TEHRAN -- The history of santur making was reviewed during the second meeting of Iran’s Tahrir of Music society entitled “The Solitude of the Tree and the Hand” here on September 22.

The event was attended by santur virtuoso Milad Kiaii, vocalist Ahmad Ebrahimi and santur maker Mohsen Rasekh.
Shahab Mona, music scholar, gave a speech on the history of the santur (traditional hammered dulcimer) in Iran and screened relevant slides. He said that the history of the santur in Iran can be traced back to the Qajar era (1794-1925) via its appearance in Persian paintings and miniatures of that time.
He went on to explain that the instrument has a wooden horizontal trapezoid structure and that it is played by a special mallet-shaped plectrum (mezrab) which is held between the index and middle fingers.
He added that the history of santur making in Iran is divided into two epochs: from the Qajar era up until the end of the era of Mehdi Nazemi (late nineties), and from then up until the present day.
Mona gave some details about Mehdi Nazemi, the celebrated master of santur making, saying that he had developed the most reliable, scientific and effective method of making santurs that exists in Iran.
Milad Kiaii, santur virtuoso spoke next pointing out that one of the problems surrounding the making of santurs in Iran is that santur makers have paid more attention to producing quantity than quality. He emphasized that the value of a santur maker’s work is in the quality of the sound that his santurs produce and not in the quantity of instruments that he makes.