by Peyman Nasehpour

It has been theorized that the Indian sitar was invented, or rather developed, by Amir Khusrow (c. 1253 - 1325), a renowned Sufi inventor, Persian-speaking poet, and pioneer of Khyal, Tarana, and Qawwali, during the 13th century. However, this tradition is considered discredited by scholars. No records from this period mention the name "sitar" in connection with any instruments he might have played. An ambiguous statement made in a 19th-century work by Captain N. Augustus Willard may have led to the incorrect association of the famous poet Amir Khusrow with a later individual, possibly named Khusrau Khan, who lived during the 18th century.

Apparently, the earliest mention of the sitar dates back to 1739 AD. The "Muraqqa-i-Dehli", written by "Dargah Quli Khan" during the reign of "Muhammad Shah Rangila", provides the earliest reference to the sitar. Oral and textual evidence analyzed by historians indicate that an 18th-century figure of the Mughal court, named "Khusrau Khan", originated the sitar from the small Persian three-stringed setar. The word sitar is derived from the Persian word "seh-tar سه‌تار", meaning "three-stringed" (see [H] and [M]).

Several renowned sitar players, such as Ustad Vilayat Khan, Ustad Imrat Khan, and Pandit Ravi Shankar, performed at the Shiraz Arts Festival. Inspired by these performances and the global promotion of the instrument by Pandit Ravi Shankar, in recent decades some Iranian musicians have shown interest in learning the Indian sitar. In this note, I introduce some Iranian sitar players briefly.

• Abbas Mehrpouya (1927–1992) was an Iranian singer, pioneer of Iranian fusion music, performer, composer, arranger, traveler, and decorator. He was born in Eyn al-Dauleh region of Tehran. During his teenage years, he developed a great interest in the arts, especially music and crafts. Mehrpouya initially entered the world of music by learning the oud from an Arab musician named Ahmad Ali. He then began learning the guitar from European guitarists living in Iran, including an Italian teacher named Armando and a German guitarist named Erwin. He introduced the electric guitar at one of Tehran's art associations. Later, Mehrpouya traveled to India to familiarize himself with Indian music and learn the sitar. He spent a long time under the tutelage of various teachers in India and received advice and guidance from the renowned Indian sitar player Pandit Ravi Shankar.

• Dariush Salari (1950–2020) was a celebrated Iranian santoor maker. Born in Abadan, he completed his secondary education there. He moved to India to continue his studies in political science. Due to his interest in music, he began learning the sitar and studied for six years under Ananda Sharma, learning the sitar style of Pandit Ravi Shankar. In 1980, he returned to Iran and began making the santoor in 1986. Over time, he made changes to the structure and method of making the santoor. In September 2014, his book titled "A Thousand and One Questions About the Santoor", edited by Shahab Mena, was published by Soroud Publications. Dariush Salari passed away on the evening of October 24, 2020, in Tehran, at the age of 70, after contracting the coronavirus and with a history of diabetes, ultimately due to cardiac arrest.

• Abolfazl Rajabi, known by his stage name Shapoor Rajabi, was an Iranian musician. He fell in love with music at the early age of eight. After discovering the Indian sitar and researching Indian music for 10 years, he found Ustad Vilayat Khan's style of playing the sitar quite amazing. His passion for Indian music led him to India, where he sought to learn the sitar from Ustad Vilayat Khan. However, due to Ustad Vilayat Khan's busy schedule, he recommended that Shapoor move to Mumbai to study under his prominent student, Pandit Arvind Parikh. According to a report by the Maharashtra Herald on February 23, 1993, he had many successful concerts, distinguishing his talent in Indian music as recognized by various gurus of Indian music. Accompanying Ustad Vilayat Khan and Pandit Arvind Parikh, he participated in many conferences on Indian music. After years of dedicated study and learning more than 40 ragas from Parikh, he returned to Iran and settled in Karaj, near Tehran. Shapoor Rajabi passed away in Iran in the 2000s after years of suffering from an illness.

• Alireza Boroujerdi (1951-), known by his stage name Ali Boroujerdi, is an Iranian journalist and musician. After completing secondary education, his father recommended that he move to the West to continue his studies. However, due to his passion for the Indian sitar, he went to India in the 1970s to study economics and sitar. He became one of the best foreign students of the prominent sitar player Ustad Usman Khan. Around 1980, he returned to Iran and worked as a journalist for a while. Later, he was employed by the National Iranian Oil Company. His first album, released in 1988, made him a celebrated sitarist in Iran. After retiring, he has become more active on the music stage, promoting Indian classical music in Iran.

• Houschang Nejadepour was a talented Iranian-German musician known for his work as both a guitarist and sitar player. He was a member of several notable bands, including "Guru Guru" and "Kraftwerk". Nejadepour's contributions to the music scene, particularly in the genres of rock and psychedelic music, is considered to be significant. He was also associated with the band "Eiliff". I wasn't aware of Nejadepour until recently when my "guitarist and looper" friend, Michael Peters from Germany, introduced him in a Facebook post.

References.

[H] J S Hamilton. Sitar music in Calcutta: An Ethnomusicological Study. Vol. 3. Motilal Banarsidass Publisher, 1994.

[M] A Miner. Sitar and Sarod in the 18th and 19th Centuries. Vol. 7. Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 2018.

See also Tabla Most Famous Indian Drum, Indian Tabla and Popular Talas, and Mathematics in Indian Rhythm System.