Yahya Zarpanje also known as Yahya-Khan, Persian tar player, was born in a Jewish musician family in Tehran, Iran about 1897. He is known as one of the best students of Darvish-Khan. His father, Rabi, was a singer and played on Persian frame drum dayere and his brother Musa (Moses) played also tar.

Yahya started playing tar with his brother Musa and then he got his further lessons by the famous legendaries of tar, Darvish Khan and Jenab-e Mirza.

Darvish bestowed mindfully on him because of his superb and powerfully tar playing.

Yahya performed many concerts and his music was recorded on shellac 78 rpm records through Columbia, HMV, Polyphon or some other companies. He passed away 1932 unsuspected at the age of 35.

Not all of his recordings are known. Maybe the fully available discography of Yahya’s performances will be published by Amir Mansoor an Iranian great discographer in the near future. Many Tasnifs of Malek osh-Sho’ara were recorded by Yahya-Khan’s Tar sung by Iran od-Do’le. The Musicians, which collaborated him are the followings:

Jamal Safavi, vocal
Nahid Nikbakht, vocal
Iran od-Do’le
Nozad, violin
 

Listen to Yahya’s Tar Solo

Zarpanje’s Discography