Mohammad Heydari, Composer of 'Sogati', Passes Away

Mohammad Heydari, a prominent Iranian musician, passed away at the age of 79 due to lung cancer in Los Angeles. Mr. Heydari was a composer for the Ministry of Culture and Arts in Iran, starting his career in the 1960s. He later joined Radio Iran and participated in the 'Golha' program, which expanded his musical activities. Ultimately, Mr. Heydari combined his knowledge of Iranian music with the works of young composers and arrangers like Manouchehr Cheshmazar, resulting in hundreds of memorable songs that were immortalized by singers such as Haydeh, Mahasti, and Golpa. Five years ago, during the start of the breakfast program, I invited several artists, including Mohammad Heydari, to discuss his beginnings and revive memories of some of his timeless songs. For the first time, you can read and listen to the result here. In an interview, Heydari discussed his transition from traditional music to a blend of classical Iranian music and Western pop, attributing it to the demands of the times. He mentioned that his early works were with an Iranian orchestra rather than traditional instruments, and he collaborated with various artists, including Mahasti and Haydeh, who could perform quarter-tone music. He also reflected on the songwriting process and his collaborations with lyricists, emphasizing how their understanding of his style influenced the songs they created together.