Women Musicians in Large Iranian Orchestras

1 December 2014 – 3:33 pm Posted in Contemporary Music, General Information, Interesting Facts, Iranian Classical Music

It is more than a century now that the sociologists consider the presence of women in different social domains as a benchmark for a society’s progress. They analyze the presence of women in society by the means of available statistics. Unfortunately, as with regard to the Iranian society, statistics related to women’s engagement, has not been available to the researchers, if they existed at all.

It is, however, important to estimate the presence of women in the domain of music. Therefore, this article seeks to estimate the number of women musicians in the large Iranian orchestras in the past three decades.

The first independent orchestra in Iran which was not affiliated to any music schools, and which complied with international standards was Baladieh (Municipality) Symphony Orchestra, established in 1934. This orchestra was conducted by Gholam Hossein Min Bashian (1907-1978). Some mistakenly consider this orchestra as Tehran Symphony Orchestra while Baladieh Orchestra’s independent activity was short-lived; it was moved to Tehran Higher Conservatory of Music in 1935. Out of forty members of this orchestra, three were ladies.

Tehran Symphony Orchestra commenced its professional performances in 1941 under the baton of Parviz Mahmoud (1910 – 1996). During the long and fruitful activities of this orchestra before the 1979 Islamic Revolution, four percent of its members were lady musicians.

After the Islamic Revolution of 1979, orchestras experienced a drastic fall in the number of their female members. This trend lingered up until the nineties when the membership of the ladies in orchestras boomed. This active engagement on the part of women in orchestras, which is estimated %18, overshadows the almost all-male musicians in orchestras in the years right after the Revolution.

Saba Orchestra was founded in 1957 simultaneously with the demise of its former conductor Abol Hassan Saba (1902-1957); the orchestra was a developed version of the Fine Arts Orchestra No. 1 which was affiliated to the Ministry of Culture and Arts. Saba Orchestra experienced several pauses and the change of its members in the course of its activities which lasted up until 1980. Based on the surviving photos of the Orchestra, the presence of women is estimated at ten percent.

Iran National Radio and Television Large Orchestra experienced a four-percent presence of women musicians during its years of activities which covered 1972-1979. Fereydoun Naseri (1930-2005), Morteza Hananeh (1923-1989), Farhad Fakhredini (b. 1937) and Mohammad Shams (b. 1954) have conducted this orchestra.

In 1998, Farhad Fakhredini convened the National Orchestra consisting of several members of the dissolved Iran National Radio and Television Large Orchestra and several young musicians. Twenty eight percent of the orchestra, which was active until 2009, was ladies. This orchestra was resurrected by Bardia Kiaras in 2010 after a year of silence.

Shiraz Hengam Orchestra was founded in 2002by Rouzbeh Tabanded who also conducted it. Hengam Orchestra, with thirteen-percent female musicians, is regarded as a prolific orchestra with annual performances in either Shiraz or Tehran every year ever since its establishment.

Parsian orchestra is another large orchestra which was founded in 2003 as a string orchestra. The orchestra which is directed by Mazyar Zahireddini was transformed into chamber orchestra in 2011. The orchestra enjoys a twenty-one-percent presence of women musicians.

It can be concluded that the number of women in large orchestras has gone through a %15.5 increase comparing the pre-Revolution %5.5 with the post-Revolution %21.5. However, identifying the social causes of such a popularity remains at the hands of the sociologists.

Translated by Mahboube Khalvati

This entry was written by Sadjad Pourghanad
Tagged: .

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…

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.

Iranian Fallacies – Composition and Arrangement

In the tradition of classical music, it is generally tried to use the same technical terms related to music in all countries. Even in the cultures in which native terms exist to refer to musical terms, usually the better known universal terms are employed.

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.

A note on “Illusion or Ingenuity” article

The author of the “Illusion or Ingenuity” article, who is apprehensive of the future of the Music in Iran, enumerates some symptoms of the music weakening in the country for example decreasing in the quality of the music as well as lack of the innovation in creating them, a gradual decline in the music public taste and the drop in the application of layered sound and polyphony in music. He explains that one reason for this gradual weakening might be our unawareness of the fact that we are not so intelligent nation. He believes that we, Iranians, have a comprehensive “Illusion of the high national intelligence “that make us ignorant of the unfavorable realities of our music and consequently no searching for the remedy is taking place. His point of view brings to the mind a patient who thinks he is healthy, therefore delays the treatment and finally is killed by the disease. The author also refers to the national difficulties which gradually will lower the national intelligence score such as the increased rate of the immigration and brain drain, low quality of the nutrition, incompetence of the education system and etc and predicts that the condition of the music of Iran might deteriorate in the future because of the mentioned illusion of its great status.

A few steps on the “Road to Bach”

The world of music has unparalleled respect for Bach. Bach is considered the spiritual father of classical music; Bach’s great position is due not only to his great achievements in the fields of harmony, counterpoint, and compositional sciences but also to his respect for and adherence to the artistic principles of classical music. In the history of classical music, it is recorded that Bach walked about fifty kilometers to listen to the music played by the great German organist Dieterich Buxtehude, and this is the path that every idealistic classical music student should walk.

A Miracle in the Iranian Music: About Tehran Flute Choir’s Eight-year Tenacity

Tehran Flute Choir is a 40-member orchestra of Iran’s best flutists; Iran’s best flutists? Yes! If you write down the names of the greatest Iranian flute players who participate at concerts and contribute to academic centers in Iran, you will see that most of them are among the choir’s members.

HarmonyTalk Journal’s Twentieth Anniversary Celebration

On the 10th of Khordad, 1403 (equivalent to May 30, 2024), the twentieth anniversary celebration of the online journal “HarmonyTalk” took place at the Ersbārān Cultural Center. The event garnered such interest from enthusiasts that the venue was completely filled.

Iranian Fallacies – School of Vaziri

The term “School of Vaziri” is often used in writings on Iranian music, but the exact meaning of the term is not clear; some of the authors have used the term to only refer to the group of Vaziri’s students, including a large group of his conservatory students and his Tar students such as Abolhassan Saba, Rouhollah Khaleghi, Ahmad Foroutan Rad, Hossein Sanjari, Heshmat Sanjari and others. But can we consider all Vaziri’s students as followers of his school of thought? This is definitely a mistake, because we know that some of Vaziri’s students have chosen a completely different path than that of Vaziri.

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.

Banan: the Artist of the Age

Gholam Hossein Banan was born in 1911 in Tehran. He was born in an affluent art-loving family who were Naser al-Din Shah Qajar (1848-1896)’s relative. The Qajar King was his mother’s uncle on her father’s side. He learnt his first lessons in music while his father sang Iranian avaz (improvised rhythmic-free singing), he then attended classes by the renowned Iranian composer, Morteza Neydavoud (1900-1990) along with his sisters; the composer is, therefore, considered as his first teacher. He then learnt Iranian avaz under the supervision of Mirza Taher Zia Resaee (Zia-o Zakerin) and Naser Seif in an oral manner.