Rhythmic Texture of Iranian Music: A Performance Analysis of Mahoor Tasnif by M. Tabrizi-zadeh and Dj. Chemirani (original) (raw)

2023, Analytical Approaches to World Music Journal

Most scholars recognize the Constitutional Revolution of 1905 as the birthday of modernity in Iran. However, musical modernity can be traced back to 1851 and the opening of the first modern school (dar ul-funun). Consequent socio-economic developments ushered in an era of change for music and musicians. Among these changes was the independence of performers from royal patronage, the elevation of artists’ status to an elite class, the rise of music intellectualism, and the re-establishment of the role of the composer. Regarding instruments, the tombak (goblet drum) seems to have undergone the most significant transformation in Iranian music. In the past this instrument functioned as accompaniment, either in an ensemble or for self-accompanying singers. Based on early gramophone recordings from 1900, accompaniment techniques of tombak were quite limited, as performers either made repetitive use of an ostinato with slight variations, or imitated the melody. Moreover, we know from historical sources that tombak players were not considered serious musicians. In this era, musicians were not respected in society, other than the few that directly served the king. But even among musicians, tombak players had a lower status. Both these musical and social characteristics changed immensely in the modern era, which culminated in the reshaping of the tradition of rhythmic performance. In this paper, I trace the journey rhythm and tombak took to enter the modern world. I begin by constructing a genealogy of Tehrani’s school of tombak from Tehrani himself to the earliest recorded tombak pedagogue, using primary historical sources. Afterwards, through transcription and analysis of a kamancheh and tombak duo, accompaniment techniques and rhythmic texture of this tradition post-Tehrani are analyzed. This historical comparison showcases how the rhythmic texture of pre-modern Iranian classical music evolved into the complex patterns and techniques characteristic of contemporary performance. Although previous studies have been conducted on both the tradition of rhythm and tombak in Iran, none have studied the patterns and techniques of tombak performance in fixed-meter rhythmic pieces. Keywords: Tombak - Zarb - Zarbi - Ethnomusicology - Performance Studies - Rhythmic Analysis - World Music Analysis - Iranian Music - Persian Music - Radif - Dastgah - Tasnif