Though both composition and improvisation play important roles in the music of Iran, only a small number of male musicians were known as composers before the nineteenth century. While this may suggest that women did not create works of music, the historical record is misleading. Few women were literate before the nineteenth century; this prevented any musical works they created from being recorded. It is likely that many more women composed than the historical record indicates.

Two women became recognized as important composers/performers in the nineteenth and early twe…