Nasir Farhangfar

Farhangfar, Nasir (1947-1997)

Tumbak instrumentalist and instructor, vocalist performing classical ballads (tasnif), and composer of works in the tasnif genre of Persian music. After studying briefly with Husayn Tehrani and Muhammad Isma‘ili, he practiced on his own, and became one of the earliest graduates of the music department at Tehran University, and soon won fame in the years 1969-1979. He showed himself to be an accomplished musician a brilliant genius in creating a new style in performance on the tumbak, as well as the singing and composition of lyrical ballads and poems, and being an accomplished calligrapher of the Nasta‘liq script. Farhangfar was a perfect exemplar of  the passionate artist with a fundamentally Iranian character and mystical temperament.

He performed in the Golha-yi taza programmes during the years 1972-79 at the behest of Hushang Ibtihaj, where he accompanied Muhammad Reza Lutfi and the Shayda Ensemble. Owing to depression and psychological complications after the events of 1979, Farhangfar never managed to regain the high level of artistry he’d attained when at the height of his powers. His tragic life manifested a frustrated talent, yet he never lost the respect and admiration of his fans in the world of Persian music. His works include a book entitled Mizan al-A‘zam, edited by Husayn Tehrani, (Tehran: Arash Farhangfar 2000).