Faramarz Payvar

Far?marz P?yvar (Persian: ?????? ?????) (February 10, 1932, Tehran ? December 9, 2009, Tehran) was an Iranian santur player, composer and Ostad (master) of persian traditional music. P?yvar was born in Tehran, Iran, into an aristocratic and musical family, which was also famous for serving the court. His grandfather, Mo?avaroldoleh, was a renowned painter in the court of N?seraldin Shah. He also, was a fine musician and played the violin, the Setar and the Santur. His father, Ali P?yvar, was both a painter and Professor of French at the University of Tehran.

P?yvar's mother was also interested in the arts in general and music in particular. She was aware of her son's talent and encouraged him to play the instrument.
P?yvar started to demonstrate his musical talent in his earlier years and he gradually realised that he wanted to become a musician and an artist. At the age of seventeen, when he finished his studies at D?rolfon?n High School, he began his musical career, studying with Abolhasan Saba. He studied the radif repertory and played the santur with Sab? for eight years before he graduated from his master class.

P?yvar was highly skilled on the santur and soon became very famous. After Sab?'s death he began to study with four other masters: Nour Ali Boroumand, Roknoldin Mokht?ri, Abdollah Davami, and Haji ?q? Mohamad Irani. P?yvar began his co-operation with the Iranian Department of Art and Culture in 1954, and established an orchestra called "The Art and Culture Orchestra" in that department. He invited famous musicians to join, including Hossein Tehrani (tonbak), Kh?tere Parv?neh (traditional singing), Houshang Zarif (tar), Mohammad Reza Shajarian (singer), Rahmatol?h Badiee (kam?n?eh), and Abdolvahab Shahidi (singer).

In 1958, P?yvar began to teach the santur at The National Music Conservatory. Four years later, in 1962, he received a scholarship from the Department in which he was teaching, and went to England to study English. He graduated with a Graduate Diploma in English from Cambridge University in 1965. At the same time he studied Western music at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and there he lectured on Iranian music and also made some recordings, which are heard nowadays on BBC radio programmes in the Persian language.
P?yvar has performed in many countries, including the USA, Germany, England, Sweden, France, Japan, Italy, Malaysia, and Russia, and is known around the world as a santur virtuoso and composer.

P?yvar died on December 9, 2009 after a long struggle with brain damage.