Have you ever wondered what happened to the Oud in Persian music, why it was abandoned, and how it came known to be the main instrument of the Arabs?
I often do… I have not yet found a good answer.
But I can tell you that the Oud is alive and well in Iran now because of the efforts of a few individuals who helped bring it back or keep it alive in Iran like Mansour Nariman, and Abdul Vahab Shahidi.
Today, one of the most famous Oud players from Iran is Hossein Behroozinia.
When Hossein Behroozinia was a young man attending music school his primary instrument of study was the Tar. All students had to choose a secondary instrument to play, so he decided to learn Oud as his secondary instrument. After learning about the history of the Oud and learning that the Oud (known as Barbat) used to be an important instrument in Persian music, Behroozinia was inspired to make this instrument important in Persian music once again. And so his life has been dedicated to re-establishing the Persian Barbat as an indispensable instrument in Persian ensembles and Persian music today. In fact, we have him to thank for young generation that are learning the Oud in Iran now, myself included.
An excellent way to get acquainted with Persian music in general and Persian Oud playing is to listen to his second and third albums:
Kouhestan
Yadestan
The strikingly clear melodies are absolutely awe inspiring. He uses a full-bodied Persian Oud on Kouhestan, whereas in Yadestan and later albums he uses a Persian Barbat. The pieces on these albums are timelessly arranged and timeless in themselves. The repertoire from both these albums comes from folk and old traditional songs. You can really experience a true Persian music lesson. They are by far my favorite all time Persian records for instrumental music.
From Stone to Diamond
I was taking lessons from Hossein Behroozinia when he released this album back in 2006, and he told me that this album is was recorded completely unrehearsed in one go. It features solo Barbat by Hossein Behroozinia, and hand percussion on frame drums and Tombak by Pejman Hadadi. These two have been performing together for almost 20 years or more I’m not surprised they were able to pull this off in one go.
The premise or story line for this album is transformation similar to alchemy. It is the so called journey of the creation of a diamond, hence the name, From Stone to Diamond. You have to listen to this album from start to finish in one go. Indeed, that’s how it was recorded. There are two pieces that improvised upon based on pre-composed themes. Many of the themes from the non-rhythmical improvisations are based upon repertoire from the Persian Radif.
The Persian Radif is a collection of melodic repertoire that is used in teaching music. After the pupil gains the basics of music playing, then the pupil learns these melodies, and commits them to memory. This is what helps the pupil learn how to play authentic music. They can be played as learned or they can be used as a basis to improvise and develop original melody.
Buy the album here: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/behroozinia1
Style
Hossein Behroozinia’s Oud playing style is totally unique in the Middle Eastern world. Unique I mean when compared to Turkish and Arabic Oud playing traditions. He chose to play completely Persian repertoire and style. Even some of the older Oud teachers of his had glimmerings of Arabic or Turkish flare. But his style is a fusion of Oud and Tar technique. Hossein Behroozinia doesn’t play an Arabic Oud, he plays a Persian Barbat. The Persian Barbat is a relatively new re-invention. I say re-invention because it is an attempt to recreate the ancient Barbat of old Persia. He says it better suits Persian music and technique. This is true in many ways. The Barbat has higher action making the sound clearer and allows for the use of pull off techniques used in Persian music.
The Tracks
1. Stone
An introduction meant to introduce the Dastgahe Nava. Dastgahe is a very powerful yet peaceful Dastgah. It is often used when singing philosophical poetry. The playing in this track is all over the place, and I think the idea is to convey the state of stones in nature. No order, total chaos.
2. Dust
A free rhythmical improvisation.
3. Water (Old Song)
This is an old song the name of which has eluded me. I think part of this song is from the Radif, a piece called “Kereshme”, which is found in all of the Dastgah, and there is another part where he plays a melody from Parviz Meshkatian’s Nava Morakab Khani, an album which M. R. Shajarian sung on.
4. Light (Nahoft)
A gushe of the Radif called “Nahoft” which focuses on the 5th degree of Dastgah Nava. It is almost like a mode or a modulation without changing the notes. 5. Wind A stellar original composition in in 17/8. There are 17 beats to each measure, divided up 2+3+2+3+2+2+3, or 5+5+7.
6. Night (Gavesht)
Another gushe from the Radif which features a melodic modulation flattening the 2nd note in the Dastgah to a quarter flat. 7. Day An original arrangement or improvisation of chaharmezrab from the Radif of Mirza Abdollah.
8. Patience (Ashiran)
A return to the main theme of Dastgahe Nava.
9. Diamond
A high energy rhythmical piece that serves as the climax of the whole album and the journey towards diamond.
My Impressions
I like this album because it is very fluid. It flows, it’s a journey, and it’s a story. There is a progression and an arc. The compositions are beautiful and exciting. You can check out a performance that is very similar to the content of the album on my old YouTube channel here:
The Dastgah
The Persian Dastgah are very closely related to the Arabic and Turkish Maqam system. They are very different however. I have been busily working on the Maqam Mastery Program for a few months now, and we are creating a reference guide for Arabic and Turkish Maqamat. I thought it would be a good idea to add a Persian Dastgah section as well since that is the closest to my heart. The result has been very eye opening. We have presented the Dastgah system in a way that has never been presented before. It is presented in such a way as to allow the reader to see the different parts that make up the Dastgah, and be able to relate it to what they already know about Arabic maqamat.
Keep your eyes and ears open for more news regarding the Maqam Mastery Program, it’s almost finished.
If you liked this album review please share it with your friends.
For more about Hossein Behroozinia and his work you can visit his website at http://www.behroozinia.com/.
Photo credit: www.behroozinia.com
