The Possibility of Representation in Persian Music Based on Peter Kivy’s Theory(Case Study: Dastgah-e Chahargah from the Perspective of Ruḥollah Khaleqi)

Mehralizadeh, Parisa; Askari Rabori, Hamid; Eslami, Shahla

doi:10.22034/jaco.2026.585575.1543

The Possibility of Representation in Persian Music Based on Peter Kivy’s Theory(Case Study: Dastgah-e Chahargah from the Perspective of Ruḥollah Khaleqi)

https://doi.org/10.22034/jaco.2026.585575.1543

Volume 14, Issue 53
Autumn 2026

Pages 38-45

Journal of Art and Civilization of the Orient

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Parisa Mehralizadeh ¹

Hamid Askari Rabori ²

Shahla Eslami ²

¹ Department of Philosophy, SR.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

² Department of World Music Playing, Faculty of Music, Iran University of Art, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Within the philosophy of Western music, Peter Kivy’s contour theory emphasizes structural resemblance between musical sound patterns and expressive bodily patterns associated with human emotions, while maintaining that literal representation of abstract concepts is possible only through cultural convention. In contrast, Ruhollah Khaleqi characterizes Dastgah-e Chahargah as an epic, forward-driving mode embodying qualities such as courage, yet his claims have not been examined within a systematic framework of analytical philosophy. Addressing this gap, this study investigates the extent to which Khaleqi’s account of Chahargah can be analyzed, supported, or critically evaluated through Kivy’s contour theory and enhanced formalism. Its principal objective is to clarify the relationship between representation and expressiveness in the Persian dastgah tradition while assessing the cross-cultural applicability of Kivy’s theory.The study addresses the lack of research directly connecting the analytical philosophy of music with indigenous theories of musical representation in the Persian tradition, particularly Khaleqi’s account. Employing a qualitative, analytical-critical methodology based on documentary sources, it examines Dastgah-e Chahargah and Khaleqi’s theoretical writings as its primary case study. The findings indicate that the ascending contours of Chahargah’s daramad and the intervallic tension produced by augmented intervals in Gusheh-ye Mokhalef establish a limited structural resemblance to bodily movement patterns associated with heroism and courage.Nevertheless, Khaleqi’s attribution of an epic character, personification of the ideal human being, and mystical-nationalist interpretations extend beyond Kivy’s enhanced formalism and derive primarily from cultural conventions, performance contexts, and Chahargah’s historical association with zurkhaneh rituals and Shahnameh recitation. The study concludes that Kivy’s theory usefully explains the formal dimension of musical representation but remains insufficient for accounting for hal in Persian music, whose intervallic organization differs substantially from Western music and whose performance practice is fundamentally improvisatory. This limitation underscores the need for further development of an intercultural philosophy of music.

Keywords

Musical Representation

Peter Kivy

Enhanced Formalism

Contour Theory

Dastgah-e Chahargah

Ruḥollah Khaleqi

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