Hormoz Farhat, professor of music a renowned composer and author passes away

Composer, author and academic Hormoz Farhat died peacefully at the age of 93 on August 16 at his home in Rathmines after a long illness. He was professor of music and head of the School of Music in Trinity College Dublin from 1982 until his retirement in 1995, after which he was given the title emeritus professor.

He was born on August 9, 1928, in Tehran, the capital of what was then known as Persia, but was officially renamed as Iran in 1935. He got his college education in the US, where he received a BA in music at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), in 1953.

Two years later he was awarded an MA in composition at Mills College, California. He received a PhD in composition and ethnomusicology from UCLA in 1965.

His first academic post was as assistant professor of Music at California State University (1961-64), followed by five years as associate professor of music at UCLA (1964-69). Returning to his native country, he served as professor and head of the Music Department at the University of Tehran from 1970 to 1978.

He also chaired the Music Council at the National Iranian Radio and TV network, and had a central role in the Shiraz Festival of Arts.

In his 2019 memoir, Present Past: Notes from the Life of a Persian/American Composer (Ibex Publishers) he recalls how in 1975 he gave a series of seminars at Queen’s University Belfast on Persian traditional music, at the invitation of professor of social anthropology John Blacking (1928-90).

In January 1978 the tumultuous Iranian revolution began, the regime of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi collapsed and an Islamic Republic was established in the spring of 1979.

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The one-year appointment was extended to two years, but a permanent post seemed unlikely and, on Blacking’s advice, he applied successfully for the music professorship at TCD and took up the position in September 1982.

Prominent students with whom he kept in contact afterwards included composers Donnacha Dennehy and Andrew Synnott, director of the Royal Irish Academy of Music Deborah Kelleher and professor of music at UCD Harry White.

As a composer, Farhat wrote a substantial body of works for a wide spectrum of instruments and voice. He also composed scores for films, including the Iranian production The Cow, directed by Dariush Mehrjui. The film won the International Federation of Film Critics Prize at the Venice Film Festival in 1971, the first time Iranian cinema received an award at an international event.

His compositions have been performed by the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, Tehran Symphony Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra of the National Iranian Radio and Television network. His works have also been performed by many soloists, including Irish pianist Mary Dullea.

Hormoz wrote several other books including The Dastgah Concept in Persian Music (Cambridge University Press 1990) — a highly regarded work.

 In  May 2018, he returned to his native country for the first time in 39 years for a special ceremony hosted by the Iranian Artists Forum to honour the composer’s professional career.

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Among the attendance at his funeral was Iran’s Ambassador to Ireland, Masoud Eslami, who wrote in the condolences section of the website RIP.ie: “Hormoz was a fine friend and a gifted scholar. His genuine love for Iran and Iranians was remarkable. His contributions to the arts and music in Iran and Ireland will live on as his enduring legacy.”

Prof Farhat is survived by his wife Maria Baghramian, born in Iran of Armenian heritage, who is professor of American philosophy at University College Dublin and a member of the Royal Irish Academy, and their son Robert, a music programmer and manager in London.

The funeral ceremony took place on August 19 at Mount Jerome, Dublin. Mourners were asked not to bring flowers but make donations, if they wished, to Afghan Aid at www.afghanaid.org.uk.