‏Firidun Shahbaziyan

Shahbaziyan, Firiydun (b. 1942-)

Composer, arranger, and one of the most renowned experts on different aspects of Persian music over the last forty years. Born into a family of musicians, his father, Husayn Shahbaziyan (b. 1299/1920) was a violinist. He received his education at the Conservatory for the Advanced Study of Music in Tehran and performed on the instrument in which he specialized, the violin, from early 1960 in different orchestras including that of the Golha. Having undergoing advanced musical studies in England, he won fame in late 1960s and early 1970s. Shahbaziyan has been active in many domains of Persian music including feature film music, background music for declamation of Persian poetry, pop music, and arrangement of his own compositions for the Gulha Orchestra – in which prominent vocalists like Ilahi and Shajariyan were featured. Since 1979 he has continued his activities at the Islamic Republic of Iran Radio and Television where he has made significant contributions both as a musician and at times as an advisor responsible for making decisions regarding broadcasting music. His activities in the Golha as a composer and arranger began around 1972. One of his most famous compositions for the Golha programmes was Pur kun piyala ra (Fill up the Cup), arranged and performed by Firiydun Mushiri, Muhammad Riza Shajariyan, and Habibu’llah Badi‘i. Nonetheless, he has not been recognized as being a composer of melodies and tunes for the Gulha programmes. In terms of orchestration, Shahbaziyan’s compositions range between national orchestral music and symphonic music. He was the first Iranian musician to ensure that his works are protected by copyright laws prevalent in Europe. His released CD albums include both different works of film music and lyrical ballad music. 

Sayyid ‘Ali Riza Mir‘alinaqi