A Historical Overview of Iranian Music Pedagogy

australiaa n societ s y fo r mumsic education e A historical overview of Iranian i ncorporated music pedagogy (1905-2014) Arya Bastaninezhad Tehran Music School, Iran; Monash University, Australia Abstract This article examines the recent developments and changes concerning Iranian music education from the constitutional revolution of 1905 to 2014. This concentrates on the five major chronological events referred to as Nationalism, Modernism, Conservatism, Neo-Traditionalism (Shirin-navazi) and Revivalism of the Traditions. This provides a source of basic information necessary for better understanding of the current challenges confronting research into Iranian music education. Key words: Iranian music education; Iranian instrumental music teaching; pedagogical trends. Australian Journal of Music Education 2014:2,5-22 Introduction The gap in the existing literature To understand recent developments concerning Despite the need for a comprehensive Iranian music education in the twentieth century, investigation into Iranian instrumental music a social, cultural and musical overview of the pedagogy, there has been a dearth of literature past is necessary. This research investigates the that focus on vocal and instrumental pedagogy development of Iranian instrumental music (Farhat, 1998). Most of the literature pertaining teaching and learning from the pre-revolutionary to Iranian music education, such as the Gharavi period, specifically the Iranian constitutional (1979), although providing useful information, revolution (1905), to the present (2014). It generally concentrates on a specific period discusses the five main chronological trends: of time, such as the Pahlavi era (1925-1979), Nationalism, Modernism, Conservatism, Neo- and does not make pedagogical connections Traditionalism (Shirin-navazi) and Revivalism between the key historical events and their of the Traditions. The chronological order of impact on current events in Iran. There is almost the pedagogical trends is linked to and aligned no research on post-revolutionary Iranian music with the cultural and socio-political events pedagogy, from 1979 to 2010, even though this during the twentieth century. The significance period has brought massive change. Despite of this information is to pursue the critical the growing importance of music education changes in Iranian music pedagogy and the methods, nothing has been written about this interconnectedness between the mainstream Iranian pedagogical history. In particular, the pedagogical trends from those introduced by great musical training and activity that is taking international musicians in the mid 1950s to the place in Tehran and other Iranian cities in the hybridized education system introduced by promotion of Iranian pedagogy in the post- Iranian modernist Vaziri (1887-1979), and more revolutionary (1979) era appears to have totally recently by Iranian universities to teach tertiary escaped the attention of scholars. music students. Australian Journal of Music Education 5 Bastaninezhad Nationalism had major consequences for Iranian society. One of the most important effects was to bridge the Iran underwent five major events in the twentieth gap between musicians who had been employed century: a constitutional revolution (1905); the by the court for hundreds of years, and society. Mossadeq (1882-1967) project; the insurrection of the fifth of June 1973; the Islamic Revolution of 1979; and recently the post-election Modernization of Iranian music education challenges of June 2009. The constitutional The constitutional Revolution (1905) coincided revolution is characterized as the turning point with a movement to acquaint Iran with Western among these events. Despite the defeat of the civilization through intellectuals trained largely in Qajar dynasty which ushered in relative social Europe and the United States of America (USA). freedoms, the constitutional revolution of 1905 This reinforced Iranian’s desire in the twentieth could also be considered as marking the onset century to encourage independent thinking by of Western influence on nearly all aspects of means of Westernization. However, the revolution life – sociological, political and philosophical largely ignored indigenous ideas, making Iran – including ideologies such as those of Hegel a receiver rather than a confronter of Western and Marx (Lotfi, 2009; Hojati, 1997). Following culture. Thus Iranians tended to accept Western the revolution of 1905, anti-Westernization influences without question. This might have movements were undertaken in the music been because of the hospitality of Iranians, who field by traditionalists such as Aref Ghazvini sometimes as hosts disregard their own interests (1882-1934), a noted Iranian lyricist, musician (Alizadeh, 2005). This outlook led to important and poet. Aref wrote many pro-revolutionary consequences. and political songs that largely contributed to the formation of a political-patriotic genre 1. Iranian Romanticism known as tasnif.1 Tasnif flourished and became the leading popular nationalistic genre of the The Iranian romanticism movement developed period. Tasnif was initially developed by Sheyda, largely in opposition to Iranian nationalism. In an Iranian poet and musician (1843-1906), in the the music sphere it was primarily represented nineteenth century that reflected more amorous and propagated by Western-trained musicians. and romantic atmospheres and feelings. After The expression “Iranian romanticism” first Aref, Iranian musicians and lyricists such as appeared in Nariman Hojati’s book (1997, Morteza Neydavud (performer and composer, p.136) in 1997. It flourished until the late 1970s. 1901-1990), Mirzadeh Eshghi (political writer With its emphasis on French language and and poet, 1893-1924), Malekoshoara Bahar literature, Iranian romanticism was a response (poet and historian, 1884-1951) and Amir to a cultural disillusionment with Persian culture Jahed (composer and poet, 1895-1977) were that followed from the perceived inferiority major figures in developing the tasnif form by of the East compared with the West. Iranian extensively composing in and documenting this romanticism was influenced by French novelists form (Caton, 1983). The constitutional revolution and artists and was further developed by Iranian of 1906 was accompanied by a new atmosphere modernists who were inspired by, or trained, in of social consciousness in which mystic and France. Iranian romanticists were keen to unite romantic ideologies were largely superseded by songs, lyrics and novels that expressed emotional ‘nationalistic’ genres and contexts. This evolution states, nationalism, philanthropy and liberalism, such as the lyrics Shod Khazaan and Elahey-e Naz, and the novel Shams o Toqra. Iranian authors 1. Tasnif can be defined as a measured song in which a solo singer’s voice is accompanied by an instrumental ensemble. became familiar with French literature through 6 2014, No. 2 History of Iranian music pedagogy translations of the works of Victor Hugo (1802- “Russian army system and [its] polytechnic school 1885) and Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870). Nima in 1828, Amir Kabir ordered Darol-Fonun to be Yooshij released Iranian classical poems from their established in Tehran as a polytechnic school in traditional prosodic measures, an initiative that 1850” (Khoshzamir, 1979, p.28). The establishment resulted in a change in the aesthetic appreciation of Darol-Fonun marked a turning point in the of not only poets, but also musicians such as Vaziri. modernization of Iran’s educational system. Another facet of the Iranian romanticist Among the many subjects taught there were attitude manifested in both literature and music mathematics, cavalry, medicine, geology, and was a rekindled interest in the magnificence pharmacology. Subsequently music and painting of ancient Iran. Over the first decades of the were added to the Darol-Fonun program. twentieth century, the revival of the cultural and In 1856, a number of French counsellors historical values of pre-Islamic Iran was strongly were dispatched to Tehran to undertake the patronized by the new ruler, Reza Shah. He was modernization of the Iranian army. Among these a leading modernist and saw himself as heir to counsellors were two musicians, Bousquet and the kings of ancient Iran; therefore, it seemed his assistant, Rouillon. They began to teach appropriate to return the country to its original Western pieces of music to Iranian students, title Iran. Changing the country’s name from preparing them for the creation of a marching Persia to Iran was first recommended by Saeed band for official occasions such as imperial Nafisi (1896-1966), a noted Iranian scholar, writer ceremonies (Victore Advielle, 1885, quoted in and poet, and was ultimately approved by Reza Khoshzamir 1979). It is important to note that Shah in 1934. The revival of Iranian literature all of the textbooks, such as those on Western and history by Nafisi and other intellectuals harmony, instrumentation and theory of music, such as Mohammad Ali Foruqi and Hassan were brought from France and later translated Taqizade, was reflected in both Iran’s modern into Parsi. Nevertheless, Bousquet and Rouillon music and literature. Vaziri and his disciples were not successful in training the students and believed that Iranian music had badly declined could not satisfy Nasereddin Shah’s desire to have since the Arab conquest (633-644 A.C) due to a Western-style marching band (Khoshzamir, Islam exerting religious restrictions. According

Load more