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A Short Note on Music and Its Inverse
By Mohsen Namjoo
mohsen@tehranavenue.com
October 2005
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If we take A to be any mindset that finds music problematic, we must say that A has always come out against its inverse. Now, let assume that B is music itself. As such:

A º ~B and B º ~A

Both A and B have a long history associated with them. They have also always interacted. In times passed, and at least in official capacity, A has been on top of B. It is only in recent times that B has staged some sort of open engagement against its inverse (again, we are only talking about the official current). You ask why? Well, to go on battling again.

When we mention history, we should say that B has seen such strong opposition from A that we don't even have documents to prove it (for A is what's official, and recorded). A general statement about A and B in our contemporary history is that B has been limited to small theoretical circles while A has tired to eliminate B. What I mean is that A has tried to drive B out of the practical aspects of it realization. B has had difficulty to be practiced openly and in public throughout our Islamic history.

Moving in History

We will try to course the history of A and B by offering examples. A is SAVAK (the much feared security apparatus of the Pahlavi regime) and B the late counterculture singer {Fereydoun Forughi}. After the 1979 Iranian Revolution, when SAVAK was transformed into the Ministry of Information, Forughi remained a suspicious figure and was sidelined. Only layers of A changed place. B remained in the position of A's inverse.

A is the situation of music in provinces and B the young enthusiast who wants to form a rock band or some such group. A is the iron-fisted {Reza Shah} and B the new-fledged Music Conservatory created by the Western-educated, classical Iranian musician {Alinaqi Vaziri}. A is the administration whose Minister of Culture is {Mir Salim}. A is the hard-line Mir Salim. A is the administration head and B the plethora of musical talents that have gone to waste. B is these bitter experiences gone-to-waste. B is Forughi not being able to sing onto death (on the same night that another singer, post-revolutionary pop-star {Alireza Asar} was "dancing and turning and drinking from that goblet"). A courses through time and space. It lived during the time an open-minded {Khatami} was Minister of Culture; it has lived during the pro-business administration of {Rafsanjani}; it goes on living today. So has B.

Religious A and Political A

In terms of the behavior of various layers of A, we must say that the religious layer changes little. For example, if a conservative patriarch doesn't allow music to be played on the wedding night of his first daughter, he would most probably not allow the same on the wedding night of his second daughter. Religious belief – notwithstanding exceptional cases – remains unchanged. As such, we will take Religious A to be constant. This is not true with Political A, which will do with B as it sees fit and according to "expedience."

How do we explain this paradox? What is clear is that everything is rooted in A. A is trying to present itself compatible with B, that is, A is trying to say that it is a lover of music, while we know that A is the inverse of music. As such, A is trying to be the inverse of A.

To be more precise: For A to present itself as the inverse of A, it must turn to B, while in truth it is turning to the inverse of B, for A, as a political force, which is also ideologically-inclined, will try to come out with its own type of music, which is not, by definition, independent, and as such held in suspicion by the public at large. It is not B but the inverse of B.

Take A to be a presidential candidate and B the intellectual taste for music. The presidential candidate wants to present himself as the inverse of A. We will represent this with a simple mathematic formula.

A Ú B º A Þ B

Take this campaign promise, for example, which was implied during the last presidential election: "Should Hashemi Rafsanjani become president, Iran will become the cradle of democracy." The promise also implied that at the time Iran was not the cradle of democracy or Hashemi would become president. We argue that if the counter-music mindset (A) is exercising power, then what is musically produced is not independent music (B), or:

A Ú ~B º A Þ ~B

Music is produced but the counter-music mindset is what is propagated. Note that "Ú" has lead to what we have been witnessing over the past several years – those making decisions regarding music in fact take their inspiration from, or are working for, a mindset that opposes music; thus, the pitiable state that music finds itself in today. Mathematically we will have the following:

A Ú ~A º A Þ A º A Þ ~B

The consequence of the above statement was earlier referred to as "expedience" or "special conditions" and it can also be presented as such: "Music should be sidelined or music shouldn't be sidelined." Another words, according to A, music is reprobate unless it is not reprobate. The question is: What type of music is acceptable according to A? Naturally what A approves of or what serves its ends.

When one of the representatives of A (Hashemi Rafsanjani) passes himself off as a proponent of the young generation, music, and joy, they A is presenting itself as the inverse of A. The writer of these lines saw how in one of this candidate's campaign headquarters in Tehran a group of young musicians were playing rap and metal songs. They had turned into the campaign propaganda of this candidate.

Artistic Legends

Among the many examples to support the above reasoning one is the use made of music in television programs. Over these years we have seen how patriotic songs (which early in the revolution were deemed non-Islamic) were used by the state-run radio and television. But when these songs, some of the more lasting of which have been written and composed by legends of Iranian music, are used by the state they are debased of their historical meaning and significance. There are many examples of great musicians whose works or services have been exploited by the state and whose significance have diminished as a result. This is when music is commissioned by a mindset that doesn't approve of music.

Indeed, A is using B, or usurping its energies; A has always worked against B, has limited its public practice, but according to expedience, A is coaxing B and is even letting sentiments interfere in the space that them.



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