In 1990, Mohammad Reza Shajarian publicly presented his calligraphy in an exhibition at Vahdat Hall (Talar-e Vahdat) in Tehran, alongside works by a number of contemporary Iranian calligraphers. This exhibition was significant for several reasons.
First, it demonstrated that Shajarian did not consider calligraphy a private hobby but a legitimate artistic pursuit worthy of public presentation. Second, it placed him within the broader continuum of Iranian visual arts rather than isolating him solely within music. Third, it symbolized the unity of Iranian artistic traditions—sound and script, voice and line—within a single creative identity.
Visitors to the exhibition noted that his calligraphic compositions often featured poetic verses and spiritual themes, reflecting the same literary sensibilities that informed his musical repertoire.
The Quran and the Formation of the Voice
Family Roots and Early Training
Mohammad Reza Shajarian’s relationship with the Quran began not as an artistic choice but as a familial inheritance. His father, Mehdi Shajarian, was a respected Quran reciter and teacher in Mashhad. From early childhood, Mohammad Reza was trained in the rules of tajwid, pronunciation, melodic recitation, and the spiritual etiquette associated with Quranic performance.
