"Morqe Sahar" ( fa, مرغ سحر) (translated as ''Dawn Bird / Bird of Dawn / The Nightingale'') is an Iranian

tasnif Tasnif ( fa, تصنيف) is one of the several forms of Persian music and can be considered as the Persian equivalent of the ballad. It is a composed song in a slow metre. As is true of other forms of musical composition, most tasnifs are of relativ ...

written by

Mohammad-Taqi Bahar Mohammad-Taqi Bahar ( fa, محمدتقی بهار; also romanized as Mohammad-Taqī Bahār; 10 December 1886 in Mashhad – 22 April 1951 in Tehran), widely known as Malek osh-Sho'arā ( fa, ملک‌الشعراء) and Malek osh-Sho'arā Bahā ...

and composed by

Morteza Neidavoud Morteza Neidavoud ( fa, مرتضی نی‌داوود) (1900–1990) was a prominent master of Persian classical music and a soloist of ''tar''. His 1927 Morq-e sahar (''Dawn bird'') is one of the most famous Persian songs which has been performe ...

in early 20th century under the influence of

Iranian constitutional revolution The Persian Constitutional Revolution ( fa, مشروطیت, Mashrūtiyyat, or ''Enghelāb-e Mashrūteh''), also known as the Constitutional Revolution of Iran, took place between 1905 and 1911. The revolution led to the establishment of a par ...

. Some people say that Bahar wrote this poem while he was in prison but on the other hand, some people say that he didn't write this poem in prison because although Bahar had a tempestuous relationship with

Shah Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...

at that time but He represented the parliament. Morqe Sahar was first recorded, in 1927, by Iranoddole Helen or Taj Esfahani. Moluk Zarrabi is also noted as one of the earliest singers to record Morgh-e sahar. Its content deals with political and social issues. It was later performed by numerous Iranian singers including

Qamar-ol-Moluk Vaziri Qamar-ol-Moluk Vaziri ( fa, قمرالملوک وزیرى ; 1905 – 5 August 1959), born Qamar Khanum Seyed Hosayn Khan ( fa, قمر خانم سید حسین خان), commonly known as "Qamar" ( fa, قمر ), was a celebrated Iranian singer, who w ...

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 humanitaria ...

Leila Forouhar Leila Forouhar ( fa, لیلا فروهر, ''Leilâ Foruhar'') (born 23 February 1959) is an Iranian pop and classical singer. She was a child star, acting from the age of 3. She relocated to next door Turkey in 1986, then to Paris, before emigrat ...

Homayoun Shajarian Homayoun Shajarian ( fa, همايون شجريان, born May 21, 1975) is an Iranian singer. He is the son of Mohammad-Reza Shajarian. Early life Shajarian was born in Tehran and is the son of Mohammad-Reza Shajarian, a grand master vocalist ...

Farhad Mehrad Farhad Mehrad (20 January 1944 – 31 August 2002), commonly known as Farhad, was an Iranian pop, rock, and folk singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist, who released the first English rock and roll album in Iran. He rose to prominence amon ...

Shakila Shakila Mohseni Sedaghat ( fa, شکیلا محسنی صداقت, Šakīlā Moḥsenī Sadāqat), known mononymously as Shakila ( fa, شکیلا, Šakīlā; born May 3, 1962), is an Iranian singer-songwriter based in San Diego, California. She is ...

Mohsen Namjoo Mohsen Namjoo ( fa, محسن نامجو) is an Iranian singer-songwriter, composer and musician. His style of music is influenced by blues and rock as well as Iranian folk music. Early life and education Namjoo was born on 4 March 1976 in Torba ...

, Reza Sadeghi, and Hengameh Akhavan. The song gained heightened popularity as the encore song performed by Maestro Mohammad Reza Shajarian, at the end of every single one of his concerts. It is widely regarded by scholars and academics as "The Unofficial National Anthem for Iranian Freedom".

Lyrics

In popular culture

* Morq-e Sahar (spelled as "Morghe Sahar") was the theme for the Persian civilization in the videogame

Civilization V ''Sid Meier's Civilization V'' is a 4X video game in the ''Civilization'' series developed by Firaxis Games. The game was released on Microsoft Windows on September 21, 2010, on OS X on November 23, 2010, and on Linux on June 10, 2014. In ...

, and also an ambient theme for the Persian civilization in

Civilization VI ''Sid Meier's Civilization VI'' is a turn-based strategy 4X video game developed by Firaxis Games, published by 2K Games, and distributed by Take-Two Interactive. The mobile port was published by Aspyr Media. The latest entry into the ''Civiliz ...

. * Morq-e Sahar (spelled as "Morghe Sahar") was featured as the through line in the Academy Award shortlisted documentary feature, The Voice of Dust and Ash, that tells the life story of Maestro

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 ...

External links

Mohammadreza Shajarian, Tasnif: Morghe Sahar

ENCYCLOPÆDIA IRANICA

References

{{song-stub Persian-language songs