In Iranian music, there have always been singers whose voices became symbols of their homeland. Historical examples can be seen in the Qajar era; Eghbal Sultan, who represented the grandeur of Azerbaijani music, or Taj Isfahani, who conveyed the authentic voice of Isfahan. Nasser Masoudi also held such a position; his voice was a symbol of Gilan, while he also managed to achieve national fame. In Gilan before him, Master Ahmad Ashurpur was present, but due to his long residence outside Iran, he did not have continuous activity. In contrast, Masoudi, through his constant presence, introduced the voice of Gilan to all of Iran.
In those years, radio stations were only active in Tehran. Starting in 1955, radio transmitters began operating in Rasht; although no archive of them remains today, those high-quality tapes were the first communication bridge between Masoudi’s voice and audiences far from Gilan. Fortunately, eight years before Masoudi’s emergence, Master Abolhassan Saba came to Gilan for a one-year assignment and established a music school. He trained many students, and considering the culture of Gilan, there were no restrictions on teaching music. Even artists from this region were influenced by non-Iranian music. In such an environment, Masoudi grew up and, simultaneously with the establishment of Rasht Radio at the age of 20, took his first serious steps.
Masoudi had an extraordinarily sensitive ear; his auditory ability was such that he could accompany any type of music. The flexibility of his voice also allowed him to sing in various styles. He became known from around 1959–1960 and always considered himself indebted to Ahmad Ebadi, the great master of music. Alongside that, his admiration for great singers like Manouchehr Shafiei, Manouchehr Homayounpour, and Ghasem Jabli shaped his artistic path.
One of the important factors in Masoudi’s recognition was the gramophone record production industry. In the 1960s, these records were no longer luxury items and reached the general public. This caused the voices of singers, including Masoudi, to reach the widest range of audiences and brought him national fame.
Masoudi was one of the few singers who began his work in an ethnic-regional context with a local dialect and simultaneously attained the status of a singer of classical Persian music (Dastgahi). He managed to preserve both paths and achieve national popularity in local music. His works, whether in the form of local ballads or classical pieces, possess a special longevity.
Northern Iran has three cultural regions, connected by the green belt of forests, yet major cultural differences are observed among them:
Gorgan: With its Turkmen music, which has a unique flavor.
Mazandaran: With its extensive and rural music, whose roots are attributed to the Sassanian era.
Gilan: With great musical diversity, of which Masoudi was the representative of its urban music.
He managed to elevate the voice of Gilan to a national level and is recorded in the history of Iranian music as a symbol of a green and diverse region.
(Excerpted from the video magazine program “24” featuring Alireza MirAliNaghi)
