Typology of Javab-e Avaz in Iranian Classical Music through a Formalist Reading Based on Defamiliarization Case study on the Javab-e Avaz sections in the Nava-e Morakkabkhani album


Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 22 April 2026

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Music, Faculty of Architecture and Art, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran

2 Department of Art Research, Faculty of Research Excellence in Art and Entrepreneurship.Art University of Isfahan Isfahan, Iran.

Abstract
The focus of this study is on analyzing and classifying various types of javab-e avaz in Iranian classical music. The saz o avaz performances in the album Nava Morakkabkhani serve as a comprehensive and precise sample of typological forms of javab-e avaz; therefore, the album has been selected as the case study, since it fulfills both the scientific and practical objectives of the research in a reliable manner. Within this framework, different categories of javab-e avaz are identified and systematized as follows: responses dependent on modal factors (mod-pardaz and mod-gardan); responses dependent on metric factors (Mowzoon and Nimemowzoon); responses resembling literary formal patterns (Vajara, Mostazādi, and Talmihi/Tazmini); and responses that either remain close to or diverge from the vocal line (Moobemoo, Dorageh, and Chandrageh). Emphasizing the significance of balancing the vocal line and the javab-e avaz within the saz o avaz genre is another objective of the research, highlighting how they are mutually interdependent in shaping a coherent performance. Thematic analysis is utilized in the research to examine the complex and intricate structures of Saz O Avaz, with a particular emphasis on Javab-e Avaz and its internal connections with the vocal line. Defamiliarization is the basis of the theoretical framework, which translates Javab-e Avaz as a device that challenges auditory expectations and emphasizes musical language. From this perspective, the analysis also gains an explicitly interdisciplinary dimension. The proposed typologies therefore contribute to a deeper understanding of performance structures in saz o avaz within Iranian classical music and can open new directions for future scholarly research in this field.

Keywords