Vocals : Mahmoud Karimi
Setar : Ostad Daryoush Safvat
Santur : Ostad Faramarz Payvar
The master Mahmud Karimi was born in 1927 in Tehran to a family appreciative of culture and art. Following childhood and fulfillment of his preliminary and secondary education, he went to the state department for fine arts and started studying at a painting school, in the branch of miniature, under the tutelage of then masters and carried on for three years after the end of which he was also employed there. Afterward, he was transferred to the construction organization affiliated with the ministry of interior, and then to the ministry of justice after ten years in which he stayed till his retirement. From childhood he was really fond of arts and more of music though he had started with painting, so he began Iranian singing. From time to time he used various resources since there were no many opportunities to find someone quite accomplished and knowledgeable in traditional Iranian music. No doubt, this was for those who themselves had private musical schools and needed to strengthen their knowledge and competence in the field. As soon as Karimi found the notice for the establishment of this class, went for receiving the necessary education there under the master Abdollah Davami in vocal Radif following that he started to teach singing there too after a time. At the time when the society for development and propagation of Iranian national music had been established by the efforts of the department for fine arts and attempts of such masters as A. Davami, he participate in the complementary singing classes in the national music school, an organization grounded on the aforesaid society. He was one of the first students to enter Davami's classes from 1951 and mastered the complete set of Iranian vocal Radifs under that great master with abundance of effort. Davami himself said that from among his pupils Karimi was the one who was more infatuated with the job. After a while and under the permission of his master he was allowed to teach in his stead in the classes.
The master Karimi had been able to work and teach in various art centers and organizations as the national music school affiliated with the ministry of culture and art and the center for development and protection of Iranian music, belonging to Iran's national broadcasting agency, in order to communicate all he had learned to his pupils. He was glad to train and teach those who were the real Iranian music lovers. He never gave up the hope for doing greater services in support of Iranian music and transferring this national heritage to others.
As one of the genuine lovers of Iranian traditional music he always avoided dealers of vulgarity and those who were about to destroy Iranian music in the name of "art and music".
The master Mahmud Karimi died in November 1984 at the age of 57 and was laid to rest in Imamzade Abdollah. ...
Published [26/08/2005]