this rhythmic form, which today is performed with much greater complexity in the repertoire of all Iranian musical instruments, can be traced back to this origin.

The Chakavaki pattern in radifs

In the Radif of Montazem al-Hokama, there are a total of seven Chaharmezrabs, some of which are very short and simple, while two have slightly more complex structures. In the Radif of Musa Ma’rofi, there are fifteen Chaharmezrabs, thirteen of which are classified as “Chakavaki.” Farāmarz Pāyvar’s transcription of Ma’rofi’s Radif contains sixteen “Chakavaki” Chaharmezrabs. The Radif of Agha Hosseinqoli has eleven Chaharmezrabs, all of which are “Chakavaki,” and the Radif of Saba contains thirteen Chaharmezrabs, nine of which follow the simple “Chakavaki” pattern. All of these Chaharmezrabs, unlike the recorded Rengs, lack historical information or structure indicating an older origin.

In the introduction to Musa Ma’rofi’s Radif, it is written:

The Radif compiled by the late Musa Ma’rofi, master of the tar, is based on the Radifs of Aqa Mirza Abdollah and Aqa Hosseinqoli and has been aligned with the Radif arranged by Mehdi-Qoli Hedayat…

However, Farāmarz Pāyvar, in an interview about Ma’rofi’s Radif, states:

… One of the most significant achievements he made was the compilation of the entire body of classical Iranian Radif music. This includes the complete Radifs of Mirza Abdollah, Mirza Hosseinqoli, Darvish Khan, Hossein Khan Esma’ilzadeh, and anyone who was considered to have contributed something to Iranian Radif music […] What is written in this book is truly remarkable. I can confidently say it is like the “Quran” of our music. It contains all the knowledge of our music from any book you can imagine. It is truly a collection of all Iranian Radif music within this book…
(Interview with Ahmadreza Ahmadi, audio file gifted by Mehrdad Delnavazi).

Perhaps it was this outlook and the objectives of Payvar, both as a compiler and a musician, that ultimately led to the inclusion of the names of narrators for gūshehs and rhythmic forms in the version of Musi Ma’roufi’s radif, as registered by Payvar. In this version, nine chahārmezrābs are accompanied by the names of narrators, including Musi Ma’roufi himself. Next to one of these chakāvakī chahārmezrābs, it is even noted: “an old traditional chahārmezrāb.”

The Tradition of Radif Narration in the Farahani Family

The continuous evolution and increasing complexity of chahārmezrābs presented within a specific instrumental radif can clearly be observed in the longstanding tradition of radif narration within the Farahani family. In the advanced radif of Shahnaazi, chahārmezrābs are utilized more extensively than in any other radif, as part of the overall design and composition of his radif. Given the presence of chakāvakī chahārmezrābs and their numbers in Mirza Hosseinqoli’s radif, one could surmise that Shahnaazi regarded the creation of these chakāvakī chahārmezrābs as an extension of the tradition of “radif as a model,” aiming to diversify and design them among the gūshehs, thus manifesting the idea of “dynamism within tradition” in his radif compilation. On the other hand, these “traditional old” chahārmezrābs, designed and composed by Shahnaazi following the same chakāvakī pattern, are presented with further elaboration and with a specific musicality in mind, alongside a focus on the technical execution on the tār. Using a simple melody as a foundation to showcase the technical abilities of both the player and the instrument makes it easier to teach.

Shahnaazi’s radif, while embodying numerous features, in the context of this discussion, exemplifies a correct transmission of tradition, demonstrating that the preservation of historical heritage does not contradict individual creativity but is essential for its continuation. Artistic creation is grounded in the capabilities of the instrument and the musician, situated within a deep understanding of the artist’s time and the historical and cultural background of a society. Farāmarz Payvar, in an interview, says:

Well, first we need to understand what radif itself is, which, of course, is no easy task and involves extensive discussion. What we have now, part of it comes from folk music, part of it from the personal taste of the master musicians, and part of it from their formal training. I’ve always said that a master is someone who learns the old radif thoroughly and then, through his own abilities, meaning through lots of practice, discovers new techniques. If it’s about striking the strings, he finds new ways of doing that. If it’s about bowing, he finds new finger placements, or if he is a vocalist, he discovers new accents and ornamentations. This shows his capability. And secondly, he must have learned the old material really, really well, so that he is fully proficient and also possesses an abundance of creativity and talent to be able to create something new…

This perspective, presented by Farāmarz Payvar, is the same one that reflects the dynamism and creative power found in the works of Shahnaazi, Ṣabā, Payvar, and many other masters, all while preserving a historical tradition.

Tradition as a Dynamic Element

From this perspective, the presentation of these simple, traditional chahārmezrābs can be seen as a deliberate approach to education and the transmission of tradition. The result should not only be the mastery of performance techniques, cornerstones of gushés, ornamentations, and the multiple nuances of Iranian music, but also the fostering of an evolving culture. In this culture, the goal is not merely playing an instrument but nurturing an artist capable of improvisation and creating original works.

My view is that the numerous zarbis labeled as chahārmezrāb, dozarbis, semezrāb, zarbis, and moqaddamas in the later radifs represent the continuation of the same notion of “tradition as a dynamic element.” These are ideas for practicing creativity based on radif, encouraging a creative educational process for the innovative student. This process, if systematized, could lead to practical and constructive results.

Footnotes

{1} The Seven Modes of Iranian Music, as narrated by Mahdi Solhi (Monazzem al-Hokamā), transcribed by Mahdi-Qoli Hedāyat (Mokhber al-Saltaneh), preface by Dāryoush Safvat, Mahoor, Tehran, 1393
{2} In calligraphy, a sarmashq is a sample line written by the master for students to practice and, by grasping the proportions and subtleties, develop the ability to write other words and verses. The author believes that this term is a suitable analogy for the gushés and teachings of the modal radif.