Mohammad-Reza Shajarian

"Shajarian" redirects here. For his son, see Homayoun Shajarian. For his daughter, see Mojgan Shajarian.

Mohammad-Reza Shajarian
محمدرضا شجریان
Shajarian in 2007
Born(1940-09-23)23 September 1940
Mashhad, Imperial Iran
Died8 October 2020(2020-10-08) (aged 80)
Tehran, Iran
Resting placeTomb of Ferdowsi
Other namesSiavash Bidkani (before 1970s)
EducationShah Reza School
School of National Music
Alma materTehran Supreme University
Occupations
Spouses
Farkhondeh Golafshan
​
​
(m. 1962; div. 1993)​
Katayoun Khansari
​
(m. 1995)​
Children5, including Homayoun and Mojgan
Musical career
GenresPersian traditional music
Years active1959–2016
LabelsSantur, Tonbak
Websitemohammadrezashajarian.com
Signature

Mohammad-Reza Shajarian (Persian: محمدرضا شجريان; Persian pronunciation: [mohæmːæd ɾeˈzɒː ʃædʒæɾiˈɒːn], 23 September 1940 – 8 October 2020)[1] was an Iranian singer and master (Ostad) of Persian traditional music. He was also known for his skills in Persian calligraphy and humanitarian activities.[2] Shajarian started his singing career in 1959 at Radio Khorasan, rising to prominence in the 1960s with his distinct singing style.

Shajarian's main teachers were Ahmad Ebadi, Esmaeil Mehrtash, Abdollah Davami, and Nour-Ali Boroumand. He also learned the vocal styles of singers from previous generations, including Reza Gholi Mirza Zelli, Fariborz Manouchehri, Ghamar Molouk Vaziri, Eghbal Azar and Taj Isfahani. He cited legendary Persian tar soloist Jalil Shahnaz as highly influential to his development, indicating that he often tried to mimic Shahnaz's playing style in his singing.

Shajarian collaborated with musicians such as Parviz Meshkatian, Mohammad Reza Lotfi, Hossein Alizadeh, Faramarz Payvar, Dariush Pirniakan, and Sohrab Pournazeri. He was recognized as a skilled singer in the challenging traditional Dastgah style. His works also cover some songs of Iranian ethnic music, including Mazandarani music, Azeri music, Kurdish music and Lur music.

UNESCO in France presented Shajarian with the Picasso Award in 1999 and with the UNESCO Mozart Medal in 2006. In 2017, Los Angeles Times cited him as the "Greatest living maestro of Persian classical music".[3] After coming out in support of the Iranian Green Movement and criticizing the Iranian government, he was banned from holding concerts and releasing music.[4][5][6]

  1. ^ BBC Persian Service: Mohammad Reza Shajarian Passes Away Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  2. ^ Davison, Phil (12 October 2020). "Mohammad Reza Shajarian, classical singer revered in Iran, dies at 80". The Washington Post. Retrieved 27 November 2020. After the Iranian city of Bam was ravaged by an earthquake in 2003, killing more than 26,000, he organized a benefit concert for survivors and families of the victims.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Fire was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Mohammad Reza Shajarian: Iran's legendary singer dies in Tehran". BBC News. 8 October 2020.
  5. ^ Tsioulcas, Anastasia. "A Voice Of Iran, Master Singer Mohammad Reza Shajarian, Has Died". NPR.org.
  6. ^ Brehmer, Marian (9 October 2020). "Mohammad Reza Shajarian embodied the timeless beauty of Persian music". The Guardian.