Hasan Nahid

Nahid, Hasan (1943-), instrumentalist and teacher of the ney. Enamoured of Hasan Kasa’i’s ney performances broadcast on the Iranian National Radio, he began learning this instrument on  his own by imitating the style of Kasa’i. At the suggestion of the musician, setar maker, and musicologist Mihdi Kamaliyan (1978-2008), Nahid was introduced to Husayn Dihlavi who discerned in him an ability to play in orchestras. Later on, through his association with Hasan Kasa’i, he corrected and perfected his performance techniques. He was the earliest ney instrumentalist who made use of the instrument at the highest professional orchestral level, in which respect he showed unrivalled mastery. Although Kasa’i was a pioneer compared to Nahid in playing the ney in an orchestral setting, Kasa’i is still regarded primarily as a ney soloist, such that whenever the grand maestro Kasa’i participated in an orchestra he is considered the soloist and artist of improvisation there. Nahid on the other hand was an ‘orchestral instrumentalist’ in the full sense of the word, although compared to his predecessors and successors his abilities at improvisation and as an independent concert performer are less vividly manifest. Nahid performed in many orchestras between the years 1967-1979 and many of his performances were recorded in various Gulha programmes, including Barg-i sabz, Yik shakh-i gul, and Gulha-yi taza, in most of which he was accompanied by different ensembles of Iranian instrumentalists (often conducted by Faramarz Payvar); at times he also has performed as a soloist, or has accompanied various vocalists. Like many other musicians, after 1979 Nahid was subjected to many afflictions in the revolutionary society of Iran and so for several years ceased to be active in the field of music. However, he resumed his activities later on. Few independent albums have been released by him. Scholars working on the outstanding features of soloists performing in the Gulha programmes consider him as the most prominent Persian orchestral ney soloist to date; however, such study is still a desideratum.