Symphonic music in Iran encompasses

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

ian musical pieces composed in the symphonic style. In addition to instrumental compositions, some of Iran's symphonic pieces are based on the country's folk songs, and some are based on poetry of both classical and contemporary Iranian poets.

History

Ali-Naqi Vaziri, one of the most prominent and influential musicians of the late

Qajar Qajar Iran (), also referred to as Qajar Persia, the Qajar Empire, '. Sublime State of Persia, officially the Sublime State of Iran ( fa, دولت علیّه ایران ') and also known then as the Guarded Domains of Iran ( fa, ممالک م ...

and early Pahlavi periods, established a private music school in 1924, where he also created a school orchestra composed of his students, formed by a combination of the Iranian instrument of

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 bi ...

and some western instruments. Vaziri then founded an association named ''Music Club'' (), formed by a number of progressive-minded writers and scholars, where the school orchestra performed concerts that were conducted by himself. The

Tehran Symphony Orchestra The Tehran Symphony Orchestra (TSO, fa, ارکستر سمفونیک تهران), founded in 1933, is Iran's oldest and largest symphony orchestra. It was founded as the ''Municipality Symphony Orchestra'' by Gholamhossein Minbashian, before enteri ...

() was founded by Gholamhossein Minbashian in 1933. It was reformed by

Parviz Mahmoud Parviz Mahmoud (1910 – 1996) was an Iranian composer and conductor. He was the founder of the Tehran Symphony Orchestra in its modern form. His father Mahmoud Mahmoud (Pahlavi) was a famous Persian writer, researcher and politician. he is son ...

in 1946, and is currently the oldest and largest symphony orchestra in Iran. Later,

Ruhollah Khaleqi Ruhollâh Xâleqi ( fa, , born 1906 in Kerman, Iran – 12 November 1965 in Salzburg, Austria), also spelled as ''Khaleqi'', was a prominent Iranian musician, composer, conductor and author. He was the father of the first Persian women conduct ...

, a student of Vaziri, established the Society for National Music () in 1949. He wrote his musical compositions within the parameters of classical Iranian modes, some of which involved Western triadic harmony. Many of Iran's folk songs have the potential of being adapted into major or minor tonalities, and therefore, a number of Iranian folk songs were arranged for orchestral accompaniment. '' Symphonische Dichtungen aus Persien'' ("Symphonic Poems from Persia"), a collection of Persian symphonic works, was performed by the German

Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra The Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra (German: Nürnberger Symphoniker) is a German orchestra based in Nuremberg. Its principal concert venue is the Meistersingerhalle. The orchestra's current ''Intendant'' (managing and artistic director) is Lucius ...

and conducted by Iranian conductor

Ali Rahbari Ali (Alexander) Rahbari ( fa, علی رهبری; also Romanized as "Alī Rahbarī", ; born 1948) is an Iranian composer and conductor, who has worked with more than 120 European orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic and the Mariinsky Ope ...

in 1980.

Loris Tjeknavorian Loris Haykasi Tjeknavorian ( hy, Լորիս Ճգնավորյան; fa, لوریس چکناواریان; born 13 October 1937) is an Iranian Armenian composer and conductor. He has appeared internationally as a conductor, serving as the principal ...

, a celebrated

Iranian Armenian Iranian-Armenians ( hy, իրանահայեր ''iranahayer''), also known as Persian-Armenians ( hy, պարսկահայեր ''parskahayer''), are Iranians of Armenian ethnicity who may speak Armenian as their first language. Estimates of thei ...

composer and conductor, composed ''

Rostam and Sohrab The tragedy of Rostam and Sohrab forms part of the 10th-century Persian epic ''Shahnameh'' by the Persian poet Ferdowsi. It tells the tragic story of the heroes Rostam and his son, Sohrab.Ebrahimi, Mokhtar & Taheri, Abdollah. (2017). The Tragedy ...

'', an

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

with

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 ...

libretto that is based on the tragedy of ''

'' from prominent medieval Persian poet Ferdowsi's epic poem '' Šāhnāme'', in over two decades. It was first performed by the Tehran Symphony Orchestra at

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 ...

's Roudaki Hall in December 2003.

List of composers

The following are a number of Iranian composers of symphonic music. *

Ahmad Pejman Ahmad Pejman ( fa, احمد پژمان ; born 1935), also spelled as Ahmad Pezhman, is an Iranian classical composer who resides in the United States. Pejman is notable for his operatic and symphonic works. Biography Born in 1935 in Lar, Ira ...

Alireza Mashayekhi Alireza Mashayekhi is an Iranian musician, composer, conductor and academic. He is one of the first composers in Iran to represent avant-garde, modern and contemporary music. He is a pioneer of electroacoustic music in Iran. Early life Mashayekh ...

* Alireza Motevaseli * André Hossein *

Behzad Ranjbaran Behzad Ranjbaran ( fa, بهزاد رنجبران; born 1955, in Tehran, Iran) is a Persian composer, known for his virtuosic concertos and colorful orchestral music. Ranjbaran's music draws from his cultural roots, incorporating Persian musical mo ...

* Fouzieh Majd * Heshmat Sanjari *

Hormoz Farhat Hormoz Farhat ( fa, هرمز فرهت; 9 August 1928 – 16 August 2021) was a Persian-American composer and ethnomusicologist who spent much of his career in Dublin, Ireland. An emeritus professor of music, he was a fellow of Trinity College, ...

* Hossein Alizâdeh * Hossein Dehlavi * Houshang Ostovar *

* Majid Entezami * Mohammad Reza Tafazzoli *

Morteza Hannaneh Morteza Hannaneh ( fa, مرتضی حنانه; March 1, 1923 – October 17, 1989) was an Iranian composer and Musician He composed for some films, such as '' Fleeing the Trap'' in 1971. Musical career He studied Horn at the Tehran Conservatory ...

* Nader Mashayekhi * Reza Vali * Samin Baghtcheban * Shahrdad Rouhani

References

{{Music of Iran Iranian music

History

List of composers

See also

References