Music in Sassanid Iran

Persian classical music dates to the sixth century BC; during the time of the Achaemenid Empire (550-331 B.C.), music played an important role in prayer and in royal and national events. The history of musical performance in Sassanid Iran is however better documented than earlier periods. This is specially more evident in the context of Zoroastrian ritual. Persian music had its zenith during the Sassanid dynasty from 224 until 651 AD. In this era, many of Persian music’s dastgahs and modes were invented, most of them by Barbod (550 AD). He employed 30 sounds for music. Dance and chanson were prevalent in court banquets. It said that on several occasions Persian musicians and dancers were gifted to the court of Chinese emperors by Sassanid kings, implying the high reputation and virtuosity of Persian musicians and dancers in that era. Another important role that music played was in the reception of foreign diplomats and kings from neighbouring countries, such as Byzantine or Hephthalites. By the time of Xusro Parviz (591-628) the Sassanid royal court was the host of prominent musicians such as Ramtin, Bamshad, Nakisa, Azad, Sarkash, and Barbad. Among these survived names, Barbad is remembered in much documents and has been named as remarkably high skilled. Barbad may have invented the lute and the musical tradition that was to transform into the Maqam tradition and eventually the Dastgah music. He has been credited to have given an organisation of musical system consisting of seven “Royal modes” named Xosrovani, thirty derivated modes named lahn, and 360 melodies named dastan. These numbers are in accordance with Sassanid’s calendar of number of days in a week, month, and year. The theories these modal system were based on are not known, however the writers of later period have left a list of these modes and melodies. These names include some of epic forms such as kin-e Iraj (lit. the Vengeance of Iraj), kin-e siavash (lit. the Vengeance of Siavash), and Taxt-e Ardashir (lit. the Throne of Ardashir) and some connected with the glories of Sassanid royal court such as Bagh-e shirin (lit the garden of Shirin), Bagh-e Shahryar (lit. the Sovereign’s Garden), and haft Ganj (lit. the seven threasures). There are also some of a descriptive nature like roshan cheragh (lit. bright lights).

In general the period of Xosroparvis reign is regarded as an “golden age of Iranian music” and himself is shown in a large relief at Taq-e Bostan among his musicians and himself holding bow and arrows and while standing in a boat amidst a group of harpists.The relief depicts two boats and the whole picture shows these boats at “two successive moments within the same panel”.

Taq-e Bostan carving, Women playing harp while the king is hunting.

Instruments

The musical instruments which appear distinctly on the Sassanid sculptures are the harp, the horn, the Daf, the drum and the flute or pipe. The harp is triangular, and has seven strings; it is held in the lap, and played apparently by both hands. The drum is of small size. The horns and pipes are too crudely represented for their exact character to be apparent. Concerted pieces seem to have been sometimes played by harpers only, of whom as many as ten or twelve joined in the execution. Mixed bands were more numerous. In one instance the number of performers amounts to twenty?six, of whom seven play the harp, an equal number the flute or pipe, three the horn, one the drum, while eight are too slightly rendered for their instruments to be recognized. A portion of the musicians occupy an elevated orchestra, to which there is access by a flight of steps.

Famous Sassanid musicians

Female musicians accompanying king during hunting, Taq-e Bostan.

By the time of Xusro Parviz, the Sassanid royal court was the host of prominent musicians such as

Ramtin

He was also a remarkable musician.

Bamshad

He was another court musician of Khosrau II. He used to play early morning (dawn) songs which could please the king and people and bring happiness to the society.

Nakisa

She was also the court musician of the Sassanid Empire. The main theme of her songs were in praise of King Khosrau II. The main instrument that she played was a harp. (written by Zahra Neshat-Taherzadeh)

Azad

Sarkash

Though not as renowned as Barbod or Nakisa, he was a remarkable musician.

Barbad

Barbad is remembered in much documents and has been named as remarkably high skilled. He has been credited to have given an organisation of musical system consisting of seven “Royal modes” named Xosrovani, thirty derivative modes named lahn, and 360 melodies named dastan. These numbers are in accordance with Sassanid’s calendar of number of days in a week, month, and year.^[2] The theories based on which these modal system was based are not known, however the writers of later period have left a list of these modes and melodies. These names include some of epic forms such as kin-e Iraj (lit. the Vengeance of Iraj), kin-e siavash (lit. the Vengeance of Siavash), and Taxt-e Ardashir (lit. the Throne of Ardashir) and some connected with the glories of Sassanid royal court such as Bagh-e shirin (lit the garden of Shirin), Bagh-e Shahryar (lit. the Sovereign’s Garden), and haft Ganj (lit. the seven threasures). There are also some of a descriptive nature like roshan cheragh (lit. bright lights).^[2]

Iran has thousands of years of history, as seen in the archeological documents of Elam, one of the earliest world culture, which was located in southwestern Iran. There is a distinction between the science of Music, or Musicology, which, as a branch of mathematics has always been held in high regards in Persia/Iran; as opposed to Music performance, (Tarab, Navakhteh, Tasneef, Taraneh or more recently Muzik), which has had an uneasy and often acrimonious relationship with the religious authorities and, in times of religious revival, with society as a whole.

In ancient Persia musicians held socially respectable positions. We know that the Elamites and the Achemenians certainly made use of musicians but we do not know what that music was like. During the Parthian era, troubadours or Gosans were highly sought after as entertainers. There are theories in Academia that perhaps the early Dari Poets of Eastern Iran like Roudaki were in fact Gosans.

Three centuries after Barbod’s death, Farabi (872- 971) made a record of all the musical pieces of his period and described the ancient note recording method. About 2,000 musical works and melodies and relics of that period have been passed on to us, including pieces from Barbod, Armove and Maraghi so that this music can be performed and played at present. Even after Islam, Persian Musicians did not disappear: Zaryab is often credited with being the greatest influence over Andalusian and Spanish music. Farabi and Avicenna were not only musical theorist but adept at the lute and the Ney respectively.

Traditional Hierarchies of Authenticity and Value

The position of a particular work of music often depends on the music genre and its relationship to music theory. The academic Authentic Persian Music (Musiq-i-Asil) is strongly based on the theories of sonic aesthetics as expounded by the likes of Farabi and Shirazi in the early centuries of Islam. It also preserves melodic formula that are often attributed to the musicians of the Persian imperial court of Khosroe Parviz in the Sassanid Period. Dastgah is the music of those who have a greater share of, or affect to be in possession of, refined taste and high culture and as such, in spite of its present popularity, has always been the preserve of the elite. However, the influence of Dastgah can not be underestimated as it is seen as the reservoir of authenticity that other forms of musical genres derive melodic and performance ideas and inspiration.

Other genres of respectable music were not as soundly based in abstract theory, but from a utilitarian point of view were useful. To this group belongs the martial music of Persia (Musiqi Razmi), whose roots go back to the Parthian era (247 BC – 224 AD), as attested by Roman sources. This form of music has now been almost completely replaced by European forms ever since the modernization of the armed forces. This type of music with large drums, brass and reed instruments was used not only at war but also in official and solemn occasions. The Naqareh Khaneh or the house of drum, the chief exponent of this type of music survived into the Qajar Period (1794 – 1925), but by this time much of the expertise, fostered during the Safavid era (1502 – 1722), had disappeared. The only trace of this form of music in a much simplified form is the music of the Zurkhaneh, the traditional martial arts of Iran, where the exercises of champions (Pahlavan, literally Parthians) is regulated by a drummer / vocalist known as the Murshid.

Religious music as a category for music is not a musicologically homogeneous genre. The Shiite passion plays depicting the martyrdom of Imam Hussein have its beginnings in the martial music of Iran. Similarly Sufi music, though having set traditions of its own such as the use of the mystical instrument daf and a set compendium of librettos in Persian mystical poetry, is nevertheless perhaps closest to Dastgah music but enjoys a greater freedom of composition and is rhythmically more sophisticated.

The recitation of the Koran is not considered music by Muslims, but something more sublime. Similarly, religious liturgy or Noheh is a category of improvised song, but is never discussed in musical terms.

Hafez (1310-1389) was a Persian mystic and poet, born in He was born sometime between the years 1310 and 1337 in Shiraz, Persia (Iran), son of a certain Baha-ud-Din. His lyrical poems, ghazals are noted for their beauty and bring to fruition the love, mysticism, and early Sufi themes that had long pervaded Persian poetry. Moreover, his poetry possessed elements of modern surrealism.[1]