Window of Hope: Music of the Mashruteh

MOHAMMAD TAGHI BAHAR (1886 - 1951), who was given the name MALEK-AL-SHO'ARA, is considered one of the greatest literary figures in Iranian contemporary literature. He was a distinguished poet a master of literature, a writer, a college professor, a notable journalist and a political activist. His literary and political career spanned a period of more than half a century. He played a pivotal role in development and evolution of contemporary Persian prose and poetry. As a teenager, he startled the critics and experts by manifesting his creativity and imagination in composing poems. He composed his first poem at the age of 14. He co-mingled traditional poetry with fresh concepts.

As a journalist, Bahar played an important role in the Constitution Revolution by publishing his newspaper No-Bahar and writing political articles advocating the movement.

In 1917 he gradually put politics aside and dedicated his time to literature. As a college professor, he then started to teach literature in Tehran University, while editing and writing books. His renowned books include The History of Political Parties, Diversifications of Persian Prose and the collection of his poems.

MIRZA ALI AKBAR QAZVINI, known as DEHKHODA, the Persian literary scholar, poet, author, and a political and social critic, was born in Tehran circa 1879. He came from a traditional land-owning family in Qazvin, but his father, Khan Baba Khan Qazvini, had moved the family to Tehran not long before Dehkhoda was born and died when the boy was only nine years old.

Aside from several hundred literary pieces, including poems which deliberately used pure Persian words in Ferdowsi's tradition, Dehkhoda's major contribution is his monumental Persian Encyclopaedia, Loghat-Nameh. Established at his home located on Tehran's Iranshahr Avenue, Dehkhoda attracted a significant number of progressive scholars and linguists to collaborate in the writing of his Loghat-Nameh.

He passed away in 1956.

MIRZADEH ESHGHI (born as Sayed Mohammad Reza Eshghi) (1893 - 1924) was a political writer and poet.

He was Born in Hamadan, learned French at the Ecole d'Alliance, and moved to Istanbul for a while. He is particularly famous for writing the Opera Rastakhiz Iran (The Resurrected Iran), which was a reflection of his patriotic spirit.

After returning to Iran, he published some newspapers in which he fiercely attacked the political system of Iran. He was shot dead at the age of 31, by supporters of Reza Pahlavi after his newspaper was shut down for attacking Reza Khan.

He is remembered for writing 6 plays. His Noruz-Nameh is particularly famous.

IRAJ MIRZA (titled Jalal Al-Mamalek), son of Qolam Hossein Mirza, was a famous Persian poet.

He was born in Tabriz in 1874 to a poet by the name Gholam Hosein Mirza Sadr ol-Sho'ara. He married by the age of 16, quickly learned Arabic, Turkish, and French languages, and soon became involved in the Constitutional Revolution movement.

He was particularly hit hard by the apparent suicide of his eldest son in 1915. For many years, he went around the country switching many state jobs, but without any notable progress. His poems however were to gain national fame, and he soon became one of the greatest contemporary poets of Iran. Iraj Mirza was also active in politics.

He is particularly famous for his obscene and satirical poetry. Yet some of his more mainstream works were Mother and Zohreh va Manuchehr, which is based on William Shakespeare's Venus and Adonis.

He died by heart attack in 1925.

His tomb is in Zahir-al-dawla between Darband and Tajrish.

AREF QAZVINI was born in 1880 in Qazvin. He began music lessons under the supervision of Haji Sadeq Kharrazi at the age of 13. His pleasant voice was acclaimed at an early age. He began composing his own songs in these early years. He studied at the Dar Al Alhan in Turkey. Upon returning to Iran, he planned to create a music school but due to several problems at the time, this plan was never realized.

With the beginning of the Constitutional Movement, he joined the liberals and his songs and tunes reached an extensive audience.

His melodies always carried a central theme of social and political issues. He composed songs, which played a major role in guiding society and familiarizing people with their social rights. This is the main reason why after 70 years Qazvini's songs are still relevant, alive and still performed by musicians.

'The melodies composed by Aref were heard everywhere. He was the only one who composed the poetry and the song himself and performed the melody as well,' said the late musician Ruhollah Khaleqi.

Aref Qazvini died on January 21, 1933 in Hamedan. His poetry and songs are collected in his divan.

ALI AKBAR SHEIDA was born in 1843 in Teleghan. He joined the Safi Alishah Sufi tarighat in Tehran and lived all his life in this khaneghah. He was a poet, composer of songs and master of the Setar. Sheida composed many songs that entered the repertoire of Iranian Classical Music, which have been performed since by numerous performers. He played a great role in establishing the tasnif.