Darvish Khan (1872-1926)
Persian Classical Music
Performed by Iran National Orchestra
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 country’s classical, medieval, and contemporary eras. It also influenced areas and regions that are considered part of Greater Iran.
Due to the exchange of musical science throughout history, many of Iran’s classical modes are related to those of its neighboring cultures.
Iran’s classical art music continues to function as a spiritual tool, as it has throughout history, and much less of a recreational activity. It belongs for the most part to the social elite, as opposed to the folkloric and popular music, in which the society as a whole participates. However, components of Iran’s classical music have also been incorporated into folk and pop music compositions. -Wikipedia
1872-1926
Darvish Khan
Gholāmhossein Darvish, known as Darvish Khan, born in 1872 a Tehran is a famous musician and teacher of music traditional Iranian in the last period of the Qajar. Gholāmhossein at the age of ten attended the music branch of the Nezām school dependent on Dar ol-Fonun, where he learned the musical notes and learned to play the small tabl (sort of drum, or timpano).
After years of playing with the tar (long-handled lute) and in particular the setar (three-stringed lute and a beaded lute) his skill was shown and he became the best pupil of his master reaching a high level.
Darvish, with the organization of teaching classes for music lovers and tar and setar, formed an orchestra and directed public concerts, with the aim of making Iran’s music more popular and took initiatives to help to assist the needy and the afflicted.
A concert to raise funds for the needy of Russia, one to create the school of culture, one for the citizens of Āmol who had suffered a fire, one to rebuild the ruins as a result of the destruction of the bazaar and also one for the looted of Urumyeh, all these initiatives bear witness to his efforts in this direction.
Darvish was also endowed with a particular talent, and this made him invent some forms of Iranian music among which we can mention the stabilization of the reng (rhythm, the “dance” used above all as the end of the musical performance), the invention of dar āmad (prelude) and the addition of the sixth string to the tar.
He divided the Iranian dastgāh (modal scales identified in various repertoires of melodies) into seven sections and composed numerous songs of which only 22 remained (seven pish dar āmad, ie preludes, six tasnifs, sort of “ballad” in which to the metric structure answers a “rhythmic counterpoint” and 9 reng) that make good the idea of his talent and his potential.
He is among the first in Iran to have organized music teaching classes and some famous Iranian musicians were his students.
Darvish Khān died on 22 September 1926 due to an accident (since known as the first victim of car accidents in Iran). On that occasion the newspapers wrote “The Tar Died”.
His mausoleum is in Tehrān.
Credit: The Cultural Institute of Iran
