Shāh Hoseynī

Bālā dastān

Zīr-e Dastān

Do Bālā

Karīm Khānī

Chūpānī

Bārgā Bārgā (Bārīā Bārīā, Royal Court)

Shīrīn Mayā Khāl

Lāwe Lāwe

Gharībī

Gel wa Dare

Saharī Seyd Khāmūsh

Sanam hāy Sanam

Tārī Tārī

Shīrīn Khāwar

Shīrīn Farhād

Ostad had classified this suite among the antique modes, but its title and content, at once tragic and majestic, are also reminiscent of the story of the martyrdom of Imam Hoseyn, the grandson of the prophet Muhammad. From this standpoint, it appears as an invitation to self-abnegation in the soul’s journey toward perfection.

Ostad had classified this suite among the antique modes, but its title and content, at once tragic and majestic, are also reminiscent of the story of the martyrdom of Imam Hoseyn, the grandson of the prophet Muhammad. From this standpoint, it appears as an invitation to self-abnegation in the soul’s journey toward perfection.

In its basic form, this melody is attributed to Sheykh Amīr, an eighteenth-century Kurdish mystic. Following a sudden spiritual awakening, this illiterate shepherd composed numerous poems with deep spiritual meaning and rich symbolic imagery.Sheykh Amīr played the tanbur in a simple yet captivating manner. This melody became widely known and was often sung as an invitation to heartfelt communication with God. “Sheykh Amīrī” has since become a generic term describing a mode in which numerous melodies have been composed. Each of these melodies is called “Sheykh Amīrī,” followed by the name of the composer or arranger, or the name of the region where it is played. There are seventeen variations of this melody, from the simplest, that of Sheykh Amīr himself, to the most elaborate, that of Ostad Elahi.The melody revolves around a mysterious scale of alternating tones and semitones, creating a dissonant counterpoint with the lower strings. The ebb and flow of the melody produced by the instrument are similar to waves dying on the shore, one after another, converging toward the final note where all dissonance is resolved and all tensions fade away.This melody, one of the most moving in Ostad Elahi’s repertoire, reminds the soul of its origin, awakening it and uncovering memories deeply buried, inducing a sense of longing for its original abode. The melodic pattern is often accompanied by chanted verses from Sheykh Amīr in the form of an intimate dialogue, the last verse of which addresses the Creator:<blockquote>Delay gonāhkār, delay zabūnbakht, cha azal gonāhkār Ar cha rūy azal mowyāī borda-bār, pey chīsh makaftī, dūr tcha qāpī yār Sobh-o shām sajdat āw bashar maward, salwātet wa dīn hazerāt makard  Weyarday sālān ablay nāshenākht, majnūn-e kam fām nābīnāy kajbakht Awan sang-e sakht dāy wa dīdey weyt, yak yak namāyān gesht āmā nareyt Ozr-e mazurīt wa kī nakīshā, cha [wa] bordabārī pīshat na īshā To narāy khedmat darset kam wānā, tārīkī pāy sham wa to namānā  Marham cha qāpī yār-e māyadār, bebakhshū gonāh kalb-e gonāhkār</blockquote><blockquote>O sinner heart, how weak and destitute Sinner since the dawn of creation If only you had shown more patience in the beginning How you have lacked respect and patience What have you done to distance yourself from the divine abode? From morning till night, you prostrated yourself before men Adoring their idols So many years on, you who still fail to understand You who are drowning in ignorance O mindless creature, blind and miserable! All for this heavy stone to strike your eyes! One by one, you have suffered the consequences [of your faults] Is there anyone you have not humiliated yourself before? The suffering you have endured has reached the depths of your being You have not drawn enough lessons along the Path Instead you have become the shadow at the base of the candle The remedy to relieve my pain Must be sought from that supreme Sage Won’t you have mercy and absolve this humble servant of his sins?</blockquote>Ostad Elahi played exclusively in the presence of his family and close friends. As can be heard on this recording, at the conclusion of the piece he recounts the date as the night before Sunday, March 21, 1965, which marked the beginning of Nowruz, the Persian New Year. He expresses his hope that the piece has been helpful in drawing the attention of his listeners toward the realm of truth.

Ostad Elahi's Sheykh Amīrī

a. Ostad Elahi's Sheykh Amīrī (return) b. Hādj Nemat’s Sheykh AmīrīThe theme of this melody belongs to Hādj Nemat, Ostad’s father. Ostad has enriched it to such an extent that it is now considered one of the jewels of the tanbur repertoire.

Sheykh Amīrī Suite

a. "Wa Fedāy Manzelgāt"One summer as Ostad was completing the 40th day of his ascetic fasting in the mountains of Sheykhān, a dervish nearby, seized by a state of spiritual rapture, began supplicating his Lord. Overwhelmed by the dervish's sincerity, Ostad was inspired with this prayer and melody:<blockquote>Wa fedāy manzelgāt Ali Pāy sheykhānet bām Nazr-e tchāwakey Ali Jām jahānet bām Dīnem dīna, shām Khoshīna Shād bāy (ke) shādem kardanī Wa pāy Shender Kū Ali feyzem dādanīMy all I will give when I find You, O Ali I found You at Sheykhān1 My all I will give for those eyes, O Ali, which behold the universe My religion is The Religion, my King is Shāh Khoshīn Rejoice, O You who have filled me with joy At the foothill of Mount Shender,2 O Ali, You granted me grace.</blockquote>Ostad Elahi used to say: “True prayer consists in praising God: worshipping Him, supplicating Him, submitting to His will, regardless of the words used, the names given, or the manner in which He is invoked.”The melody begins with a typically Kurdish rhythm consisting of three notes, which can be interpreted as 2 x 5 beats (3 2 2 3). The musical architecture then becomes increasingly complex as other themes come into play, echoing one another, interacting, melting, and giving rise to an entirely new melody. The performer plays with the elements and constantly rearranges them, yet the overall impression is one of deep unity.b. Improvisation on Tchapī Tchapī ("alternating steps") is a Kurdish dance tune in which the steps alternate between forward and backward. Tchapī’s theme arises in a natural way from the developments of the preceding melody, alternating with other tunes on slower beats and other patterns reappearing throughout the whole improvisation. The transition from a slow rhythm to a faster one is revived and guided to its peak through passages of great virtuosity, consisting of a progression of chords in the high register. The piece concludes with a return to the original rhythm. This tune is suggestive of communicating with God, which for some may take the form of a dance. As Ostad has said, “Each individual enters into an intimate dialogue with his Creator according to his or her own particular mood. . . .”<ol class="number"><li value=1>The shrine of Soltān Eshāq, where Ostad would often travel on pilgrimage.</li><li value=2>Mount Shender is located near the shrine of Soltān Eshāq.</li></ol>

Mystical Hymns and Dances

a. Shāh Hoseynī (Tune of Shāh Hoseyn) The origin of this melody is unknown. The first notes sound a call, with a counterpoint in the low register. Sometimes Ostad lingers on one or two notes, or keeps the beat in a more persistent way, as if wishing to give weight to a request. Then a very strange harmony arises and the link is established: one wanders about in marvelous musical landscapes in a higher register. After returning to the initial theme, a more joyful polyphonic passage is rendered in a lower pitch.b. Bālā Dastān (Lower register of the tanbur’s neck) The name of this traditional tune suggests that it is played in a low pitch, but Ostad Elahi develops it by utilizing the full register of the tanbur.c. Zīr-e Dastān (Higher register of the tanbur’s neck) This piece suggests a free play of questions and answers between the high (zīr) register and the low (bālā) register, corresponding to the last seven frets and the first seven frets, respectively. The mode is joyful, resembling the major mode; certain passages give the impression that two tanburs are playing at the same time.d. Do Bālā Bālā refers to a particular segment of the scale. Some believe that this is also the melody of a dance where one stretches out the arms like two (do) wings (bāl).e. Karīm Khānī (Tune of Karīm Khān) The enthusiasm is sustained until a change in the rhythm generates a gradual appeasement.f. Chūpānī (Tune of the Shepherd) The atmosphere is more serene now, the melody recited on the instrument. There are only a few reminders of the previous agitation, like an inner murmur.g. Bārīya Bārīya (Royal Court) The title of this piece alludes to the Court of the Lord, the Divine Threshold. This melody was a song before being conveyed in its instrumental form. The title also refers to a chapter of the Kurdish sacred scriptures (15th century, Ahl-e Haqq) in which one of Soltān Sahāk's seven companions is said to have discovered his own divine essence and recalled all of his successive manifestations in the course of sacred history. The chromatic theme is at once strange and fascinating. The intervals formed with the lower voice, as well as the rhythm, produce an air of majesty.

Shāh Hoseynī

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Renditions of Shāh Hoseynī

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