An Analytical Study of Abolhasan Saba's Improvisations
A practice-based study in which the entire album Setar Performances by Abolhasan Saba was transcribed and notated in full, and then analysed; completed at the University of Art, Tehran, in 2021.
An Analytical Study of Abolhasan Saba's Improvisations: A Case Study of the Album “Setar Performances by Abolhasan Saba”
بررسی تحلیلی بداههنوازیهای ابوالحسن صبا؛ مطالعهٔ موردی: آلبوم «سهتارنوازی ابوالحسن صبا»
- Degree
- M.A. in Iranian Music Performance
- Institution
- University of Art, Tehran, Faculty of Music
- Completion
- September 2021
- Theoretical supervisor
- Mahmoud Balandeh
- Practical supervisor
- Massoud Shaari
For this thesis, the entire album Setar Performances by Abolhasan Saba was transcribed and notated in full. The performances were then analysed in terms of right- and left-hand technique, mezrab patterns, ornamentation, phrasing, musical structure, and the influence of singing. The material includes Dastgah-e Shur, Avaz-e Abu Ata, Avaz-e Afshari, and Dastgah-e Mahur.
The complete transcription and notation of the album made it possible to examine performance details systematically—details that notation without performance analysis, or verbal description alone, cannot fully preserve. The study established a practical basis for my continuing work on performance, transmission, and interpretation in the Iranian radif.
Technique glossary
A selection of terms from the thesis.
- Right mezrabمضراب راست
- Left mezrabمضراب چپ
- Rizریز
- Darabدراب
- Esharehاشاره
- Takiyehتکیه
- Kandanکندن
- Sineh-malسینهمال