History of Music in Iran

The Iran music has thousands of years of history, as seen in the archeological documents of Elam, the earliest cultures, which was situated in the southwestern Iran. There is a difference between the science of music, or musicology, which, as a branch of mathematics has always been held in high concerns in Persian/Iran; as opposed to music performance (Tarab, Navakhteh, Tasneef, Taraneh or more currently Muzik), which has had an anxious and often bitter relationship with the religious authorities and, in times of religious restoration, with the society as a whole.

source of picture: fouman.com

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

The history of musical performance in Sassanid Iran is however better documented than earlier eras. This is especially more evident in the context of Zoroastrian ritual. By the time of Xusro Parviz the Sassanid royal court was the host of prominent artists like Ramtin, Bamshad, Nakisa, Azad,Sarkah and Barbad Among these survived names, Barbad is remembered in much documents and has been named as remarkably high skilled. He has been credited to have given an organization of musical system comprising of seven "Royal modes" named Xosrovani, thirty derived 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, though the writers of later period have left a list of these modes and melodies. These names include some of epic forms such askin-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 linked with the glories of Sassanid royal court like Bagh-e shirin (lit the garden of Shirin), Bagh-e Shahryar (literally means the Sovereign's Garden), and haft Ganj (lit. the seven threasures). There are also some of descriptive natures such as the roshan cheragh (literally means bright lights).

In general, the period of Xosroparvis administration is regarded as a "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 among an orchestra of harpists. The relief depicts two boats and the whole picture shows these boats at "two successive moments within the same panel.

Barbad may have designed the lute and the musical tradition that was to transform into the Maqam tradition and eventually the Dastgah music.

Even after Islam Persian artists did not disappear: Zarvab is often credited with being the greatest influence over Andalusia and Spanish music.  Farabi and Avicenna were not only musical theorist but adept at the lute and the Ney respectively.