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Iranian folk music refers to thefolk music transmitted through generations among the people ofIran, often consisting of tunes that exist in numerous variants.
The variance of the folk music of Iran has often been stressed, in accordance to the cultural diversity ofthe country's ethnic and regional groups.[1] Musical influences from Iran, such as the ancient folkloric chants for group dances and spells directed at natural elements and cataclysms, have also been observed in theCaucasus.[2]
Iran's folk, ceremonial, and popular songs might be considered "vernacular", in the sense that they are known and appreciated by a major part of the society, as opposed tothe country's art music, which belongs for the most part to the intellectuals.[1]
Folkloric items, such as folk-tales, riddles, songs, and everyday-life narratives, were collected through the discovery and translation of theAvesta, that is a collection of ancient Iranian religious texts.[3] In classical Iran,minstrels (gōsān;huniyāgar) had a prominent role in the society.[4] They performed for their audiences atroyal courts[5] and in public theaters.[4]Ancient Greek historianPlutarch, in hisLife of Crassus (32.3), reports that they praised their national heroes and ridiculed their Roman rivals. Likewise,Strabo'sGeographica reports that theParthian youth were taught songs about "the deeds both of the gods and of the noblest men".[6]
Themodal concepts in Iranian folk music are linked to those of the country'sclassical music. Many of Iran's folk songs have the potential of being adapted intomajor orminor tonalities,[7] and Iranian singers of both classical and folk music mayimprovise the lyric and the melody within the appropriatemusical mode.[8] Experiments and influences from Iran's folk music have been incorporated into the musical appearance oftasnif, that is a type of vocal composition in Iranian classical music.[9] Composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries used the folk music of their native countries as a source of inspiration for their compositions. Iranian folk songs were incorporated into musical compositions that were produced within the parameters of classical Iranian modes, combined with western musical harmonies.[7] Elements deriving from Iran's folk and classical music have been combined and used also inthe pop music.[1]
Iranian folk music is categorized in various themes, and includes historical, social, religious, and nostalgic contexts. There are folk songs that apply to particular occasions, such as weddings and harvests, as well as lullabies, children's songs, and riddles.[10] Thepoetic meter ofdo-beyti ("two-couplet"), often sung in the Iranian vocal mode ofāvāz-e dašti, is closely associated with Iranian folk tunes.[11]
Ru howzi, a musical comedy inIran's traditional theater, involves loose paraphrases of stories from Iranian folklore and classical literature that are already known to the audience. The stories contain funny remarks that are improvised and indicate social and cultural concepts. Traditionally, ru howzi was performed on stages made of boards that were covered with rugs and were put on a small pool (howz) in the courtyard.[12]
Musical instruments of various sorts are used in Iran's traditional music, some of which belong to specific groups. Three types of instruments are common to all parts of the country, namelysorna (karnay,zurna),ney (flute), and a doubleheader drum calleddohol.[citation needed]
Iranian folk musicians usually learn their art from their families. There are several types of traditional specialists of folk music in Iran, some of whom belong to specific ethnic and regional groups. Professional folk instrumentalists and vocalists (motreb) perform at formal ceremonial events such as weddings. Storytellers (naqqāl;gōsān) would recite epic poetry, such as that of Iran's long epic poem ofŠāhnāme, using traditional melodic forms that are interspersed with spoken commentary, which is a practice found also inCentral Asian andBalkan musical traditions. Thebakshy (baxši), wandering minstrels who play thedotar, entertain their audiences at social gatherings with romantic ballads about warriors and warlords. There are alsolament singers (rowze-xān), who recite verses that would commemorate the martyrdom of religious figures.[1] and also there are many notable and top-notched scholars and ethnomusicologists who have studied on Persian folk music around different ethnicities to collect and analyze the Iranian folk music. Among themMorteza Hannaneh, Bahman Kazemi, &Mohammad-Reza Darvishi have had a deep authentic researchers on Iranian folk music.[13]
Many of Iran's old folkloric songs were revitalized through a project developed by theInstitute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults, a cultural and educational institute that was founded under the patronage of Iran's former empressFarah Pahlavi in 1965. They were produced in a collection of quality recordings, performed by professional Iranian vocalists such asPari Zanganeh,Monir Vakili, and Minoo Javan, and were remarkably influential in Iran's both folk and pop music productions.[14]
In 1997, the Americanjazz fusion ensemblePat Metheny Group released an album namedImaginary Day that contained inspirations from the folk music of Iran.[citation needed] The album was awarded aGrammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album in 1999.
In 2006, prominent musiciansHossein Alizâdeh andDjivan Gasparyan produced a collaborative album of traditional Iranian and Armenian songs namedEndless Vision,[15] originally recorded at theNiavaran Palace ofTehran.[16] It was nominated for aGrammy Award for Best Traditional World Music Album in 2007.[17]
In 2007,Baluch folklore vocalistMulla Kamal Khan was awarded at a ceremony by grand master of traditional Iranian musicMohammad-Reza Shajarian for his contribution to the folk music ofIran's southeastern region of Baluchestan.[18]
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