Knowra Faramarz Payvar Faramarz Payvar Faramarz Payvar (1933–2009) was an Iranian santur virtuoso, composer, and educator who shaped modern performance and teaching of Persian classical music.
Abdolhossein Saba : Abdolhossein Saba was an Iranian musician and teacher who helped shape twentieth-century Persian classical music. Saba taught Payvar santur and connected him to a major lineage of Persian music.
Santur : The santur is a hammered dulcimer with strings stretched over a trapezoidal wooden body. Payvar made the santur his principal instrument and expanded its concert repertoire.
Santur performance : Santur performance uses small wooden mallets to strike strings, producing rapid, ringing melodic patterns. Payvar’s virtuosity demonstrated the instrument’s range as a solo and ensemble voice.
Santur technique : Santur technique comprises methods of striking, damping, ornamenting, and coordinating the instrument’s strings. Payvar developed demanding techniques that broadened the santur’s expressive and virtuosic possibilities.
Hossein Tehrani : Hossein Tehrani was an Iranian tombak player who established the drum as a prominent solo instrument in Persian music. Payvar collaborated with Tehrani in performances that brought santur and tombak together.
Dastgah : Dastgah is the modal system organizing the melodic frameworks of Persian classical music. Payvar’s performances and compositions draw on the dastgah system’s modal frameworks.
Persian music education : Persian music education transmits instruments, repertory, modal practice, and performance conventions through lessons and apprenticeship. Payvar taught students and systematized santur instruction for later generations.
Persian music notation : Persian music notation uses written symbols to record pitches, rhythms, and performance details of the tradition. Payvar’s teaching and published instructional work helped make santur repertory more teachable in writing.
Mohammad Reza Shajarian : Mohammad Reza Shajarian was an Iranian vocalist known for performances of Persian classical music. Payvar accompanied Shajarian, joining his santur work to one of Iran’s leading classical voices.
Radif : The radif is a repertory of melodic figures that forms the foundation of Persian classical music. Payvar taught and performed within the radif tradition, preserving its melodies for santur.
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