Morteza Mahjubi

• Name — Morteza Mahjoobi • Birthplace — Tehran, Sublime State of Iran • Born — 1900 • Died — 21 March 1965 • Instrument — piano • Occupation — Composer, pianist

Morteza Mahjoobi was born in 1900, in Tehran, Iran. His father, Abbas Ali, known as Nazer, played the Ney. His mother, Fakhr-o-SSaadaat, played the piano. Mahjoobi's parents sent him, along with his older brother Reza, to Hossein Hang Afarin who taught Reza the violin and Morteza the piano. At the age of ten, Morteza performed a concert accompanying Aref Qazvini in Farus Cinema. In the following years, he went on to perform with other musicians including Darvish Khan, Seyyed Hossein Taherzadeh, and Hossein Esmail Zadeh.

His first teacher was Hossein Hang Afarin, from whom he learned the preliminary studies. He was then sent to Mahmoud Mofakham to further his studies of the piano and radif. He also studied with other musicians, including Darvish Khan, Hossein Esmail Zadeh, Hajikhan Zarbgir, and Seyyed Hossein Taherzadeh.

Mahjoobi's performance style was improvisational. According to Navvab Safa, he never planned or prepared for his performances, and if he played a piece ten times he would play it differently each time.