Seyed Mahmoud Alavi

Seyed Mahmoud Alavi, son of Seyed Mirza and grandson of Seyed Niaz, from the line of Seyed Khiyal, a descendant of Seyed Qamam, was born in 1285 SH (1906/07) in the town of Gahvareh.

Like Seyed Vali, he had the honour of attending the gatherings of Agha Seyed Shamseddin Heydari and benefited from his teaching.

Seyed Mahmoud was one of the most virtuosic and technically accomplished tanbur players; when one listens to the few recordings he left, one is so struck by the strength of his fingers and his playing technique that it seems as if he had lived in our own time. He played the tanbur with such finesse that Agha Seyed Shamseddin is reported to have said of him and Seyed Vali: “Seyed Mahmoud plays the tanbur in the most beautiful way possible, and Seyed Vali plays the maqams [traditional melodic pieces of the tanbur] of the kalam [the sacred hymns of the Yarsan] in the best way possible.”

Seyed Mahmoud Alavi also studied with the tanbur masters, the Kakis of Gurehjub. He trained great pupils such as Taher Yarveysi and Ali Akbar Moradi.

His brother Seyed Esmaeil Alavi (1305–1378 SH; 1926/27–1999/2000) and his nephew Seyed Bahram were also great tanbur players and maqam masters.

Source: Telegram channel “Navaye Tanbur”, 13 November 2016 and 13 April 2017.