| Description |
The Radif is the traditional model repertory of Iranian classical music. It comprises more than 250 melodic modules, named gushes, arranged in special orders into seven primary and five (or six) secondary collections on the basis of their modal and melodic affinities. The primary and secondary collections are respectively called the dastgāh and the āvāz. Each dastgāh/āvāz is a collection of melodic models arranged in a multi-modal cycle, i.e. embracing several maqāms, beginning and ending on the same mode while modulating to a number of other modes. The structure of each cycle can be analyzed in terms of two layers. The underlying, fundamental, layer provides the modal infrastructure upon which a variety of melodic and/or rhythmic motifs are set. The seven dastgāhs are shūr, segāh, chahārgāh, māhūr, homāyūn, navā and rāstpanjgāh. The āvāzes are considered as derivatives of two dastgāhs. The satellites of shūr are abū‘atā, dashti, bayāt-e tork, afshāri (and bayāt-e kord), while āvāz-e bayāt-e esfahān is regarded as the satellite of dastgāh-e homāyūn. Each gushe has also a specific name which refers to its function in the cycle, a technical feature, an area, an ethnic group, a mood, a poetic genre, or a musician, as well as other descriptive or expressive titles.
Some nominal and structural counterparts of the constituent parts of the contemporary radif can be found in the musical systems of the ancient and medieval Persia. Although the radif per se was the product of the Qajar epoch (1785-1925), the history of the dastgāh, as the main component of the radif, dates back to the mid-Safavid period (1501-1722), when the old modes or maqāms were gradually transformed into multi-modal cycles in terms of the main shadds (chains) and later dastgāhs (systems). Indeed, the radif can be regarded as the reformulation of an older musical system, which dates back to earlier centuries.
There are various versions of the radif as interpreted and performed by prestigious masters of Persian music. There are two main types of the radif, i.e. vocal and instrumental versions. The latter is, in turn, translated into the technical language of various instruments, slightly differing in performance techniques while retaining the same structural foundations. The radif is sung and also performed on the traditional instruments of Persian classical music: tār (double-chested skinned long-necked lute), setār (long-necked lute), santur (hammered dulcimer), kamānche (fiddle) and ney (reed pipe). It is also performed on other musical instruments such as the ‘ud, qānun, and violin.
The radif, as a model repertory, serves as a point of departure for actual musical performances in terms of improvisation and composition in Persian classical music. The main performance practice of Iranian traditional music unfolds through improvisation, which is the spontaneous creation of music according the mood of the performer and in response to the audience, inspired by the spatial and temporal context of performance. All performances of Persian classical music rely on the rich treasury of melodic modes of the radif. |
| Social and cultural significance |
The radif is regarded as the essence of Persian musical culture. it is the unique source of the tradition of Persian music reflecting the aesthetics and philosophy of Iranian culture. It is a method for transmitting the cultural heritage of Iran in terms of aesthetic sonic patterns. The radif is regarded as the principal emblem and the heart of Iranian musical culture
The radif is the reflection of the cultural and national identity of the Iranian people in terms of humanly organized sound patterns
The radif of Persian music is the preservation and dissemination of which contributes to cultural diversity in the contemporary world. The radif of Iranian music is also historically related to the other musical repertories of the region. The visibility and awareness of this phenomenon can encourage inter- and intra-cultural dialogue and understanding among the people of the region, in particular, and people of the world, in general. It supports creativity in traditional arts, while encouraging harmonic coexistence with contemporary arts, and guarantees the transmission of cultural forms and expressions of the element among generations.. |
| Transmission method |
The radif is transmitted from masters to disciples through oral tradition. Learning the radif requires a process of musical asceticism which leads to the opening of the gates of spirituality. The students of Iranian traditional music should memorize the radif, and learn it by heart, through three stages of elementary, middle and advanced courses of intensive oral training, which needs about a decade of self devotion.
Since instrumental performances of the radif rely heavily on a certain number of hand-made instruments with specific qualities, masters of instrument-making must necessarily be equipped with good knowledge of the radif and skilled in the aesthetics of the Iranian music. They also transmit the knowledge of instrument-making through oral tradition, which guarantees the continuation and preservation of this musical tradition.
The efforts to help the transmission of the radif as below:
A. Training: The radif is taught as an integral part of the curriculum of Persian music performance in Iranian universities. Also it is taught in conservatories as well as private schools of music. Sometimes master classes and workshops are held by certain institutes for advanced studies of the radif.
B. Performance: In recent years, there have been held many concerts by masters of Iranian classical music, which are mainly based on improvisations and compositions inspired by the radif.
C. Research: A considerable number of theses of undergraduate and postgraduate music students at universities are devoted to various studies on the radif from different standpoints. Various research projects are also conducted on the subject.
D. Publication: A great number of pedagogical CDs and transcriptions/notations of various versions of the radif has been published mainly by private institutes, such as Mahoor Institute of Culture and Art, in recent years. Many books and articles dealing with the subject of the radif have also been published in Persian as well as other languages. |
| Community |
The practitioners of the radif can be categorized into several groups. Firstly, there are primary masters of the radif, who, in addition to transmitting the repertory and its aesthetics, are regarded as the interpreters of the radif. The masters and interpreters of the radif are few in number, each of whom is the bearer of a specific version of this repertory that has been transmitted through oral tradition from generations to generations. Secondly, there are advanced students of these masters, who in turn teach the radif to the elementary and middle level students. After a while, having passed the earlier stages successfully, these new students can complete the advanced levels of the radif under the supervision of the primary masters. Thirdly, there are students of the radif. Of course, any student of Persian music should initially learn the radif, in order to be able to perform Iranian classical music. The radif is an integral part of the actual performances of Iranian music. Performers of the radif are either instrumentalists or vocalists. Also, in addition to these categories of musicians, many Iranian composers rely on the rich treasury of the radif repertory for their compositions. Since instrumental performances of the radif rely heavily on a certain number of hand-made instruments with specific qualities, masters of instrument-making must necessarily be equipped with good knowledge of the radif and skilled in the aesthetics of the Iranian music. |
| Type of UNESCO List |
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity |
| Incribed year in UNESCO List |
2009 |
