Elegies for mourning music in Iran
Music in Iran has a long and ancient history, especially music that has its roots in ancient rituals and traditions, folklores that have become obsolete or forgotten over the years, and perhaps are heard only in some remote cities or rural areas of Iran. One of these traditions is sug (mourning) music, which is the subject of this article.
A music researcher Seyyed Ruhollah Safavi, known by his penname, Aka Safavi, said in an interview with Iran newspaper about mourning music in southern Iran, “Bushehr is one of the southern provinces of Iran that still adheres to the values, culture and art of our country, especially in the field of vocal music. The most prominent vocal music performed in this region is sharvehkhani, which is an ancient type of Iranian music. In fact, it is a song performed mostly by men for people’s gatherings. It goes without saying that in this region, women also sing songs in the form of lullabies, or in mourning ceremonies.”
Speaking about the forgotten music of this region, he said, “Many of the singing methods in Bushehr have disappeared due to lack of attention in passing them down to the next generations. Because many instructors and singers have died and are no longer among us.”
According to Aka Safavi, “Ancient rites such as sharvehkhani underwent major changes over time and have moved far away from their original nature.”
According to experts, sharveh is a pathetic sound that dates back to the Sassanid era, a kind of music that is the most important song and instrument of southern Iran.
Only if these southern music genres are performed, receive attention and are taught to music lovers, will they survive, said Aka Safavi.
He further noted, “Many people are interested in carrying out research in the music field. They believe that a vocalist should not only sing, but also conduct studies and be familiar with the local songs and various singing styles as well as musical instruments of his own region.”
Another musicologist in the eastern part of Gilan Province, Mahmoud Farzinejad, said, “In Islamic provinces, the first mourning ceremony for Imam Hussein (PBUH) was held in commemoration of Ashura during the Buyid dynasty. Up to this point, Shia Muslims did not seize great political power to hold public mourning ceremonies. Therefore, historians believe that the first people who officially mourned in the streets by chanting elegies and eulogies were in this period.” He further added, “In fact, the origin of religious ceremonies in Iran lies in the mountainous areas of Deylaman, and since the Buyid dynasty was the source of spreading Shi’ism in the Islamic world, they expanded Gilan mourning rituals to all parts of Iran.”
Speaking on religious ceremonies held in Gilan on the day of Ashura, he said, several programs will be performed from the first day of Muharram to the tenth, Ashura, one of which is alamvachini.
Another ritual is called karnanavazi (playing karney, which is a metal trumpet). In fact, karna is a long wind instrument, the only ancient Iranian instrument left in Gilan, which is still used. During the day of Ashura, groups of 30 to 50 people or more play this instrument. In the old days, they used cow horns instead of karna, but because it was heavy in weight and difficult to adjust the sound, nowadays they use pumpkins for ease of work. This instrument is used to call people to perform a sacred task, such as the mourning ceremonies of Ashura, or the announcement of the New Year (Nowruz).
In response to the question whether these rituals are still alive or have disappeared, he said, “Although in different areas of Gilan, especially in the mountains and villages, these rituals are still performed, unfortunately, the majority of the ancient rituals have become obsolete. And instead of this kind of folk music, meaningless sounds that have caused serious damage to the county’s authentic music are being practiced. It is essential to preserve this mourning music.”
Another music researcher in Khorasan, Ghafour Mohammadzadeh, said, “Regarding mourning rituals in the Khorasan region, I must say that this ritual is part of the music of Iran’s ethnic groups that has been passed down from generation to generation. It includes elegies written about the great figures of Islam. For instance, in the eastern region of Khorasan, such as Kashmar, the elegy of Mohammad-Hossein is usually performed.”
In response to the question whether these sounds were accompanied by instruments or not, he said, “Currently, these sounds and songs are performed with instruments, but in bygone days they were performed without instruments. For example, ‘Gol Mohammad’ is a motherly song that a mother used to whisper to herself, but later, it was accompanied by an instrument in each region and sung in a narrative form. Fortunately, some of these mourning rituals and music are still performed.”
Mohammadzadeh said that the music of mourning is different from the music performed during the lunar months of Muharram and Safar.
He further said, “In eastern Khorasan, mourning ceremonies and ta’ziah (Persian passion play) are not performed. However, in South Khorasan, a series of ceremonies are performed that are specific to this region, such as nakhlgardani (an act of carrying a great box from one point to another, resembling Imam Hussein’s funeral), or mash’algardani (an act of moving a torch).”