Never underestimate the power of incentive.
When Manoochehr Sadeghi was in the first grade, his father
promised to buy him a santur, the Persian hammered dulcimer, on the
condition he excelled in his schoolwork. Sadeghi soon proved
himself to be first in the class, and his father kept his end of
the bargain. Now, over 45 years later, Sadeghi has proven to the
world to be among the top Persian classical musicians.
This past month Sadeghi was the first Persian American artist to
receive the National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment
for the Arts, one of the highest honors in the country for artists
practicing the folk and traditional arts.
For a native of Iran, who was teaching his instrument in a
conservatory at the age of 19 and came to this country in order to
further his career and education as a musician, the fellowship
validates Sadeghi’s hope that in the United States, he would
find opportunity and recognition for his art.
“I had a good vision about America,” Sadeghi said.
“I thought that maybe I should come to this land and further
my education and my profession, and I was right. I’ve taught
a lot of people, played all over the world, and it’s been
really beneficial for the Persian music and for myself.”
The level of mastery required to play the santur makes teaching
it as important as performing it. Sadeghi first began teaching
because he said he found joy in helping others. He taught at UCLA
for 30 years, retiring in 1997. But he continues to teach private
lessons from his home not only because it is pleasurable, but
because he believes his mastery of the art obligates him to do
so.
“When you learn this tradition, you become a
carrier,” Sadeghi said. “When your master trains you,
you feel privileged that you know him and the repertoire. Because
you are privileged to know, you are responsible to pass it
on.”
Sadeghi said his music is deeply inspired by his faith, the
Baha’i religion, which promotes universal love and world
peace. The foundation of his performance rests on his spirituality
as much as it does skill and technicality.
“I put myself and my music, and my mind and my hands in
the path of God,” Sadeghi said. “He created me and my
instrument, and sound waves and physics and the universe. So if I
put myself in that path and try to pure my heart with love, I can
use this immense power to play.”
Sadeghi performs at the Japan American Theater, Oct. 4 at
7:30 p.m. Call (818) 909-0808 for more information or go to
www.santur.com.