I decided to research the history of music in Iran since I do not know much about it. There were four main genres that i discovered: classical, symphonic,folk, and pop. This made me wonder if each genre of music carried some of the same historical characteristics as American music. I will discuss each genre and give an example of music from the specific era. One genre that is often ignored when it comes to research is Iranian rap, but I discovered that on my own academic quest.
First, Classical music was deeply rooted in the Sassanid era. The Sasssanid era was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire. After this era, the country name shifted from "Persia" to what is know as Iran today. Classical music at this time was reserved for the royal courts of the monarchy. This is comparative to early music in America which was seen as a form of entertainment for the upper class. Classical music was well written and "classy," so it is not surprising that the elite felt entitled to this genre. This music also gained popularity in Iran after it was able to be recorded on cassette tapes in later years. I found an interesting fact about women in classical music. They were not allowed to sing solos for male audiences, but were allowed to do so if they were singing for females. Early Classical music in America was male-dominated as well and males would dress as females if a female was ever needed.
The symphonic era in Iran was also interesting. It is believed that operatic music developed in Iran long before it was picked up in Europe. A common sub-genre is Tazeeieh, which is very dramatic and emotionally driven. The audiences are so emotionally attached to this music based on videos I've seen.
Folk music in Iran is connected to classical music as far as the emotions go.Folk music strays away from the usage on instruments. The vocals set the mood for the song rather than using instruments to set the tone. There is much room for improvisation in Iranian folk music as well.
Maryam Akhondy is a in a category of her own because she is a classical Iranian singer. It is very rare to find women who are able to have a career period and especially one as a singer. This is because of general customs and norms in Iranian society.
Female Iranian Classical Singer
Pop music emerged in Iran in the 1950s after the guitar was introduced and became increasing popular in the late 1970s. This as a result of the Iranian Revolution and many artists fled to the U.S. to pursue their careers.
Comments
This is terrific! Thanks so much for putting this together.