Lute makes comeback on Iran music scene

The Oriental lute is making a comeback in Iran after decades in the shadows as musicians reconnect with an instrument integral to Arab and Turkish musical tradition.

Known as the oud in Arabic, it is commonly called the barbat in Persian, although some would argue the instruments differ slightly.

"The number of [oud] students has increased considerably over the past 15 years or so; before a known teacher would have had a dozen students whereas today they'll be about 50," said Majid Yahyanejad, a 35-year-old oud teacher in Tehran.

Noushin Pasdar, a 40-year-old musician in the Iranian capital, made the same observation.

She started teaching the stringed instrument "about 23 years ago" after graduating from professional arts school, known as honarestan in Persian.

"At the time, most of my students were old, really old. Now they're more on the young side," Pasdar said.
"We only knew the oud as played in Egypt and Iraq. We knew nothing of the oud in Turkey. But today we know it's also played in Syria, Kuwait and Jordan."

Yahyanejad noticed young Iranian oud players were "taking more interest in Arabic and Turkish culture... and
Turkish, Arab and Iranian musicians are becoming friends on the Internet."
The barbat has been around for centuries and it takes up a whole chapter of the "Shahnameh" (Book of Kings), written in the 10th century.

Lobbying for UNESCO list

Iran and Syria are lobbying for the manufacture and playing of the oud to be added to UNESCO's "intangible heritage" list.

The barbat had fallen out of Iran's classical and traditional repertoires, with [other] stringed instruments such as the setar, tar, santur and kamancheh given preference.

But in the...