Arif was born in Qaqwin, where he studied the Persian language and its grammar, as well as some music.
His father, Mullah Hadi, earned his hatred by forcing him to attend the Ba Manbari to learn Rawda Khani (recitation of martyrdom) and join the ranks of the mullahs.
In about the year 1316 AH/1898 AD, he went to Tehran, where, thanks to the “beauty of his voice,” he became acquainted with some of the capital’s most prominent men, including Mirza Ali Asghar Khan Amin al-Sultan and Atabek Azzam; He later came to the attention of Muzaffar al-Din Shah, who enrolled him in the ranks of the royal servants; He found this distasteful and was finally able to obtain a release.
Aref “dedicated his art to the people” and used poetry as an effective means of expressing political ideas and arousing emotions.
A staunch supporter of the Constitutionalists, he left Iran for Türkiye with other militants in 1334/1916 and resided in Istanbul for some time.
His most important and admired works are his tashifs (song lyrics), which he composed in response to the political events of the time and sung to large, enthusiastic audiences.
Although he prided himself on his mastery, he owed his fame mainly to the prevailing mood of the time and the revolutionary content of his poems. His autobiography and some of his letters have been preserved.
His melodies always carried a central theme of social and political concepts. He wrote songs that played a major role in guiding society and informing people of their social rights. This is the main reason why Qazwini’s songs are still relevant, vibrant and performed by musicians 70 years later.
“The melodies that Arif composed were heard everywhere. The late musician Ruhollah Khaleghi said about Arif Qazwini: “He was the only one who composed the poetry and song himself and also performed the melody.”
Arif Qazwini died on January 21, 1933 in Hamedan. He collected his poems and songs in his poetry collection.
He was buried in the courtyard of Ibn Sina’s tomb.
Written by Marzieh Rahmani
