Iran issues composer Ruhollah Khaleqi stamp

A stamp commemorating the prominent musician and composer Ruhollah Khaleqi (1901-1960), known for his composition of Iran’s former national anthem “O, Iran”, was unveiled at the Afifabad Garden in Shiraz on July 11. The stamp, printed in commemoration of the musician, was unveiled during a ceremony held on the side section of Iran’s National Orchestra performance in the presence of Iranian tar virtuoso Hossein Alizadeh, the Persian service of MNA reported on Tuesday. Iran’s National Orchestra by vocalist Alireza Qorbani and conductor Bardia Kiaras performed a selection of compositions by Khaleqi for two nights. The crowd was overwhelmed by the closing piece “O, Iran” on the second night. Khaleqi was brought up in a family of music lovers. He was a student of celebrated composer and musician Ali-Naqi Vaziri. He wrote music for classical Iranian repertoires (radif) along with Iranian musicians like Abolhassan Saba and Ali-Naqi Vaziri, whose works have been classified by Mirza Abdollah. The pieces “Why Now,” “Favorite Spring,” “Silent,” and “Night of Youth” are among the compositions of the master. His other credits include several books on music under the titles “History of Iranian Music” and “A View on Iranian Music.” The book Khaleqi wrote for the tar and the setar is still used for teaching at the Iranian Academy of Music. Khaleqi is buried in Tehran’s Zahir od-Doleh Cemetery. Photo: Tar virtuoso Hossein Alizadeh unveils a picture of a stamp issued to commemorate the prominent musician Ruhollah Khaleqi, on the sidelines of a concert by Iran’s National Orchestra at the Afifabad Garden in Shiraz on July 11, 2011. (Mehr/Mohammadreza Abbasi)