According to MUSIQI MA news-analysis site, the book “History of Traditional Music” by Ehsan Haji Ali Asgar has reached its fourth edition and is to be made available to those interested in audio form.
Ehsan Haji Ali Asgar, a singer and music teacher, said: “The book (history of traditional music) is the result of collecting all the data available and remain about Iranian traditional music since its inception i.e. hundreds of years ago including the names of dastgah, maqam, naqme, radif, and all the musical instruments that have existed since that time and many of them are still used in traditional music”.
He emphasized: “Of course, because many years ago there was no means to record the sound, and reading was transmitted one by one, so we do not have access to the voice of the singers of the distant period and it is also mentioned in this book all that remains of the reading is from the time of Mirza Abdullah onwards. Many of the instruments used in Persian music at that time are unfortunately no longer available, and their effects and names are known in old manuscripts and / or paintings.
The singer pointed out: “In this book, I decided to collect all the data about this style of music that is tied to the culture of Iran and pass it on to the fans of this style. Fortunately, this book received attention and has been published several times. I am also trying to present this tablet in the form of sound to the lovers of this style of music so that if the fans do not have adequate time to read it, they can at least hear it”.