Posts by Faride Rezaei

“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.

Payvar’s Santoor Method is one of the best-selling Santoor instructional books. It reflects Payvar’s method and is rooted in the teaching principles of Abolhasan Saba, enhanced by Payvar’s unique insights and musical knowledge. One of the reasons behind the growing popularity of the santoor and the availability of its instruction to younger students could be in the structured and categorized educational books offering a wide range of materials from beginner to advanced levels.