Seyed Vali Hosseini

Seyed Vali was one of the greatest masters and transmitters of the tanbur maqams (traditional melodic pieces/modes of the tanbur); without doubt, in the last fifty years few people knew and commanded the tanbur maqams as thoroughly as he did.

Seyed Vali was schooled in the circle of Agha Seyed Shamseddin. It is related that, despite his young age (11 to 13 years old), he was one of the foremost members of Agha Seyed Shamseddin's gatherings and his right hand.

Seyed Vali's family have been tanbur players for seven generations. They were originally from Qaleh Zanjir in Qalkhani and came to Gahvareh three hundred years ago.

In teaching the tanbur maqams to his students Seyed Vali was very precise and meticulous; he did so with complete devotion and held nothing back. He trained many students who are today among the great figures of the tanbur, such as Ali Akbar Moradi, Taher Yarveysi and Kaka Berar Ostad.

Seyed Vali died in Gahvareh on 30 Farvardin 1377 SH (19 April 1998), at the age of 88. His grave is in the village of Tutshami, at a place called Dar Seyed Nasir, where other masters such as Mirza Seyd Ali Kafashian and Darvish Hasan Kharabati, as well as Seyed Vali's late son Seyed Qorban, are also laid to rest.

Source: Telegram channel “Navaye Tanbur”, 21 October 2016 and 10 February 2017; quoting the book Zamineh-ye Shenakht-e Tanbur by Heydar Kaki.