Iranian national historyMiddle Eastern music historycultural dissimilarity and discontinuitypremodern and modern musical normstraditional Persian art music
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Abstract (AI)
A free open access ebook is available upon publication. Learn more at www.luminosoa.org . Iran’s particular system of traditional Persian art music has been long treated as the product of an ever-evolving, ancient Persian culture. In Music of a Thousand Years, Ann E. Lucas argues that this music is a modern phenomenon indelibly tied to changing notions of Iran’s national history. Rather than considering a single Persian music history, Lucas demonstrates cultural dissimilarity and discontinuity over time, bringing to light two different notions of music-making in relation to premodern and modern musical norms. An important corrective to the history of Persian music, Music of a Thousand Years is the first work to align understandings of Middle Eastern music history with current understandings of the region’s political history.
Key Findings
1
It identifies two distinct approaches to music-making associated with premodern and modern musical norms.
2
The study demonstrates cultural dissimilarity and historical discontinuity in Persian music over time, challenging the assumption of a single continuous music history.
3
The work revises Persian music historiography by aligning interpretations of Middle Eastern music history with the region’s political history.
4
Traditional Persian art music is argued to be a modern phenomenon shaped by changing conceptions of Iran’s national history, rather than a direct product of an uninterrupted ancient culture.
Research Object
Iranian traditional Persian art music
Research Subject
The historical construction and transformation of Iranian traditional music in relation to changing notions of national history and premodern versus modern musical norms
Publication Details
Publication Date
2019-10-22
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