Saeed Sabet Information

Among the disciples of Master Faramarz Payvar, there is a name inextricably linked to that school through discipline, humility, and unwavering continuity: Saeed Sabet.

A performer, teacher, and composer who did not merely play the santur, but kept it alive as a language of dialogue with the heritage of Iranian music. He was a direct student of Master Payvar and today serves as the leader of the Payvar Music Ensemble—a group whose name has been interwoven with authentic Iranian music for half a century.

Born in 1338 (1959–1960) in Tehran, he began studying music at the age of eleven at the National Conservatory of Music. He studied under great masters such as Arfa’ Atraei, Esma’il Tehrani, Esma’il Vaseqi, and especially Faramarz Payvar, and continued his education up to the master’s degree at Tehran University of Art. From those early years, his name was heard alongside figures such as Houshang Zarif, Mohammad Esma’ili, Mohammad Moqaddasi, Mohammad Delnavazi, Davoud Varzideh, and other members of the Payvar Ensemble—a generation of artists who, in silence and deep concentration, laid the foundations of contemporary Iranian modal music.

Saeed Sabet is today one of the last remaining representatives of the authentic Iranian santur-playing school—a school founded by Master Payvar in which the beauty of music found its meaning in service to ethics and humanity. In an interview he once said:

“Payvar always used to say: First humanity, then art. Until you earn ninety-nine points in humanity, artistic merit has no meaning.”

In today’s hurried world where music is made more for the market than for the ear, Sabet belongs to a generation that still believes in the mission of “playing calmly in a world full of noise.” In his conversations he has spoken of changing public taste and the fading patience for true listening, yet he remains hopeful about a new generation—one that, if it truly listens, can still hear beauty.

His works and activities are extensive: from collaboration with the Jeunesses Musicales Orchestra and the Center for the Preservation and Propagation of Iranian Music, to recording the complete educational collections of Master Saba’s santur courses, the preludes and rengs of Master Payvar, and teaching at Tehran University of Art, the Comprehensive University of Applied Sciences, and the Music Conservatory. He has performed numerous times with the Payvar Ensemble both in Iran and abroad, thereby honoring his teacher’s final wish:

“Master Payvar said: The Payvar Ensemble must never fall silent. We have remained faithful to that promise.”

With calm hands and a clear mind, Saeed Sabet draws from the santur a sound that establishes balance between knowledge and emotion, discipline and freedom, past and future. For him, music is not mere decoration of the moment; it is a mirror of upbringing and ethics—just as he himself has said:

“The santur is the engine of the orchestra; without it, the sound feels empty.”

In this conversation, we will endeavor to ask him about the legacy of his teachers, the place of the santur in the Iranian orchestra, ethics in art, the relationship between academic and traditional-school music, and the future of instrumental music in Iran.

This interview is an attempt to better understand a generation that, with love, knowledge, and sincerity, has rescued the eternal melodies of this land from oblivion. 

Saeed Sedghgouy Sabet (born May 5, 1959, Tehran) is one of Iran’s most prominent santur players, educators, and the current director of the Payvar Ensemble. As a distinguished disciple of the late Master Faramarz Payvar, he has carried forward Payvar’s legacy while preserving the authenticity of Persian classical music.

 Life and Early Career

Saeed Sabet was born in 1959 in Tehran. His passion for music emerged in childhood, and at the age of 11 (1970), he enrolled at the National Conservatory of Music to formally study music. The turning point in his artistic life came when he began studying the santur under the legendary Faramarz Payvar, whose mentorship allowed Sabet to deeply explore the essence of Persian traditional music and develop a refined and distinctive style of santur performance. He also studied with other notable masters, including Arfa’ Atraei, Esmaeil Vaseghi, and Esmaeil Tehrani. Sabet completed his higher education with a master’s degree from the University of Art in Tehran.

 Artistic Activities

Since 1971, Sabet has been a member of the Jeunesse Musicale Orchestra. From 1980 onward, he collaborated with the Center for the Preservation and Propagation of Iranian Music. As a core member of the Payvar Ensemble, he assumed leadership of the group following Master Payvar’s passing, successfully maintaining its legacy while introducing subtle innovations. Under his direction, the ensemble has performed numerous concerts both in Iran and internationally.

His other significant activities include:

– Collaboration with the National Orchestra of Iran under the baton of Farhad Fakhreddini

– Leadership of the Sabet Ensemble

– Teaching santur at the University of Art in Tehran, the University of Applied Science and Technology, and the Boys’ Music High School

– Publication of educational materials, including:

  – Santur Course (Radif of Abolhasan Saba)

  – Beginner Santur Course by Faramarz Payvar

  – Collection of Pishdaramad and Reng by Faramarz Payvar

 Honors

In May 2014, Saeed Sabet was honored alongside Houshang Zarif and Mohammad Esmaeili at the Arasbaran Cultural Center in Tehran.