Persian Classical Music

The art music of Iran, organized around the dastgah system of melodic frameworks and the radif, the canonical repertoire of short pieces through which those frameworks are learned and elaborated. Performance centers on improvisation within strict modal discipline: a singer or instrumentalist unfolds a dastgah through introductory, modal and climactic sections, often setting classical Persian poetry by Hafez, Rumi or Saadi. Core instruments include the tar, setar, santur, ney, kamancheh and tombak, used in small ensembles or solo. Ornamentation, microtonal inflection and long-breathed phrasing are essential, and mastery is measured by the depth of a performer's command of the radif and by improvisational judgment.