A Note on the Occasion of Houshang Zarif’s Demise

Translated by Mahboube Khalvati

“Counting on the arts, using the arts, expecting praise and appreciation are the characteristics of those who pretend to be artists and are not the real artists.” – Abolhasan Saba

No introduction is needed when talking about the position of the late Houshang Zarif (1938-2020) in the Iranian music. His character and personality are so well-known among musicians that his name per se is a symbol and role model for the Iranian youth. “Becoming Houshang Zarif” is the dream of many young people who enter the world of music in Iran and many of whom retire regretting the realisation of this dream.

Even though he has passed away, it is desirable to open a window to Houshang Zarif’s popular and unobtrusive figure in the contemporary Iranian music and look at his personality.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Houshang Zarif was an unrivaled figure on the music scene, as all the characteristics preferred by the musicians of the time were included in his Zarif’s art. Zarif’s sonority in playing Tar was influenced by three popular musicians of that period: Farhang Sharif, Lotfollah Majd and Jalil Shahnaz.
In phrase composition and composing Avaz phrases, Zarif was influenced by Mousa Maroufi, who taught him to play Tar and to some extent by Farhang Sharif. However, in using the technical properties of Tar, Zarif was under the influence of Ali Naqi Vaziri. It is worth mentioning that at that time Houshang Zarif was the most prominent performer of Vaziri’s pieces; and even today, he is still the most important narrator of Vaziri’s works. In addition to all these characteristics, he had mastered music theory, sight-reading musical sheets and ensemble playing.
Although Zarif’s art of playing Tar owed much to contemporary maestros, the pleasant combination of different styles in playing Tar led Zarif to establish his unique personal style which still has its own fans and admirers today.
Despite all this, Zarif did not seek to attract attentions and spent his whole life working hard for the promotion of the Iranian music in a low-profile manner. Like other members of the National Instruments Orchestra affiliated to the Culture and Arts Organisation led by Faramarz Payvar, he served Iranian musicians by his Tar and his art while avoiding sideline stories. These excellent characters were also possessed by other members of the above-mentioned orchestra; however, in addition to those Zarif had other characteristics which his colleagues either lacked or did not show as much as he did. In more than half a century of musical activities, Zarif was permanently trusted by musicians and always supported them. He successfully passed all the tests of the tumultuous scene of music in Iran.
This is where Zarif’s all greatness comes from; he was indeed simple and humble like a true dervish. He was subtle, witty, and popular. He never used his remarkable technical abilities to enchant the masses. His speech, deeds, appearance and thoughts were always adorned and intended to honor the people.
The role of Houshang Zarif in forming a fundamental criterion in playing abilities of the new generation of musicians, without leading to similarity or even disappearance of personal tones, is unique in the history of teaching Iranian music.
According to one of Tar’s great maestros, those who were not Zarif’s pupils were also influenced by his teaching standards and all learned a little of this style; of course Houshang Zarif’s pupils have repeatedly spoken and written about his spiritual and scientific role in teaching music and his support for them.
Indeed, the responsibility of “being Houshang Zarif” was heavy on every human being’s shoulders throughout the past half century, but Zarif overcame even this concern because he avoided selfishness and this was the secret behind his self-sufficiency.

This article was originally published in Art of Music magazine’s 179th issue.

Post a Comment

Required fields are marked *
*
*
Your email is never shared.

Bahma Rajabi Passed Away!

Bahman Rajabi, the renowned tonbak (Persian goblet drum) player and educator, passed away at his home at the age of 86 due to a heart condition. He was the founder of a distinctive school of tonbak playing, and his teaching methods have been widely used by instructors of the instrument for decades..

Reza Vohdani; Unveiling unpublished works, preservation of Iranian classical music

Reza Vohdani is a renowned name among tar (traditional Iranian instrument) players, especially within the Iranian music community that values the meticulous practice and teaching of traditional music. While Vohdani honed his skills in music theory and tar playing under the guidance of masters like Ali-Naghi Vaziri, Ali-Akbar Shahnazi, Hossein Dehlavi, and Ahmad Forutan-Rad, it is his unwavering dedication to studying, documenting, and teaching the Iranian classical music repertoire that has solidified his prominence in the field. Recently, Vohdani’s family decided to make his preserved works accessible to the wider art and music community. In this regard, The Persian-language newspaper ‘Iran’ spoke with Sadjad Pourghanad, a musician, university instructor, and music researcher, who shared his opinion into the project, as detailed in the interview below.

From Past Days…

Interview with the Makers of the New Qeychak (I)

On occasion of the 8th anniversary of launching HarmonyTalk Online Journal on 6 April 2012, Reza Ziaei, master luthier and researcher on classical music instruments (violin family), announced that the first phase of the project to improve Qeychak has borne fruit. The new instrument would feature a bowl of ribs and the material used for the surface would be wooden. Carrying out the second phase of the project took more than 7 years engaging the new members of Reza Ziaei’s Workshop. In this phase, new researches were conducted from different aspects on the Qeychak and the modern versions of the instrument which were introduced previously by other instrument makers. The available versions of the instrument were studied in terms of their weak and strong technical features.

Simorgh Criticised

Simorgh (Simorq) Orchestra was founded by the renowned Iranian composer, Hamid Motebassem, in 2011. Simorgh Orchestra is the largest orchestra featuring Iranian national instruments. Although the orchestra established by Master Hossein Dehlavi, the great Iranian composer, in 1993 was larger than Simorgh Orchestra, it only featured the Iranian plucked string instruments unlike the latter one. The first album which was recorded by the Orchestra, conducted under Motebassem’s baton, was his Simorq based on Zal story from Shahnameh by Ferdowsi, the great Iranian poet.

Maestro Hassan Nahid’s Role in Promoting the Ney

Maestro Hassan Nahid is one of the most prominent and distinctive artists who values high morals, discipline and hard work. His music activities include playing the Ney as both soloist and an accompaniment in the most important Iranian music orchestras and ensembles during the last fifty years, including the Orchestra of Iranian Instruments (Nusratullah Golpayegani), the Orchestra of National Instrumentalists of the Ministry of Culture and Arts (Payvar Orchestra), the Orchestra of Iranian Instruments (Morteza Hananeh) , Darvish Orchestra, Samaie Orchestra, Roudaki Orchestra, Maestros’ Ensemble, Aref Ensemble, as well as performances in various radio programs, many concerts in different countries, as well as a long teaching experience in the National Conservatory of Music, music universities and other music institutions to name but a few.

Reza Vohdani; Unveiling unpublished works, preservation of Iranian classical music

Reza Vohdani is a renowned name among tar (traditional Iranian instrument) players, especially within the Iranian music community that values the meticulous practice and teaching of traditional music. While Vohdani honed his skills in music theory and tar playing under the guidance of masters like Ali-Naghi Vaziri, Ali-Akbar Shahnazi, Hossein Dehlavi, and Ahmad Forutan-Rad, it is his unwavering dedication to studying, documenting, and teaching the Iranian classical music repertoire that has solidified his prominence in the field. Recently, Vohdani’s family decided to make his preserved works accessible to the wider art and music community. In this regard, The Persian-language newspaper ‘Iran’ spoke with Sadjad Pourghanad, a musician, university instructor, and music researcher, who shared his opinion into the project, as detailed in the interview below.

The 4th Iranian Festival of Music Websites and Weblogs

The 4th Iranian Festival of Music Websites and Weblogs was held in Niavaran Cultural Center, in Tehran, Iran on Feb. 28th, 2015. The initiator of the festival was Sajjad Pourghanad, Iranian music writer, researcher, founder of the festival and Persian setar and tar player.

Hossein Dehlavi: the Composer

With Dehlavi it is not all about fame but recognition. Hossein Dehlavi is not a popular musician (like pop singers) whom everybody might know when he is walking on streets of Tehran; however, he is recognized by both amateur and distinguished musicians of the country.

Developments in Iranian Music Since Qajar Era (I)

At the end of the Qajar era and as Iran entered the power transition period, known as the constitutional era, the Iranian music went through a lot of changes. These changes gained momentum as the students and followers of Ali Naqi Vaziri’s entered the musical scene. These changes greatly influenced designs of instruments, playing methods, singing, composing, etc.

Parviz Meshkatian’s Heart Beat for People (I)

Amidst the popularity of traditionalism in the Iranian music, Parviz Meshkatian (1955- 2009) moved from Neyshabur to Tehran. He learnt to play Santour and became educated in the Radif of Iranian music at the Centre for Preservation and Promotion of Music which was at the forefront of promoting the return to musical traditions. Despite his studies at a centre which promoted the use of the phrase “traditional music” in Iran, Parviz Meshkatian emerged as a creative artist whose innovative and unique ideas attracted the admiration of Iranian artists and people from different walks of life. This article studies the reason behind Meshkatian’s deviation from the wrong approach of traditionalism strongly promoted by the Centre and argues that apart from the issue of theory of Iranian music, he can be considered as Ali Naqi Vaziri’s successor.

The Structure of Kurdistan Daf (III)

“Our ancestors believe powerful blows upon the Daf scatters evil spirits of disease and distress to create a clean and holy space filled with health and prosperity. Adding tools to Daf increases this instrument’s purification, spreading, and summoning powers of evil forces and goddesses. Daf was mostly depicted by red, color of blood, in ancient times or sometimes it was depicted with green, the color of plants and nature. There were probably some mysterious designs painted upon the wooden body and frames of these instruments just like today” (Pahlavan, 2013: 44).

Principles of Violin Playing (II)

Since for playing violin, it’s necessary that the player’s palms and fingers be inclined toward the fingerboard, therefore, the player, while bringing up his hand, should turn it toward the fingerboard.