Fazlu'llah Tavakkul

Tavakkul, Fazlu’llah (1945-)

Santur instrumentalist, composer, and lyricist. He studied music with numerous masters but above all he was influenced, albdeit indirectly by Master Murtaza Mahjubi’s style of piano performance. He furthered his musical education while continuing his academic education in England in the field of economics and made quite a name for himself from early 1970 onwards. Besides his remarkable skills in performance on the santur and his special techniques in performing this instrument, he was quite talented in composing sweet and pleasing melodies and lyrical poetry. His compositions reflect his lively talent and colorful imagination. Such compositions have brought fame to many a vocalist, including Akbar Gulpa who enjoyed a final blaze of fame when he sang Tavakkul’s compositions in the years 1970-1977. 

Tavakkul’s performances in the Gulha were in its last programmes, but he also the Soloists’ (“Tak-navazan”) programmes, mostly as a soloist and rarely as a composer, during the last years of the program. He is considered as one of the santur instrumentalists who received recognition for their idiosyncratic techniques and innovative material rather than non-classical techniques. It is worthy of note that the Gulha did not significantly contribute to his fame. Among such instrumentalists, mention may be made of Riza Varzandih, Majid Najahi, and Mansur Sarimi. He has been active since 1979 by performing in many performances as composer, soloist, and lyricist and has released numerous albums, including: Ruy-i bargi binivis ‘ishq (“Write on a Leaf: Love,” accompanied by Akbar Gulpayigani on the vocals, Tehran 1386/2007). He traveled to Europe and the United States many a time to perform in concerts durinbg the years 1972-1994.