Mirza Abdollah, also known as Agha Mirza Abdollah Farahani (‎; 1843–1918), was a

tar Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black b ...

and

setar A setar (, ) (lit: "Three String (music), Strings") is a stringed instrument, a type of lute used in Persian traditional music, played solo or accompanying voice. It is a member of the tanbur family of long-necked lutes with a range of more than ...

player. He is among the most significant

musicians A musician is someone who Composer, composes, Conducting, conducts, or Performing arts#Performers, performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general Terminology, term used to designate a person who fol ...

in Iran's history. Born in

Shiraz Shiraz (; ) is the List of largest cities of Iran, fifth-most-populous city of Iran and the capital of Fars province, which has been historically known as Pars (Sasanian province), Pars () and Persis. As of the 2016 national census, the popu ...

, he and his younger brother

Mirza Hossein-Qoli Mirza Hossein-Qoli (‎; 1853–1916), also known as ''Agha Mirza Hosseingholi Farahani'', was a musician and tar player of the Qajar era. He and his older brother Mirza Abdollah started learning music Music is the arrangement of sound ...

started learning music from their father Ali Akbar Farahani who was a well-known musician. He is best known for his

radif In Persian poetry, Persian, Turkic, and Urdu poetry, Urdu ghazals, the ''radīf'' (from Arabic ; ; ; ; ; ) is the word which must end each line of the first couplet and the second line of all the following couplets. It is preceded by a ''qafiya'' ...

for

and

and for his fruitful music lessons.

Abolhasan Saba Abolhasan Saba (; April 15, 1902 – December 19, 1957) was a renowned Iranian composer, violinist, and setar player. Biography He was born in Tehran to Abul Qasim Khan ''Kamal ol-Saltaneh'', son of Mohammad Jafar Khan ''Sadr ol-Hekma'', son of ...

, Esmaeil Ghahremani and

Ali-Naqi Vaziri Ali-Naqi Vaziri (; October 1, 1886 in Tehran – September 9, 1979) was a composer, thinker and a celebrated player of the tar. He is considered a revolutionary icon in the history of 20th-century Persian music. His name was also transcribed a ...

were among his students. Mírzá 'Abdu'lláh was one of the most influential masters of Persian classical music. Because of his desire to collect and assemble a large repertoire of traditional pieces, and because of his generosity of spirit, and his willingness to teach others, the particular rendition of Persian music he collected has become the most widely known and the most practiced among contemporary Persian musicians. His association with the Bahá'í faith, and mystical orders, was certainly an influence on his openness, his generosity, and his desire to broaden the basis of the musical tradition, both in content and practice. His reputation for tolerance, patience, generosity, spirituality, and modesty is regarded by present-day artists as a model for the true musician. The correspondence he received from `Abdu'l-Bahá suggested the preservation and expansion of the classical musical tradition, urged the uplifting of that tradition from its preoccupation with themes of suffering, sadness and regret to those of hope, reunion, and spiritual joy, and unambiguously legitimized the musical tradition of Iran and the profession of the musician in the Bahá'í religion. Certainly in his performance, his teaching, and his transformation of the radif Mirza 'Abdu'lláh followed these exhortations and was able to greatly influence future generations of musicians. His work enabled Persian music to prosper on a strong foundation, making him a major figure in the revival of art and culture that sprang out of nineteenth century Iran. :

Notable students

Darvish Khan Darvish Khan (, Gholam Hossein Darvish; 1872 – 22 November 1926) was a Persian classical musician and a tar player.http://www.hamshahrionline.ir/news.aspx?id=44944 Biography Darvish Khan was born in Tehran. His teachers included his father a ...

* Ali Naqi Vaziri *

Ahmad Ebadi Ahmad Ebādi (; 1906 – 1993) was an Iranian musician and setar player. Born in Tehran, he was a member of the most extraordinary family of Iranian music. Ahmad's father, Mirza Abdollah, is arguably the most influential figure in Persian tradit ...

References

* Kazemi, Bahman, Farahani, Mehdi, Vahraz PourAhmad'' Call of Honor'', Iranian academy for the Arts, Iran, Tehran, 2011

Bibliography

* *Caton, Margaret. ''Baha'i Influences on Mirza Abdollah, Qajar Court Musician and Master of the Radif.'' In

Juan Cole John Ricardo Irfan "Juan" Cole (born October 23, 1952) is an American academic and commentator on the modern Middle East and South Asia. Dead link; no archive located. He is Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History at the University ...

Moojan Momen Moojan Momen (b. 1950) is a retired physician and historian specializing in Baháʼí studies who has published numerous books and articles about the Baháʼí Faith and Islam, especially Shia Islam, including for Encyclopædia Iranica the British ...

, "Studies in Babi and Baha'i History, Vol II: From Iran East & West," Kalimat Press, 1984, pp. 30–64. {{DEFAULTSORT:Abdollah, Mirza 1843 births 1918 deaths Iranian setar players Iranian tar players Iranian music educators Musicians from Tehran Iranian classical musicians 19th-century Iranian musicians 20th-century Iranian musicians People of Qajar Iran