Mozaffar Mansourian

Mozaffar Mansourian (born March/April 1981 in Kermanshah) is one of the outstanding figures of the new generation of tanbur players in Iran and has made a considerable contribution to the rediscovery, performance and spiritual-musical development of the instrument. He is one of the few artists who have managed to forge a coherent link between the old tradition of tanbur playing and contemporary approaches to performance, and who, as a composer and researcher, have devoted themselves to the cultural and musical analysis of this art.

1. The historical and cultural context of his work

Tanbur music, especially in the regions of western Iran such as Kermanshah, Dalahu, Hawraman and Shahu, is recognised as a ritual maqam music (built on maqams, the traditional melodic pieces of the tanbur repertoire) with deep roots in the spiritual fabric of local society. Against this background, Mansourian has devoted himself not merely to playing the instrument but to understanding the tanbur historically, culturally and ritually, and has sought to experience and represent the music in connection with the customs and beliefs of the people of the region. The existence of his large ensemble, “Mastur”, can also be understood in this context.

2. Training and artistic development

Mansourian began playing the tanbur as a teenager and learned this art in the traditional way from eminent masters such as Seyed Khalil Alinejad, Mozaffar Berenji and Nasreddin Khamushi. This traditional training became the basis of his deep understanding of the maqams, rhythms and performance practices of the tanbur.

Alongside his traditional training, he also pursued a more academic and analytical path and tried to combine tradition with modern musical tendencies in his performances, a combination that reflects his attention to the alternative identities of music and his critical engagement with mere formalism.

3. The “Mastur” ensemble and the development of collective music-making

One of Mansourian’s most important achievements is the founding of the “Mastur” ensemble, a group whose aim was to bring together a body of tanbur players to perform the maqams and musical rites. Drawing on its large number of players, the ensemble recreated the collective vibration and resonance of the maqams in ritual and public spaces. Among its important performances was Zar o Parishan (“Forlorn and Distraught”) at the Shah Hayas takyeh (a ritual gathering hall) and at the tomb of Baba Yadegar in Dalahu, which was very warmly received.

The formation of “Mastur” should be seen as the realisation of a cultural project: a project that took shape by drawing on folkloric and spiritual symbols such as “Shah Khoshin” in the belief of the Ahl-e Haqq, i.e. the Yarsan, a Kurdish mystical faith (a symbol of an army of nine hundred musicians), and that reflects an effort to keep tanbur music alive and to spread it in the present generation.

4. Artistic features and approach to performance

In his performances Mansourian has drawn not only on his command of the traditional maqams and melodies of the tanbur but also on elements of improvisation and musical analysis. Maqams such as Aman Ya Ali (“Mercy, O Ali”), Zekr-e Ya Hu Madad (“The Invocation ‘O God, Help!’”) and Dam-e Hameh Dam (“The Breath of Every Breath”) in his teaching curriculum and performances reflect his attention to the layers of meaning and structure in tanbur music.

This approach shows his commitment to presenting the tanbur not merely as an instrument to be played but as a medium for conveying spiritual experience and for understanding music within its cultural framework.

5. Teaching and performance workshops

Besides performing, Mansourian is also active in teaching: his instructional videos, available on Iranian and international video platforms, cover introductory and advanced topics of the tanbur and make learning easier for students and researchers of Iran’s regional music.

6. Influence and outlook

Mansourian’s role in the new generation of Iranian tanbur playing can be seen as going beyond performance: by founding the Mastur ensemble, through professional teaching and by combining a traditional with an analytical outlook, he has made an important contribution to keeping tanbur music alive. His field research on the maqams, on collective performance and on the ritual meaning of tanbur music could open up broad avenues for future research in ethnomusicology.