Customer Reviews

Music and Song in Persia: The Art of Avaz (Persian Art and Culture)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It is with great pleasure that I recommend this book by my old friend Lloyd Miller. He and I performed Persian folk music in Los Angeles in 1988 and I have fond memories of that concert. He was working on his dissertation at that time and it's wonderful to see it published. My only complaint is that it is very difficult to find. No surprise to see that he has done an excellent job of surveying this unique and beautiful tradition, which is so difficult to describe in Western terminology. Some parts of the book are quite technical, and will be rather formidable for beginners. Ethnomusicologists with a special interest in the Middle East will be delighted. Ella Zonis' 1973 tome "Classical Persian Music" might be somewhat easier going for the novice, but it is also tough to locate ... try a good library. Lloyd Miller's book is an indispensible tool and companion for those of us who heve learned to love this music. Bravo!

The author shares his vast knowledge of this esoteric subject. I would have liked to have seen more on the interplay of the 'ghazals' of Hafez as they relate to avaz. The role of the American Peace Corps professional musicians in Iran during the 1960s and 1970s should have been discussed.