See Santoor for the Indian variant of the instrument and Iraqi Santur for the Iraqi one.

Santur Technique Video.theora

	[[File:Sadeghi-Dehlavi-Concertino for Santur Full.ogg|]]
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

Woman playing the santur in a painting from the Hasht-Behesht Palace in Isfahan Iran, 1669

Ancient Babylonian Santur Drawing of Relief

The santur (also santūr, santour, santoor ) (Persian: سنتور‎) is a Persian hammered dulcimer^[1] It is a trapezoid-shaped box often made of walnut or different exotic woods. The Persian classical santur has 72 strings.

Characteristics[link]

The name santur was first referenced in ancient Persian poetry. To date there has never been verifiable evidence what this name actually means, it is just a name and the only meaning it has in the Persian language is this instrument. The oval-shaped Mezrabs (mallets) are feather-weight and are held between the thumb, index and middle fingers. A typical Persian santur has two sets of bridges, providing a range of approximately three octaves. The right-hand strings are made of brass or copper,^[2] while the left-hand strings are made of steel.^[3]

Two rows of 9 articles called "kharak" (total of 18 kharaks) divide the santur into three positions. Over each bridge crosses four strings spanning horizontally across the right and left side of the instrument. There are three sections of nine pitches: each for the bass, middle and higher octave called Poshte Kharak (behind the left bridges) comprising 27 notes all together. The top "F" note is repeated 2 times, creating a total of 25 separate tones in the Santur. The Persian santur is primarily tuned to a variety of different diatonic scales utilizing quarter tones, which are used in the twelve dastgahs (modes) of Persian classical music.

Derivations[link]

Similar forms of the santur have been present in neighboring cultures like India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Armenia, Turkey, Iraq China and Greece. The Indian santoor is wider, more rectangular and has more strings. Its corresponding mallets are also held differently played with a different technique. The Chinese yangqin and the Greek santouri also derived from the santur. The eastern-European version of the santur called the cimballum which is much larger and chromatic is used as an accompanying instrument in gypsy music.^{[citation needed]}

Notable Persian santur players[link]

Iran

• Abol Hassan Saba
• Manoochehr Sadeghi
• Faramarz Payvar
• Parviz Meshkatian
• Majid Kiani^[4]
• Mohammad Sadeq Khan^[5]
• Ali Akbar Shahi^[6]
• Hassan Khan^[7]
• Hussein Malek^[8]
• Habib Soma’i^[9]
• Reza Varzandeh^[10]
• Reza Shafieian^[11]
• Mansur Sarami^[12]
• Masoud Shaari^[13]
• Mohammad Santour Khan^[14]
• Daryoush Safvat^[15]
• Jalal Akhbari^[16]
• Kourosh Zolani
• Arfa Atrai^[17]
• Azar Hashemi^[18]
• Susan Aslani^[19]
• Manijeh Ali Pour^[20]

Santur players from other cultures[link]

Greece
(Greek Santoori)

• Aristidis Moschos
• Areti Ketime

India (see Indian santoor)

• Rahul Sharma
• Shivkumar Sharma

Iraq

• Amir ElSaffar

Japan

• Dr. Masato Tani^[21]

Santur makers[link]

Nazemi produced the world's best santurs. He wasn't a craftsman, but he orchestrated the production of the best santurs made in Iran during the 1950s and 1960s. He used a master craftsman named Misour Levon who recently died at the age of 91 in Glendale, California.

Ali Bahmani made santurs that sound as good as Nazemi's. He took his craft to higher level, creating a machine press and created many advanced technology wood treatments, creative ideas that improved the longevity and quality of his santurs. Bahmani died in September 2011, in an accident in Tehran, Iran. He was only 35 years old and left behind a wife and a son.

Santurs from around the world[link]

Versions of the santur or hammered dulcimer are used throughout the world. In Eastern Europe, a larger descendant of the hammered dulcimer called the cimbalom is played and has been used by a number of classical composers, including Zoltán Kodály, Igor Stravinsky and Pierre Boulez, and more recently, in a different musical context, by Blue Man Group. The khim is the name of both the Thai and the Khmer hammered dulcimer. The Chinese yangqin is a type of hammered dulcimer that originated in Persia. The santur and santoor are found in the Middle East and India, respectively.

^[22]

See also[link]

• Persian traditional music
• Maqam al-iraqi

References[link]

1. ^ "Santur is a Persian hammered dulcimer". Art Max Academy. http://artmax.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=67&Itemid=119. 
2. ^ "Bass strings made of Brass or Copper". Art Max Academy. http://artmax.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=67&Itemid=119. 
3. ^ "Different kinds of Steel exist". Art Max Academy. http://artmax.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=67&Itemid=119. 
4. ^ Kiani, Majid. "Master of the Santur". Santur Master, Teacher & Performer. http://www.farabisoft.com/Pages/FarabiSchool/InstrumentsDetails.aspx?lang=en&PID=4&SID=30. 
5. ^ Khan, Mohammad Sadeq. "One of the oldest Santur Masters". Master of the Santur. http://www.farabisoft.com/Pages/FarabiSchool/InstrumentsDetails.aspx?lang=en&PID=4&SID=30. 
6. ^ Shahi, Ali Akbar. "Santur master". Old school santur player. http://www.farabisoft.com/Pages/FarabiSchool/InstrumentsDetails.aspx?lang=en&PID=4&SID=30. 
7. ^ Khan, Hassan. "Santur Master". Old school Santur Master. http://www.farabisoft.com/Pages/FarabiSchool/InstrumentsDetails.aspx?lang=en&PID=4&SID=30. 
8. ^ Malek, Hussein. "Santur master". Old School Santur Master. http://www.farabisoft.com/Pages/FarabiSchool/InstrumentsDetails.aspx?lang=en&PID=4&SID=30. 
9. ^ Somai, Habib. "santur master". Old school Santur master. http://www.farabisoft.com/Pages/FarabiSchool/InstrumentsDetails.aspx?lang=en&PID=4&SID=30. 
10. ^ Varzandeh, Reza. "Santur Master". Very Unique Style of Playing. http://www.farabisoft.com/Pages/FarabiSchool/InstrumentsDetails.aspx?lang=en&PID=4&SID=30. 
11. ^ Shafieian, Reza. "Saba's Student". Santur Master. http://www.farabisoft.com/Pages/FarabiSchool/InstrumentsDetails.aspx?lang=en&PID=4&SID=30. 
12. ^ Sarami, Mansur. "Santur Master". Old School Santur player. http://www.persianartmusic.com/English/biography_s.html. 
13. ^ Shaari, Masoud. "Santur Master". Old School Santur Master. http://www.persianartmusic.com/English/biography_s.html. 
14. ^ Khan, Mohammad Santour. "Oldest Santur Master that we have proof of". Master of the Santur. 
15. ^ Safvat, Daryoush. "Santur Master". Old school Santur master. http://www.persianartmusic.com/English/biography_s.html. 
16. ^ Akhbari, Jalal. "Old School Santur Master". Master of the Santur. http://www.persianartmusic.com/English/biography_s.html. 
17. ^ Arfa, Atrai. "Santur Player". Santur Soloist. http://www.farabisoft.com/Pages/FarabiSchool/InstrumentsDetails.aspx?lang=en&PID=4&SID=30. 
18. ^ Hashemi, Azar. "Female Santur Player". Santur Soloist. http://www.persianartmusic.com/English/biography_s.html. 
19. ^ Aslani, Susan. "Female Santur Player". Santur Soloist. http://www.persianartmusic.com/English/biography_s.html. 
20. ^ Ali Pour, Manijeh. "Female Santur Player". Old School Santur Player. http://www.persianartmusic.com/English/biography_s.html. 
21. ^ Tani, Dr. Masato. "Japanese Santur Player". Ethnomusicology. http://www.iranican.com/blog/meet-dr-masato-tani-persian-speaking-japanese-santur-player/. 
22. ^ "Santurs from different cultures". Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hammered_dulcimer&action=edit&section=5. 

Further reading[link]

Heydarian, P.; J.D. Reiss (2005). "The Persian music and the santur instrument". Proceedings of Sixth International Conference on Music Information Retrieval, London, UK. 11. pp. 524-527. http://ismir2005.ismir.net/proceedings/2120.pdf. 

External links[link]

• Santur - The Art of Persian Music
• Santur introduction in American Lutherie magazine
• Nay-Nava Encyclopedia entry on the santur
• Dr. Ümit Mutlu's information on the santur (in Turkish)
• Santur history (in Turkish)
• The Iraqi Santur

v t e Iranian musical instruments Stringed (Sāzhāy-e Zehī) Bowed Ghazhak Kamāncheh Sorāhi Plucked Barbat Chang Dotār Qānūn Robāb Sallāneh Sāz Setār Tanbūr Tār Ūd Shurangiz Shahrud Rud Mugni Struck Santur Woodwind (Sāzhāy-e Bādī) Exposed Sornā Zurna Karnay Shehnai Narmeh-ney Dozaleh Ney anban End-blown Haft Band Nāy (Ney) Sheypur Zurna Pisha Percussion (Sāzhāy-e Kūbeheyī/Zarbī) Auxiliary Darāy Daf Dohol Dāvūl Dāyereh Zangī Naqāreh Tonbak (Dombak) Kūs Sanj Dammam Zarbang Udu Persian traditional music

v t e Turkish musical instruments String instruments: █  Bowed instruments:    Karadeniz kemençe  • Classical kemençe  • Yaylı tanbur  • Rebab/Kabak kemane  • Sine kemanı █  Plucked instruments:    Kanun  • Çeng  • Tanbur (Turkish)  • Ud  • Cümbüş  • Ahenk  • Saz  • Cura (instrument)  • Baglama  • Komuz  • Shahrud  • Rud  • Lavta  • Mugni█  Struck instruments:    Santur Woodwind instruments █  Exposed:    Zurna  • Tulum  • Karkm  • Dankiyo  • Gaida  • Düdük  • Çifte █  End-blown:    Ney  • Ney (Turkish)  • Kaval  • Sipsi  • Dilli Kaval  • Dilli ney  • Mey  • Taragot  • Dilli düdük  • Kargı Düdük Percussion instruments █  Auxiliary Percussion:    Bendir  • Daf  • Davul  • Darbuka  • Naqareh  • Kus  • Kudüm  • Nagara  • Turkish crescent  • Zill  • Castanet  • Spoon See also Turkish musical instruments  • Turkish folk music  • Ottoman classical music  • Ottoman military band  • Music of Turkey

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (October 2006)

Imrat Khan (born 17 November 1935) is a leading sitar and surbahar player. He is the younger brother of sitar maestro Ustad Vilayat Khan.

Training and early career[link]

Imrat was born in Calcutta into a family of musicians tracing its pedigree back for several generations, to the court musicians of the Mughal rulers. His father was Enayat Khan (1895–1938), recognised as a leading sitar and surbahar player of his time, as had been his grandfather, Imdad Khan (1848–1920), before him. His father died when Imrat was a child, so he was raised by his mother, Bashiran Begum and her father, singer Bande Hassan Khan. In 1944, the family moved with rising star Vilayat Khan, Imrat's elder brother, to Bombay where both the brothers learned extensively from uncle Wahid Khan, Enayat Khan's brother. Wahid Khan was one of the greatest surbahar players of his generation and a top-level sitar player, and taught Imrat on the instruments in the family style, known as the Imdadkhani gharana (school), or Etawah Gharana, after a village outside Agra where Imdad Khan lived.

In 1952 Vilayat and Imrat moved in together in Calcutta. They performed together for many years. From the 1960s onwards, Imrat has performed and recorded solo, playing both sitar and surbahar.

Solo career and legacy[link]

For decades, Imrat has recorded extensively on both his instruments. His full performance practice starts with a surbahar alap in dhrupad ang (embellished with more romantic touches), followed by a shorter alap on the sitar leading into gat in traditional Imdadkhani style. (Sitar players such as Ravi Shankar and Nikhil Banerjee added bass strings to their sitars to achieve at least some of the surbahar's lower range on a single instrument).

He has toured in Europe, the Americas, and East and Southeast Asia. Surbahar players are rare today, and Imrat is the main living exponent.

Imrat has four sons, Nishat, Irshad, Wajahat and Shafaatullah, who are all classical musicians: Nishat plays the sitar, Wajahat concentrates on the sarod and Shafaatullah is accomplished on sitar, tabla, and surbahar. The surbahar tradition is largely upheld by Irshad (also a sitar player), who has made some very traditional solo recordings.

Imrat Khan currently spends a portion of each year teaching classical Indian music and instructing sitar students at Washington University in Saint Louis. In addition to his sons, Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones and George Harrison of The Beatles (who also studied under Ravi Shankar) have been some of his famous students.^{[citation needed]}

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official web site
• Musical Career Summary

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2010)

Master Farāmarz Pāyvar (February 10, 1933, Tehran – December 9, 2009, Tehran) (Persian: فرامرز پایور‎) was an Iranian composer and santur player. Payvar died on December 9, 2009 after a long struggle with brain damage.^[1]

Works[link]

	Concertino for Santur and Orchestra, by Faramarz Payvar and Hossein Dehlavi.
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

• Concertino for santūr and Orchestra (Pāyvar-Dehlavi) (1958)
• The Radif of Sabā for Santur in three volumes by F. Pāyvar and Dāryūš Safvat (FerdowsiPublication,Tehran) (1958)
• Dialogue (Goftegū), duet for Santur and violin (1959)
• Preliminary book in Santur playing (Māhūr Publication, Tehran) (1960)
• Thirty Chāhārmezrāb for the Santur(Department of Art and Culture Publication, Tehran) (1971)
• The second book of the Radif of Sabā for Santur by F. Pāyvar and Dāryūš Safvat (Ferdowsi Publication,Tehran) (1974)
• Eight musical pieces for the Santur (Department of Art and Culture Publication, Tehran) (1979)
• Parniān, duet for Santur and Tār (1980)
• Radif Chapkūk for Santur (in women's voice registration) for the santur (1981)
• A collection of pishdarāmad and Rengs (1981)
• A collection of pishdarāmad and Rengs (arranged for the violin) (1982)
• Chamber music for Santūr (1982)
• Fānūs, duet for two Santurs (1982)
• Theory of Western and Iranian music (1983)
• Reng-e šahrāšūb (1984)
• Elementary Radif for Santur (1988)
• Rahgozar, duet for santur and flute (Otāqe Čāp Publication, Tehran) (1989)
• The Vocal Radif and old Tasnifs, according to the version of Abdollah Davami, Collected by F. Pāyvar.(Māhūr Publication, Tehran) (1998)
• Fālgūš, seven pieces for Santur (Māhūr Publication, Tehran) (2000)

Partial discography[link]

• Improvisation in dašti and afšāri, F. Pāyvar, santur and H. Tehrāni, Tombak.
• Album Yādegāri (the memorial album) in dastgāhs šūr and segāh, F. Pāyvar, santur and M. Esmāili, Tombak.
• Goftegū (dialogue), duets for santūr and other instruments composed by F. Pāyvar
• In memorial of Habib Samai, F. Pāyvar, Santūr solo in dastgāhs šūr and čhāhārgāh.
• Dašti concert. Pāyvar ensemble and Shajariān (vocal)
• Del-e Sheyda, Pāyvar Ensemble (Masters of Classical Persian Music) and Shahram Nazeri (vocals).
• Layli & Majnoun, Pāyvar Ensemble (Masters of Classical Persian Music) and Shahram Nazeri (vocals).
• Bayāt-e Kord: F. Pāyvar, santūr and H. Tehrani, Tombak in dastgāh Bayāt-e Kord and solo Tombak in various rhythm improvised by Tehrani.
• Šahrāšūb, F. Pāyvar, santūr solo in šūr, abū atā and dašti. Mahur
• Iranian folk music, arranged by F. Pāyvar. Pāyvar Ensemble and Simā Binā (vocal).
• Hekāyate Del, in dastgāh šūr. Pāyvar Ensemble with A. Rostamiān (vocal).
• Mahūr and Segāh, Masters Ensemble conducted by F. Pāyvar and Shahidi (vocal).
• Rahāvard, played by Masters, J. Shahnāz, tār, M. Esmāili, Tombak, and F. Pāyvar, Santur.
• Kerešme, in dastgāhs segāh and afšāri, played by Pāyvar Ensemble.

References[link]

• Qmars Piraglu (Former Siamak Noory) "Farāmarz Pāyvar and his place in Iranian music"/ Thesis (M.Mus.)--University of Melbourne, 2002

External links[link]

• Short Bio
• Mehdi Setāyesh'gar, The Master of Eternal Mezrabs, in Persian, Jadid Online, 15 December 2009, [1].
  • Audio slideshow: [2] (4 min 9 sec).
• Faramarz Payvar - Daily Telegraph obituary

Dariush (Daryush) Safvat (داريوش صفوت) (born 1928) is an internationally renowned and well-respected Persian music master and ethnomusicologist. Along with Nur-Ali Borumand, Dr. Safvat was the co-founder and a former director of the Center for Preservation and Propagation of Iranian Music. Some credit Dr. Safvat with saving traditional music from obliteration in the 1970s. The Center counts among its graduates some of the most prolific and admired masters of classical Persian music, including Mohammad Reza Lotfi, Hossein Alizadeh, Hossein Omoumi, Parisa, the late Nasser Farhangfar, Dariush Talai, Majid Kiani and Mahmoud Farahmand.^[1]

Biography[link]

Dr. Safvat was born on November 28, 1928 in Tehran, Persia (present-day Iran). He received a B.A. in Law from the University of Tehran in 1953 and a Ph.D. in International Law from the Paris School of Law (France) in 1965. Over the course of his distinguished career, he has held many key posts in academia and the dance music scene. He is currently a Fellow at The Academy of Sciences of IR Iran.^[2]

Music[link]

Dr. Safvat is best known for his mastery of Setar and Santour. He began learning to play the Setar at an early age from his father, Ali Asghar Safvat, who also played the ancient instrument.^[3] Among others, Dr. Safvat studied with two other Masters of Persian classical music, Abolhasan Saba and Haj Agha Mohammad Irani.^[4] He is credited with having taught some of the most talented Iranian musicians of the 20th century in Iran.^{[5] [6]} However, Dr. safvat himself claims the person who had the most influence on his life and music was Ostad Elahi, a Persian judge, philosopher, theologian and master musician.

Dr. Safvat has published a number of books and articles in Persian, French and English, and has produced a large number of recordings. But what is most remarkable is the degree to which his humanity, piety and integrity have made him popular among both the music elite and the masses alike. ^[7]

In March 2005, he received "Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" granted by the French government.

Notes[link]

1. ^ Pendar.net
2. ^ The Academy of Sciences of IR Iran
3. ^ Iran Newspaper (No. 2652)
4. ^ www.iran-newspaper.com, No. 2652, Sat, Nov 29, 2003
5. ^ e.g. (مجيد كياني)
6. ^ e.g. (پرویز مشکاتیان)
7. ^ Sharq Newspaper (يك مدير موسيقايي)

External links[link]

• The Official Site of Dr. Safvat
• The Academy of Sciences of IR Iran
• IranMelody.net
• Iran Newspaper
• Persian Art Music
• Persian (Iranian) Dance & Music

The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's general notability guideline. Please help to establish notability by adding reliable, secondary sources about the topic. If notability cannot be established, the article is likely to be merged, redirected, or deleted. (November 2011)

This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. Specific concerns may be found on the talk page. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions. (February 2008)

Ardavan Kamkar (Persian: اردوان کامکار‎; born 1968 in Sanandaj, Iran) is a Iranian-Kurdish musician from Iran. He is a part of the Kamkaran ensemble.

Biography[link]

Ardavan Kamkar was born in 1968 in Sanandaj, Iran. He began learning to play the Santur (dulcimer) from his father, Master Hassan Kamkar at age 4. During his childhood years he worked with several Cultural & Art groups and the radio.ardavan sijani,www.sijani.com,Ardavan Sijani,www.sijani.com

In 1979 he moved to Tehran. There, he studied instrumental and vocal Radif (The Persian musical repertory) with his older brother Pashang Kamkar. The traditional style of santur playing, however, did not satisfy his creative and searching soul. He sought to expand the techniques and innovated a modern style for playing this national Iranian instrument. Becoming distinguished as a santur player in Iran after two illustrious generations of traditional masters is no easy feat. Today’s santur players work under the long shadow of great 20th century musicians, including Ostad Faramarz Payvar and younger talents such as Parviz Meshkatian, who not only set the standard for traditional technique but developed much new material for the santur repertoire. That any player could expand or even revolutionize this repertoire is hardly imaginable, but that is what Ardavan Kamkar has accomplished, and at an extraordinarily young age. Born in 1968, Ardavan is undoubtedly one of the most exciting musicians of his generation. His natural musicality, effortless virtuosity and remarkable technical innovations, together with his combination of Persian classical, fold and contemporary elements, have reinvigorated the traditional repertoire and resulted in a playing style that is passionate, versatile and alive.^{[citation needed]}

Ardavan’s playing style and tuning techniques are utterly unique. The traditional method of santur playing usually assumes that the right hand is stronger than the left in terms of control and weight. Therefore, almost every phrase starts with the right hand, as do the accentuations within the phrases, which can be easily discerned by the trained listener. Ardavan, however, has developed the dexterity and strength of his left as well as his right hand, widening the santur’s technical range. The beginning of his phrases, tremolos and accentuations can be played by either hand with the same weight, and the roles of the right and left hands are interchangeable within a passage or phrase, giving an exceptional evenness and fluidity to his playing. He also has the extraordinary ability to play different melodies with each hand simultaneously. The santur, with its strings divided into three vertical rows by two sets of bridges, can produce 27 notes across a range of three octaves.^{[citation needed]}

Traditionally, the santur is tuned diatonically to the notes of two primary tonalities in a dastgah (Persian classical mode): the tonic is usually place in the middle row of strings on the second (F), third (G) or sixth (C) note (counting upward from the first bridge) in order to make the different positions accessible to the player, while the secondary tonality, in the same dastgah, is usually tuned on the lower notes played on the row of strings to the right. This method makes the santur playable in only one dastgah at a time and omits the possibility of modulation to other tonalities, limiting the musician to playing only one tonality in a given register, which sometimes eliminates the correct voice leading. Ardavan, however, has developed a tuning method by which he can take any note as a tonic and with some radical tuning sometimes have both chromatic and diatonic scales on the same santur in different registers. Therefore he has created the possibility of having up to four different tonalities at the same time to which he can modulate on one santur, allowing his melodies to be more colourful as well as having a correct voice leading. These technical innovations, driven by his singular musical sensibility and skill, make Ardavan Kamkar a distinguished voice among all santur players today.

In addition to playing the santur, Ardavan has taken music composition, harmony and counterpoint lessons with Houshang and Arsalan Kamkar.

Works[link]

He released his first album named "Darya" (literally 'Sea') at age 16 which contains 6 pieces played by solo santur. His next works are

• "Bar Tarok-e Sepideh" (Concerto for santur & bowstring instruments orchestra in D major)
• "New Year Fish" (Concerto for santur and orchestra in A minor & solo santur in shur E)
• "Siachmaneh" (arrangement of Kurdish melodies for orchestra)
• "Over the Wind" (6 pieces for solo santur)

See also[link]

• Kamkar
• The Kamkars
• Kurdish music
• Music of Iran

References[link]

External links[link]

• Ardavan Kamkar's Official Website