The very first thing that immediately impresses the readers is the physical quality of the volume, including the details and intricacies that has gone to publish such a phenomenal edition.
Duration: 25 minutes In the second half of 2023, at the Payvar Foundation, we hosted 12 sessions of the “Radio Radif Thursdays” series. In these programs, by extensively listening to historical pieces and old recordings, in a serious yet friendly atmosphere with discussions and exchanges of views, we revisited the history of Iranian music from the late Qajar era to the first Pahlavi period.
Duration: 21 Minutes In the second half of 2023, at the Payvar Foundation, we hosted 12 sessions of the “Radio Radif Thursdays” series. In these programs, by extensively listening to historical pieces and old recordings, in a serious yet friendly atmosphere with discussions and exchanges of views, we revisited the history of Iranian music from the late Qajar era to the first Pahlavi period.
Duration: 29 minutes In the second half of 2023, at the Payvar Foundation, we hosted 12 sessions of the “Radio Radif Thursdays” series. In these programs, by extensively listening to historical pieces and old recordings, in a serious yet friendly atmosphere with discussions and exchanges of views, we revisited the history of Iranian music from the late Qajar era to the first Pahlavi period.
Duration: 56 minutes, With the end of World War II in Iran in 1945 (1324 Solar Hijri), the recording of gramophone discs from Iranian music resumed, first abroad and later domestically. The rise of radio and Persian-speaking films, which had begun a few years earlier, alongside the recording of discs, contributed to the flourishing of music production. This, in turn, led to the recording and preservation of sounds, which today are considered valuable audio documents of Iranian music history. A brief overview of the historical progression of these diverse documents, which continued to increase until the mid-1970s, is the topic of the final episode of this season of Radio Radif podcasts.
Duration: 42 minutes. After the last recordings in Tehran during Reza Shah’s era in 1933 (1312 Solar Hijri), no further music was recorded in Iran due to the absence of any recording companies. However, musicians embarked on four trips abroad to record their works on gramophone discs. These trips took place in the cities of Aleppo, Berlin, Baghdad, and again Aleppo. The story of these four journeys is the focus of the twelfth episode of Season 2 of the Radio Radif podcast. Following these recordings, no official Iranian music was recorded for several years until after the end of World War II.
In the 1920s, when the wave of social transformations and the spirit of modernism had swept across various pillars of society, including its musical life, Shahnazi, like other artists such as Alinaghi Vaziri and Morteza Neydavoud, took steps to establish a music school by developing an educational program. This desire to align with the modern aspects of Iranian society is also reflected in his works and style of performance.
“Radif is for learning music, not for performance. Anyone who wants to become an Iranian musician must learn the Iranian radif.”
—Farāmarz Payvar, Program 65 of the Review of Iranian Music
This approach to radif, as a tool and foundation for creation, naturally influences how it is passed down to the student. Over time, the student, while grasping the structures and nuances of the narrated radifs, is motivated to create works with a personal expression, continuing a historical tradition.
The terms coined by Ali Naqi Vaziri, such as “Shaahed,” “Eest,” “Koron,” or “Sori,” are so familiar to us today that reading a text from before their establishment sounds so complicated. The Constitutional Era had impacts on the lifestyle of Vaziri; it was marked by his mother teaching him to read and write, witnessing her steadfast belief in education, and receiving support from Mustafa Qoli Khan Samsam-al-Mulk, “Bayaat” to continue his music studies in European universities. He also saw gatherings of artists and writers in the house, witnessing a collective thirst and effort to rebuild Iran. It is no wonder that from such a background, Vaziri emerged as a prolific and multi-talented figure in Iranian music.
No account yet?
Create an Account
