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Q: What was your experience like as the Director of the College of Fine Arts? A: Well, I was very interested to inspire our students to study Iranian music rather than Western Classics. I would tell them that the music of Bach and other such Classical composers is no longer reflective of our times. We need to nurture our own musical tradition and take it to the next level. The new generation demands this of us. I also changed the rigid rule that prohibited a student from changing their primary instrument of study to another. Many students would start our wanting to learn a particular instrument such as the Piano, and discovered in the course of their studies that they enjoyed an Iranian instrument such as the Tar. I would often lobby on behalf of the students to allow them to fulfill this goal. Of course, I also invited many experts in the field to come and teach our students their specialty. Q: Why do you think there is so little change in Iranian music? A: There are actually a lot of new trends. There is Traditional ( Sonati) Pop, which is mainly focused on Taraneh as opposed to Avaz. It is a combination of the two. We also have a lot of young singers and group who sing in the Western Pop style and hold concerts. These group includes Asar, Mohsen Namjoo, and Farman Fatalian. In the traditional music scene we have people like Shahram Nazeri, Shajarian, and Ali Reza Eftekhari. But it is true. There has not been much change in our music. This is something I too was aware of at the College of Fine Arts and encouraged our students to experiment and try to compose something of their own. I once told Mr. Tajdidi who was putting together a Chahargah lesson book that Mr. Sabah had already done this task successfully. I asked him "What are you going to leave behind which is original?" I really think the Radif is a thing of the past. Not that it should not be studied. But rather than playing more "Delay, Delay" we should be inspired by the past and compose with the present in mind. Q: Again, why is there so little change? What causes this stagnation? A: Well, there are a lot of "Del Sookhtehs" in Iran who enjoy this kind of melancholic music. Iranian traditional music has deep roots in our culture. And this culture has been greatly influenced by Islamic traditions. In fact, it is through Islam that our music has been preserved in the form you hear now. Singing had traditionally been shunned by Islam. It is on the one hand capable of inspiring grief which is what the religious establishment wanted. On the other hand music can inspire sensuality and forbidden desires. In the past Tazieh Khani became the means through which singing was deemed necessary and appropriate.
Q: Who in your opinion is progressive? A: Payevar, god bless him. He plays with master technique and style. Parviz Yahaghi who died unfortunately. Habibolallah Badi'i, Ali Tajlidi, Mohandes Homayoon Khoram are also among great musicians. Q: In your opinion, what makes a musician a Master (Ostad)? A: Someone who is well trained in Radif, has experience working with past masters, and has performance experience. Their technique and style surpasses all others. Age is also a factor to consider. But all this is not enough to make an Ostad. An Ostad is someone who is irreplaceable once he/she leaves. Lots of people now a days are called Ostad simply because of their white hair. If you have 'Rish' and 'Tasbih' you will be called an Ostad. These days it is more complimentary to call someone Ostad than it used to be. Q: Why do we hear about so few Ostads? It seems to me that every time I have heard that word it is associated with Mr. Shajarian and a small handful of others? A: I personally believe Shajarian has technical problems. His singing is problematic because he opens his mouth incorrectly. In singing you take breath and sing from stomach and occasionally the throat. Mr. Shajarian is too focused on using his throat and this pressures the veins. Lyrical clarity is forsaken for pitch and he ends up sounding as if he has been pinched. Q: Again, why do we only hear Shajarian's name? It can't be that in the entire College of Fine Arts there isn't another excellent vocalist? A: Singing is not taught at the College. It is not considered an academic subject yet. The famous people you mention work in the free market. If someone wants to learn to sing they have to do so through private channels. What you need to keep in mind is that only until recent has it been permitted for women to sing in public. According to the teachings of Ayatollah Khomeini, women can only sing if their voices are disguised.
Q: What do you think of Sima Bina? A: She sings correctly, but is rather average. Q: Who would you say is the shinning example of an excellent female vocalist in Iran? A: We don't have one at this time. It is very difficult for women to make a career for themselves as singers. There simply aren't as much opportunities for women as there are for men. This does not mean that there aren't excellent female vocalists in Iran. But they are all singing in private. In fact, it seems that everyone you talk to is learning to practice music in one form or other. But it is all in the private sphere for now. At this point I stopped asking questions. It seemed useless to ask where he thinks traditional music is headed in the future. He talked about artists not having the liberty to express themselves and economic factors which prohibit artistic pursuit. How can there be change in music when there are fundamental obstacles in the way of self expression? And what should musicians in Iran be inspired by? Nevertheless, it was inspiring for me to hear that many are now learning to practice music privately. There is a lot of hope in a nation that expresses its emotions in melody. Check back next month to learn about the views of a recent graduate of the College of Fine Arts, and the challenges facing him as he strives to develop his career. For more read you can always go to Wikipedia.org. There you will find all kinds of relevant information about Iranian music, Radif, Dastghah,...etc.
Pouneh
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