Functions and dysfunctions of Ta’ziye music; Case study of Xānsār Ta’ziye in Qudjān

Protecting and spreading religious beliefs is an ultimate goal of performing Ta’ziye (in remembrance of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein and his companions) in Iran, a ritual that includes several other structural elements, including music. In existing researches on the subject, influenced by the above approach, none has considered the use of music essential for this ritual and its participants. The current paper tries to study the purpose of using music during Ta’ziye and its impact on the people participating in this ritual. The concept of function as proposed in the basics of ethnomusicology has formed a theoretical framework for this study. As such, the data was collected through a field study and library sources and assessed using the content analysis method. The findings show that all functions of music mentioned by Merriam applied to Ta’ziye. The findings further suggest that the use of music by an individual or group may act contrary to the actual musical functions of that activity. In this article, Khansar Qudjān Ta’ziye has been taken as a case study to show functions and dysfunctions of music during this religious event.