Vaziri's successor in these many efforts was Ruhollah Khaleqi, (1906-1965). Khaleqi studied in Vaziri's conservatory when it was first opened and became a teacher of theory and harmony at the government school of music during Vaziri's directorship. After graduating from Tehran University in 1934 with a degree in literature, he entered the Ministry of Education, alternating his work between there and teaching in the School of Music. In 1945 Khaleqi founded the Society for National Music, the aim of which was to encourage native Persian music. The orchestra of this society presented concerts of only Persian music—tasnif-ha, folk songs, and compositions by Vaziri. This group was the predecessor of an extremely significant institution, the Conservatory of National Music, also founded by Khaleqi. Unlike Vaziri's private conservatory which had closed its doors in 1935 and the government school of music, the Conservatory of National Music taught only Persian music. It is now a completesecondary school with over one hundred students and has a postgraduate class in musicology. Emphasis is placed upon the teaching of traditional Persian music and musical instruments ; but it is significant that in recent years, more and more Western music and westernized Persian music is entering the curriculum. Affiliated with this conservatory are two night schools where instruction is given without charge in order to encourage amateur musicians to play Persian music.From 1940 until his death in 1965, Khaleqi worked in the music department of Radio Iran arranging Iranian music for orchestra and writing programs about Iranian music and musicians. He was also Iran's most prolific writer on music, producing six books and numerous magazine articles (Source: Ella Zonis).
Maestro Ali Naqi Vaziri and Foundation of Iran Higher School of Music
