About the Author

Bahar Barkhordar, author of Maestro Morteza Mahjoubi’s Piano Radif, Moshir Homayoun Shahrdar, Hossein Ostovar, Morteza Mahjoubi’s Piano and the Voice of Ghamarolmolouk Vaziri, The Higher School of Music Orchestra, and the three-volume educational collection Children of Yesterday, Children of Today, was born into an educated family with a strong artistic and musical background.

From early childhood, she studied piano seriously under the guidance of her mother, who was among the early graduates of the Music Department at the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Tehran. During her teenage years, she also chose the tar and setar among Iranian instruments. Her commitment to Persian traditional music, alongside her interest in Western classical music, shaped both her choice of instruments and her later academic path.

Education

Bahar Barkhordar holds a bachelor’s degree in Music Performance from the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Tehran, and a master’s degree in Composition from the University of Art.

Music education and the three-volume children’s collection

One of her principal areas of interest has been the study of effective methods for teaching music to children and adults while maintaining the important place of Persian music and helping introduce it to younger generations. This work led to the creation of the three-volume educational collection Children of Yesterday, Children of Today, comprising 130 children’s pieces for piano.

Research on Persian classical piano

Her long-standing interest in Persian traditional music also led to extensive research into Persian classical piano. Her knowledge of the Persian radif, together with her command of piano performance, created a distinctive opportunity to address a long-standing gap in the teaching and preservation of Persian piano performance practice.

Master Morteza Mahjoubi’s piano radif contains the essential techniques required for Persian piano performance. However, because Mahjoubi used a highly individual system of notation, this important repertoire remained inaccessible to many pianists for decades. Over the course of five years of research, Bahar Barkhordar studied Mahjoubi’s surviving handwritten manuscripts, reconstructed the radif, transcribed it into standard staff notation, and prepared it for publication as Maestro Morteza Mahjoubi’s Piano Radif, making the repertoire accessible to pianists who read standard notation.

The book has been included by the Cultural Heritage Organisation as a reference in the dossier concerning this element of national intangible cultural heritage. Bahar Barkhordar’s performance of Morteza Mahjoubi’s piano radif has also been made available internationally through music platforms.

Moshir Homayoun Shahrdar

Moshir Homayoun Shahrdar contains 55 zarbi (rhythmic) pieces in grand-staff notation for Persian piano in the left-tuned (chap-kuk) system. The collection was transcribed from surviving gramophone recordings of performances by Moshir Homayoun Shahrdar. Presented in sections for ensemble performance and solo piano, these works form an important part of the history of Persian piano. The book also examines techniques of Persian piano performance, and 15 of its pieces can be performed on a piano tuned to the standard international tuning system.

Hossein Ostovar

Hossein Ostovar is a collection of 45 works, including pishdaramads, operettas, tasnifs and traditional rengs. The research is based on recordings issued by the Columbia company on gramophone records in 1307 and 1312 SH (approximately 1928/29 and 1933/34). The surviving performances of Hossein Ostovar — an important part of the history of Persian piano — were transcribed from audio into standard staff notation for left-tuned Persian piano using the grand staff.

Morteza Mahjoubi’s Piano and the Voice of Ghamarolmolouk Vaziri

Morteza Mahjoubi’s Piano and the Voice of Ghamarolmolouk Vaziri contains 11 rare historical tasnifs recorded on gramophone records in 1310 SH (approximately 1931/32). The pieces were transcribed into standard staff notation from the surviving original audio recordings. Other musicians appearing in these recordings include Morteza Ney-Davoud on tar and Mousa Ney-Davoud on violin.

The Higher School of Music Orchestra

The Higher School of Music Orchestra contains 40 orchestral works composed by Alinaghi Vaziri and featuring the voice of Rouhangiz. These works were recorded on gramophone records between 1307 and 1310 SH (approximately 1928–1932), with Abolhasan Saba appearing in the orchestra as violin soloist. The surviving original audio recordings formed the principal source material for the research and transcription presented in the book.

Composition

Her other artistic activities include composing the seven-episode symphonic poem Pir-e Changi, inspired by Rumi, and orchestrating it for symphony orchestra. The work involved research into Persian musical scales from a new compositional perspective. She has also composed numerous rhythmic and vocal works for Persian instrumental ensembles.

Teachers and musical training

Tar and setar

  • Ramin Kakavand
  • Houshang Zarif
  • Behrouz Hemmati
  • Fariborz Azizi
  • Keyvan Saket
  • Dariush Talaei
  • Mohammad-Reza Lotfi

Classical piano at university

  • Arash Abbasi
  • Hooshyar Khayam

Composition

  • Ahmad Pejman
  • Sharif Lotfi
  • Taghi Zarabi
  • Amirhossein Eslami
  • Kiawasch Sahebnassagh
  • Hooshyar Khayam

Ensemble experience

  • Three years as a member of the Solouk traditional music ensemble
  • Three years as a member of the Hamdelan Nava music ensemble
  • Two years with the Tehran Academic Orchestra as a soloist
  • One year as a member of the Paliz music ensemble

Research and experimental performances

She has taken part in numerous research-oriented and experimental concerts, including performances at Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Tehran; Farabi Hall, University of Art; the University of Science and Culture; and the Faculty of Literature, University of Tehran.

Professional performances

  • Performance with the Paliz music ensemble at Mehrab Hall, Azar 1387 SH (2008)
  • Multiple performances with the Tehran Academic Orchestra, including Vahdat Hall in Mehr 1388 SH (2009), Roudaki Hall in Dey 1387 SH (2008/09), and the Ministry of Interior Conference Hall in Ordibehesht 1388 SH (2009)
  • Performance with the Hamdelan Nava ensemble at Farhangsara-ye Fadak, Khordad 1389 SH (2010)
  • Multiple performances with the Solouk ensemble at the University of Tehran
  • Participation in the third and fourth Student Music Festivals of the University of Science and Culture