Mohammad-Reza Shajarian

Mohammad-Reza Shajarian was a great singer from Iran.

He was a master of traditional music. He even learned to play a stringed instrument.

He began singing on the radio when he was young. He also practiced beautiful ways of writing. He taught many students how to sing well.

He sang songs from many different groups of people. He worked with his son and his daughter too. He even traveled to sing for people in other lands.

Sometimes, the leaders of his land did not like his ideas. They told the radio to stop playing his music. This made many people very sad.

He is still remembered as a great master. People loved his voice and his songs.

He was a true voice for his people.

Mohammad-Reza Shajarian was a famous singer from Iran.

He was a master, or Ostad, of Persian traditional music. He began his singing career in 1959 at Radio Khorasan.

He was known for his very special singing style.

Shajarian studied many ways of music. He learned the Radif, which is a set of classical songs. He also learned to play the santour, a musical instrument with strings. He worked with many great musicians. He even performed with his son, Homayoun, and his daughter, Mojgan.

He traveled the world to share his music.

He was a very talented man. He was skilled in Persian calligraphy, which is a beautiful way of writing. He also made his own musical instruments. UNESCO gave him special awards for his work.

Sometimes, things were hard for him. He spoke out about things happening in his country. Because of this, the government banned his music from the radio. This made many people sad. He was called the "Greatest living maestro of Persian classical music" in 2017.

He is still loved by many people today.

Mohammad-Reza Shajarian was a famous singer from Iran.

He was a master, or Ostad, of Persian traditional music. People loved his unique and beautiful singing style. He was also very skilled at Persian calligraphy. This is a beautiful way of writing art. He even made his own musical instruments.

Shajarian was a man who deeply loved his culture. He shared his music with many people around the world.

His journey into music began when he was very young. At age five, he studied vocal techniques with his father. His father, Mehdi, was a man who recited the Qur'an. Shajarian also learned to play the santour, a stringed instrument. He studied the Radif, which is a collection of classical songs. He learned from many great teachers like Ahmad Ebadi. He also studied the styles of famous singers from the past. He even tried to mimic the playing style of a famous musician named Jalil Shahnaz.

Shajarian's professional career started in 1959 at Radio Khorasan.

He became very well known during the 1960s. He worked at national radio and television for many years. He also taught music at Tehran University. Shajarian worked with many talented musicians and groups. He performed with his son, Homayoun, and his daughter, Mojgan.

He also toured with the Ava Ensemble and the Shahnaz Ensemble.

Many important things happened during his long life. In 1999, UNESCO gave him the Picasso Award in France.

He received the UNESCO Mozart Medal in 2006. In 2017, the Los Angeles Times called him a great maestro. Shajarian was born in Mashhad, Iran, on 23 September 1940. He passed away on 8 October 2020. His music included many different styles, like Kurdish and Azeri music. He even recorded songs based on poems by Hafez and Saadi.

Sometimes, Shajarian faced very difficult times in his country. He spoke out about things happening in Iran. Because of this, the government banned his music from the radio. This was hard for many people who loved his songs. Even when his music was not on TV, people remembered him. He is remembered as a powerful voice for his people. His life and music are still very important to Iran today.

Mohammad-Reza Shajarian was a legendary Iranian singer and a master of Persian traditional music. In the Persian tradition, a master is called an Ostad.

Shajarian was highly respected for his incredible vocal skills and his knowledge of Persian calligraphy. He was also a creator of musical instruments. His life was deeply connected to the culture and history of Iran. He became a symbol of national identity through his art. Many people viewed him as a vital connection to the country's musical past.

Shajarian's musical training began at a very young age. At age five, he started studying vocal techniques with his father, Mehdi. His father was a reciter of the Qur'an, a religious tradition in their family. Shajarian later began studying the Radif, which is the classical repertoire of Persian music. He did this at age 12 without his father's permission. This was because his father's religious beliefs made studying music difficult. To protect his privacy, Shajarian used the stage name Siavash Bidakani during his early years. He eventually returned to using his real name as his career grew.

His technical development involved many different masters and styles. He studied under teachers such as Ahmad Ebadi, Esmaeil Mehrtash, and Nour-Ali Boroumand. He also learned from the interpretation of the Radif provided by Abdollah Davami. To better understand the traditional repertoire, he learned to play the santour, a percussion instrument with strings. He took lessons from Faramarz Payvar and studied the vocal Radif of Abolhasan Saba. Shajarian was famous for his ability to perform the challenging Dastgah style. He even tried to mimic the playing style of the legendary tar soloist Jalil Shahnaz in his singing.

Shajarian's professional career spanned many decades and various roles. He began his singing career in 1959 at Radio Khorasan. By the 1960s, he had risen to prominence with a very distinct singing style.

He worked at national radio and television and taught at Tehran University's Department of Fine Arts. He collaborated with many famous musicians, including Parviz Meshkatian and Hossein Alizadeh. He also performed in ensembles with his children, Homayoun and Mojgan Shajarian. One notable group was the Ava Ensemble, which toured the world in 2008.

His musical reach extended into many different ethnic traditions of Iran. He performed songs from Mazandarani, Azeri, Kurdish, and Lur music.

His recordings often featured the poetry of famous Persian poets like Hafez, Saadi, and Baba Taher. Shajarian received significant international recognition for his talent. In 1999, UNESCO presented him with the Picasso Award in France. In 2006, he was awarded the UNESCO Mozart Medal. By 2017, the Los Angeles Times described him as the "Greatest living maestro of Persian classical music."

In the later years of his life, Shajarian became a figure of political significance. He expressed support for the Iranian Green Movement in 2009. He also criticized the Iranian government and its leaders.

Because of his public criticism, the state broadcaster, IRIB, banned his music. This meant his songs could no longer be played on national radio or television. His famous song "Rabbana," a prayer used during Ramadan, was also removed from the airwaves. This ban was deeply felt by the public, as his music had been a regular part of Iranian life for many years.

Despite these challenges, Shajarian remained a powerful voice for the people. He stated that his criticism was directed at specific individuals rather than the entire system. He believed that music itself was not deviant, even if some religious groups claimed it was. He passed away on 8 October 2020. His legacy lives on through his many students and his vast collection of recordings. He is remembered as a man who called himself a "son of Iran."