Darvish Amir Hiyati

Darvish Amir, Hayati  (1921-2005)

Tanbur instrumentalist and vocalist performing in the Sufi style. Having begun his performances with his father and Sayyid Nasr al-Din Jayhunabadi at the age of twelve, he won fame when still a youth. His performances reflect his simplicity, divinely raptured passion and love, which makes him different from all other instrumentalists and vocalists. He performed the song titled ‘Ali juyam, ‘Ali guyam (I seek ‘Ali I recite ‘Ali) in 1960 at the invitation of Davud Pirniya which was recorded on the Golha and which won him fame and recognition throughout Iran. Amir Hayati also wrote poetry in Persian and Kurdish and his singing and performance on the Golha became recognized as a kind of gold standard for the style of music peculiar to Sufi séances that are held in the dervishes’ meeting lodge (khanaqah). His performances on the tanbur and vocals have been recorded and released, including a CD album titled ‘Ali juyam, ‘Ali guyam, (Tehran: Mahur 1999).