Ahmad Ebādi (1906 – 1993) (

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

: احمد عبادی) was an Iranian musician and

setar A setar ( fa, سه‌تار, ) is a stringed instrument, a type of lute used in Persian traditional music, played solo or accompanying voice. It is a member of the tanbur family of long-necked lutes with a range of more than two and a half octa ...

player. Born in

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

, he was a member of the most extraordinary family of

Iranian music The music of Iran encompasses music that is produced by Iranian artists. In addition to the traditional folk and classical genres, it also includes pop and internationally celebrated styles such as jazz, rock, and hip hop. Iranian music infl ...

. Ahmad's father,

Mirza Abdollah Mirza Abdollah, also known as Agha Mirza Abdollah Farahani ( fa, میرزا عبدالله فراهانی) (1843–1918), was a tar and setar player. He is among the most significant musicians in Iran's history. Born in Shiraz, he and his young ...

, is arguably the most influential figure in

Persian traditional music Persian traditional music or Iranian traditional music, also known as Persian classical music or Iranian classical music, refers to the classical music of Iran (also known as ''Persia''). It consists of characteristics developed through the coun ...

, and his paternal uncle,

Mirza Hossein Gholi Mirza Hossein-Qoli ( fa, میرزا حسین‌قلی), also known as ''Agha Mirza Hosseingholi Farahani'' (1853 in Tehran – 1916 in Tehran) was a musician and tar player. He and his older brother Mirza Abdollah started learning music ...

, is also well known for his mastery in playing the

tar Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black bit ...

. Ahmad's paternal grandfather,

Ali Akbar Farahani Āghā Ali-Akbar Farāhāni ( fa, آقا على‌اكبر ) was a notable and well known musician of Persian_traditional_music , Persian Traditional Music and Tar (lute), Tar and Setar (lute), Setar player during the last century in Persia. He w ...

, was also a talented musician. Ahmad started learning music at an early age. At the age of seven, he was able to play

tombak The ''tombak'' (Persian: تمبک), ''tonbak'' (تنبک), or ''zarb'' (ضَرب) is an Iranian goblet drum. It is considered the principal percussion instrument of Persian music. The tombak is normally positioned diagonally across the torso w ...

to accompany his father. Unfortunately he lost his father soon thereafter, but continued his education with his sisters, especially Moloud Khanom. He became one of the best

players of all time. For years he played on Iranian radio especially in a program called

Golha The Golhā radio programmes ( fa, گلها, translit=Flowers; English: Flowers of Persian Song and Poetry) were a station of broadcast on an Iranian government-owned radio station ''Radio Tehran'' from 1956 to 1979. They comprise 1,578 radio progr ...

, produced by Davood Pirnia. Ebadi had a unique style in playing the

. He also invented a variety of different tunings for

. He died in 1993 and is buried in

Emamzadeh Taher Emamzadeh Taher ( fa, امامزاده طاهر ), located in Iran in the town of Karaj, is one of the most famous cemeteries in Iran.Karaj Karaj ( fa, کرج, ) is the capital of Alborz Province, Iran, and effectively a satellite city of Tehran. Although the county hosts a population around 1.97 million, as recorded in the 2016 census, most of the county is rugged mountain. The urb ...

.Photograph of the gravestone of Ahmad Ebadi

.

Notes

References

* Haghighat, A., ''Honarmandān-e Irani az Āghāz tā Emrooz'', Koomesh Publications, 2004 (in Persian). * Rouhollah Khaleghi, Khaleghi, R., ''Sargozasht-e Musighi-e Iran'', Ferdowsi Publications, 1955 (in Persian).

External links

Ahmad Ebadi
entry in th
Encyclopædia Iranica

Video. Ahmad Ebadi playing setar.
* A sample of solo music on ''Setār'' by Ahmad Ebadi in the following

Dastgah Dastgāh ( fa, دستگاه) is the standard musical system in Persian art music, standardised in the 19th century following the transition of Persian music from the Maqam modal system. A consists of a collection of musical melodies, . In a son ...

s
''Segāh''''Chahārgāh''''Homāyoun''''Esfahān''''Afshāri''
* A sample of orchestral

in ''Segāh''

, with Ahmad Ebadi playing the ''Setār'', from th
''Barg-e Sabz'', no. 306
. The singer is

Mohammad Reza Shajarian Mohammad-Reza Shajarian ( fa, محمدرضا شجريان; , 23 September 1940 – 8 October 2020) was an Iranian singer and master (''Ostad'') of Persian traditional music. He was also known for his skills in Persian calligraphy and humanitari ...

, singing a ''

ghazal The ''ghazal'' ( ar, غَزَل, bn, গজল, Hindi-Urdu: /, fa, غزل, az, qəzəl, tr, gazel, tm, gazal, uz, gʻazal, gu, ગઝલ) is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. A ghazal may be understood as a ...

'' by Saadi. Other players are ''Assadollah Malek'',

Violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

, and ''Jahangir Malek'',

Tonbak The ''tombak'' ( Persian: تمبک), ''tonbak'' (تنبک), or ''zarb'' (ضَرب) is an Iranian goblet drum. It is considered the principal percussion instrument of Persian music. The tombak is normally positioned diagonally across the torso ...

. The poems, by ''

Jami Nūr ad-Dīn 'Abd ar-Rahmān Jāmī ( fa, نورالدین عبدالرحمن جامی; 7 November 1414 – 9 November 1492), also known as Mawlanā Nūr al-Dīn 'Abd al-Rahmān or Abd-Al-Rahmān Nur-Al-Din Muhammad Dashti, or simply as J ...

'' and ''Kamal Esmail'', are read by ''Roshanak''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ebadi, Ahmad 1906 births 1993 deaths Burials at Emamzadeh Taher Iranian setar players Musicians from Tehran Persian classical musicians 20th-century Iranian people