It was a monument of traditional Iranian music. Singer and songwriter Mohammad-Réza Shajarian died Thursday, October 8, at the age of 80. The death of the artist, whose relations with the authorities were strained, caused sadness and emotion in his country.
Very soon after the announcement of the death ofOstad (“Master”, in Persian), thousands of admirers of all ages converged on Jam Hospital in Tehran, where the singer had been admitted a few days earlier in critical condition. Forgetting about social distancing rules linked to the Covid-19 epidemic, the crowd sang in loop and in unison Mogh-é Sahar (Dawn bird), historic song with which Shajarian ended all his concerts.
Some more political slogans, quickly contained, were chanted, such as “Dictators die, Shajarian never dies”, or “Shame, shame on our public television”, but without really disturbing a collected atmosphere paying homage to an eminently popular figure. By mid-evening, there were still hundreds singing in front of the hospital.
Creator of “eternal” melodies
The broadcasting of Shajarian’s works has been banned on state broadcasting since the singer took a resolute stand in favor of the demonstrators during the crackdown in 2009 of the protest against the re-election of the ultraconservative president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The state television news channel announced the musician’s death, recalling his artistic career, but without making the sound of his voice heard.
President Hassan Rohani, a moderate who has never hidden his admiration for the deceased, sent a message of condolence to his “Family and its admirers”, greeting a “Lovable artist”, creator of melodies “Eternal”, whose “The grateful nation will always keep alive the name, the memory and the works”.
Mohammad-Réza Shajarian has been diagnosed with cancer for several years “Flew to meet his beloved (God)”, soberly wrote his son, Homayoun Shajarian, on his Instagram account. On social media, his death sparked countless saddened comments.
“Maestro Shajarian was truly an immense ambassador of Iran, of its children and, above all, of its culture”, reacted Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Twitter, presenting his “Deepest condolences to Iranians around the world, and in particular to his relatives”.
Songs with a political message
Singer, instrumentalist and committed composer, Mohammad-Réza Shajarian has embodied more than any other Iranian traditional and classical music for half a century, both abroad and in Iran. A true national monument in his country, he nevertheless maintained difficult relations with the authorities in Tehran throughout his long career, first under the reign of the Shah, then under the regime of the Islamic Republic.
During the 2009 protest, he released a song, Zaban-é Atache (Language of fire), in which he launched a “Leave your gun on the ground my brother”, immediately understood as a message addressed to the paramilitary forces who were shooting at the demonstrators. The artist then assured that his songs were always related to the political and social situation of the country, even when he sang the lyrical poems of Hafez or Rumi, two of the greatest poets of the Persian language.
Mohammad-Réza Shajarian has often been very critical of an Islamic Republic that he once accused of being opposed “To the very idea of the Persian identity of the Iranians” and want to impose a “Muslim identity”. But his death seems to erase for a moment these divisions, the Fars press agency, close to the ultraconservatives, paying homage to him by titling: “The bird of dawn is silent”.
Addressing the crowd, Homayoun Shajarian asked the Iranians to disperse so as not to be exposed to Covid-19. But he was booed by announcing that his father would be buried in Mashhad, a holy Shiite city in the northeast, where the singer was from, some claiming that the body remains in the capital.
