Houshang Amirian

Houshang Amirian was born in 1343 SH (1964/65) in the town of Sarpol-e Zahab. In early childhood he benefited from the teaching of his grandfather, one of the dervishes of Baba Yadegar, in learning the maqams (traditional melodic pieces of the tanbur).

In 1367 SH (1988/89) he began working as a tanbur player with the Kermanshah Office of Culture and Islamic Guidance and became a member of the Molavi tanbur ensemble, whose singer was the late Seyed Morteza Sharifian. In 1368 SH (1989/90) he moved to Kermanshah radio and television, where together with Mehdi Razzaghi he set up an instrument-making workshop, and at the same time he founded the Dalahu tanbur ensemble. With his brother Faramarz Amirian he composed a cassette entitled “Cheshmeh Saravan”, sung by Mojtaba Bahrami, one of Kermanshah’s masters of vocal music, and released it for lovers of tanbur and Kurdish music.

Besides leading the Dalahu tanbur ensemble, Houshang Amirian has worked continuously with other music groups such as the Molavi, Mardan-e Khoda, Bisotun and Chakavak ensembles, and with his ensemble he has taken part in most of the major music festivals. He holds several honorary diplomas in tanbur performance.

Houshang Amirian is regarded as one of the great maqam masters of the region, and as an instrument maker he is counted among the best makers of the bowl-bodied tanbur (tanbur-e kasei) in the country. Together with his younger brother Faramarz Amirian he ranks among the country’s leading tanbur players.

The Dalahu tanbur ensemble, led by him and playing compositions by him and his brother, is one of the most cohesive tanbur ensembles in the country. Its membership has varied over the years, according to different programmes and performances. The founding members of the Dalahu ensemble in 1368 SH (1989/90) were Houshang Amirian, Faramarz Amirian, Kourosh Sharbati, Seyed Javad Hosseini, Mojtaba Bahrami and Farzad Shahsavari.

Source: Telegram channel “Navaye Tanbur”, 31 October 2016.