I've set an ambitious agenda for today's episode.

In the first hour you'll be awakened and greeted.

The second hour focuses on elements of Ostad Elahi's musical system: forms, pitches, rhythms, etc.

The third hour addresses the spiritual dimension of his playing, listening from the inside.

Read a concise history of the tanbur, the putative ancestor of all stringed instruments, here. Take a virtual tour of the 1995 Paris exhibition commemorating Elahi's life and works.

Set #1 - 8:00am - 9:00am

1. Suite Sahari

18:30

("[I]n the past, this melody was played at dawn to awaken the dervishes, calling them for prayer.")

2. Suite Jelo Shâhi

31:49

("The title of this piece means 'Go and Greet the King.' It invokes imperial rites of ancient Persia, transposed to the spiritual level...")

Tracks 1-2 (rec. Tehran 1964-72)

Ostad Elahi - tanbur & voice

La musique céleste d'Ostad Elahi: L'art du luth oriental tanbur

Le chant du monde, 7741026

Set #2 - 9:00am - 10:00am

†3. Suite de Tchapi

6:27

("Chapi is part of the Kurdish dance repertoire." Recorded in 1950 or 1960. Bad proofreading.)

†4. Ali Aman yâ Ali

6:13

("The Chapi [dance] theme keeps returning throughout this improvisation...")

5. Bâbâ Faqi

13:10

(Song evoking "mystics who lost their lives [as martyrs] on the path of divine love." Limited pitch range with lots of minor seconds.)

6. Bâbâ Sarhangi

9:55

("The major intervals of this piece give it a clear and gentle tone, resulting in some degree of calmness after the poignant evocations of the previous piece.")

Tracks 5-6 (rec. Tehran c. 1970)

Ostad Elahi - tanbur & voice

Oraison mystique: L'art du luth oriental tanbur

Le chant du monde, 7741137

Set #3 - 10:00am - 11:00am

7. Hymnes Hey Dâwed (rec. Tehran early 1970s)

Ostad Elahi - tanbur & voice

Destinations: L'art du luth oriental tanbur

Le chant du monde, 744 1626.27

10:18

†8. Supplique d'Ali

17:57
(This could have been penned by Martin Luther: "O You whom I adore, my Creator, my solid support, my refuge/ Whether rich or poor in You I seek refgue.")

†Tracks 3, 4, 8 (rec. Tehran 1964-72)

Ostad Elahi - tanbur & voice

Harmonies célestes: L'art du luth oriental tanbur

Le chant du monde, 7741122

9. Suite Jelo Shâhi

31:49

(Track 2 repeated.)

Where to buy CDs featured on today's show:

La musique céleste d'Ostad Elahi - CD Universe

Harmonies célestes - CD Universe

Oraison mystique - CD Universe

Destinations - CD Universe