“The Art of Silence” Project Will be Released

1 January 2018 – 11:31 pm Posted in Contemporary Music, Iranian Classical Music

Shaahin Mohajeri, the award-winning Iranian microtonal compose, has contributed to The Art of Silence is an international project which features unpublished pieces by microtonal composers from Iran, Japan, the United States, and other countries.

The Art of Silence is a 36-page booklet with personal comments by the contributing musicians. The booklet also includes a DVD which consists of original video and audio tracks.
On 11 June 2017, the Belgian microtonal artist Paul A.R. Timmermans who had also managed the non-profir “Micrtona” Project in 2015, once again selected and invited international musicians to make contributions to the non-profit Art of Silence project. In his correspondence with potential contributors, Timmermans stated that he will bring forward the significance of silence for music and society, different views on interaction between music and silence, and “silence vs. music as a hot item in the 21st century”.
The musicians are selected and contacted due to their “specific artistic approach, their merits as an innovator (acoustically/ digitally/ soft) and of course for their relationship with silence.”
Shaahin Mohajeri, the award-winning Iranian microtonal composer, is also listed as one of the contributors to the project presenting one pieces entitled “For Paul”.
The prominent Iranian microtonal composer describes silence as below:
“If we consider music as painting, silence is an important color like the other colors which a composer or player uses to paint music. Silence must not be considered as a part without any sound and only waiting period; it should be rather considered as a time of active listening. Silence can relieve the listener’s tension when he or she follows a phrase, but it also builds tension as the listener awaits for next parts, much like a good conversation. When too many people talk about an idea this can be very hard and disturbing for the listener. So, knowing when and how to use silence is one of the key skills of any musician.”
In his microtonal music “For Paul”, you can hear a conversation between instruments. Shahin Mohajeri has made an effort in this piece to depict silence as a color and as part of his musical conversation as it was also explained above.
Watching the DVD-trailer on Youtube, you can provide the audience who are interested in microtonal music an overview of the non-profit project “The Art of Silence”. The video may be found at: https://youtu.be/M9KMG7dshqQ
The following picture shows quarter-tone tuning of Shahin Mohajeri’s music:

Shaahin Mohajeri is a percussionist and microtonal theorist and composer. He has won two international microtonal awards. He was won AEH and Muto Ethno2 Microtonal Demos Competition in 2010. He was announced as the Finalist in UnTwelve 2nd Annual Microtonal Composition Competitions for the Battle of Ahuramazda and Ahriman in 2011.
Source:
– Paul A.R. Timmermans’ Correspondence with Shaahin Mohajeri
– The Art of Silence Booklet

This entry was written by HarmonyTalk
Tagged: Shaahin Mohajeri, shahin mohajeri.

Nasser Masoudi: The Voice of Gilan and a Legacy of Iranian Music

In Iranian music, certain singers have become emblematic of their homelands through their distinctive voices. Historical figures such as Eghbal Sultan, who epitomized the grandeur of Azerbaijani music, and Taj Isfahani, who conveyed the authentic essence of Isfahan, serve as notable examples from the Qajar era. Nasser Masoudi occupies a similar position; his voice emerged as a symbol of Gilan while also achieving national acclaim. Before him, Master Ahmad Ashurpur represented Gilan’s musical landscape, but his extended residence outside Iran limited his continuous engagement in the music scene. In contrast, Masoudi’s consistent presence allowed him to introduce the voice of Gilan to audiences across Iran.

Farhad Poupel: The Voice of the Shahnameh in the Orchestras Around the World

In an era when almost no trace of contemporary Iranian music can be heard in international concert halls, except (so-called!) avant-garde works that owe their existence solely to the fashionable slogans of the “pseudo-intellectual” crowd who have seized the already meager resources for performing classical music from the true artists of the field, the numerous performances of Farhad Poupel’s works shine as a ray of hope for lovers of sincere musical art. Without resorting to trendy slogans, he has kept the flame of Iranian classical music alive purely through the power of his artistry.

Latest posts

From Past Days…

Henry Cowell: “Persian Set”

Persian Set: Four Movements for chamber orchestra: Moderato; Allegretto; Lento; Rondo

Henry Cowell, one of the most innovative American composers of the 20th century, was born in 1897. Cowell and his wife visited Iran in 1956 and stayed there the whole winter, upon the invitation by the Iranian Royal Family, when he composed his album “Persian Set” in four movements for chamber orchestra. His composition is expressive of the characteristic quality of the Persian or the Iranian music.

Hossein Aslani passed away!

Hossein Aslani, Iranian pianist residing in the US, passed away due to cancer in late January 2020. His last musical activity was an article written for Harmony Talk entitled “Iran amidst musical struggle” in 2016, his memoir entitled “I Play You Again” in the same year and his album “Symbolic Emotion” published by Arganoun Publications in 2014. Here is a brief biography of Hossein Aslani according to his own website:

Farshad Sanjari, Forgotten Iranian Conductor Met His Tragic End

Farshad Sanjari, one of the most renowned Iranian conductors in the 1970s in Iran died after fire broke in his apartment in Vienna on November 22, 2019. Farshad Sanjari was not involved in politics; however, he was one of the victims of the Iranian Islamic Revolution in 1979. After the victory of the Islamic Revolution, his name was never seen as the conductor of any programmes.

The Role of Arts in Development of Societies

Mr. Mohsen Ghanebasiri, author and critic in the field of economy, culture and arts, as the next speaker, highlighted the role of arts, specially the music, in development of societies: “As far as the individual upbringing is concerned, a newborn baby is absolutely dependent. The relation between the baby and the parents is based on orders. There is lots of relativity in these orders; therefore, they are political orders. In the economy, however, the relations are mutual and based on common logic; hence, the formation of the concepts of democracy and individuality.

The Structure of Kurdistan Daf (VI)

Researcher: Mohammad Tarighat Translator: Fatemeh Alimohammadi Hooks and attached rings: The junction of the ring to the arch is about 3 centimeters from the skin. The ring with its side rings should be as far as the diameter of a ring (about one and a half to one and eight centimeters) to make a proper…
Read More »

Gholam Reza Khan Minbashian: a pioneer in Iranian music (I)

Gholam Reza Khan Minbashian, a.k.a Salar-Mo’azez, was a pioneer in several domains in the history of the Iranian music. He is recognized as the first Iranian musician who was educated in classical music. He is also the first Iranian the score of whose works were published in Europe. He is the first Iranian to have launched courses on Western classical music and was also the first Iranian teacher of classical music. Moreover, he is the first founder of a string orchestra in Iran, the first author of the Iranian Radif which was available in oral form. Minbashian is also the first Iranian who studied music in Europe.

Music education in third-world countries

Music education in third-world countries is facing many problems that limit access to it and it’s full of challenges. These rising and falling obstacles are made of the socioeconomic, cultural educational systems, etc.

Iranian Fallacies – Global Performance

One of the most important criteria for measuring the quality of a piece of classical music is number of times the piece has been performance by different ensembles and orchestras in different eras. This belief has become so pervasive in some societies, such as Iranian society, that it is considered the only criterion for measuring the quality of a piece of classical music.

Is the Iranian National Anthem a Copy? (II)

In response, it should be said that it is better for the national anthem of a country to use the musical material exclusive to that country; however, some problems might come up in doing so the most important of which include: lack of familiarity of other countries’ music performer with the concerned country’s specific music intervals and special musical technique; and secondly, the strangeness of that music to the foreign listener.

Principles of Violin Playing (III)

Violin players should always pay attention to the proper position of the left thumb and other points related to it and to its joining point to the palm.