Tahir Aydoğdu Ensemble - Turkish Traditional Music

Ottoman Music
(Cinuçen Tanrıkorur)

Introduction

The Ottoman Empire lasted from 1299–1922. It was a Turkish empire (capital: Constantinople, now: Istanbul), which at the height of its power controlled much of South-eastern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

Ottoman music is an art produced by the court and folk musicians in military, religious, classical and folk styles. It is a type of music that has been used in all segments of society from the Chinese borders to Morocco which covers the last 500 years of the twenty-five centuries of Turkish music. Therefore Turkish music cannot be equated with Ottoman music. However, since the Ottoman Empire in its 600 year reign succeeded in establishing one of the most impressive civilizations in the world, its music too, needs to be counted as one of the most important musics in the whole of Turkish history.

In fact, what we today call “Turkish folk music” and “Turkish classical music” are not totally isolated genres. They share similarities in the sound, with minor differences in the makam, usûl (rhythmic cycles) and form, and have been interacting constantly. Today many notable musicians agree that neither classical Ottoman music is a “developed form” of folk music, nor is folk music the “primitive form” of classical urban music.

In Ottoman ages, no degenerated terms such as alaturka-alafranga (“alla Turca vs. alla Franca”), and polyphony vs. homophony as well as the conventional terms of “Turkish Art Music” or “Turkish Light Music” were used. These are contrasting dichotomies which stem from the cultural clash between East and West since the Tanzîmat Era (1839-1908). As classical Ottoman composers produced folkish pieces such as türkü, kosma, semâî, destan, folk poets, many of whom had Sufi affiliations, produced “divans” (anthologies of poetry) within the framework of classical literature. Moreover, there was no strict distinction between folk and classical instruments as we observe them today.

Instrumental Music

1. Non-rhythmic:
Taksim: (Arabs use the plural of the term, taqaasim) The improvised piece composed by an instrumentalist on a certain makam. The melodic structure and the rhythm as well as the duration depend on the improvisor. It requires fine playing skills and knowledge of the makams as well as compositional and timing skills. This makes it the most difficult form of instrumental music. There are introductory taksims (giris or bas taksimi) before the performance of a concert, fasıl (group performance) or Mevlevî âyin (Dervish music); transitional taksims (geçis taksimi) when the makam is going to change, so that listeners and performers are prepared for a new musical climate; intermission taksims (ara taksimi) which are performed to enable the performers and listeners to relax after many pieces in the same makam have been performed, especially during fasıls. 2a. Large-scale forms with rhythms:
Pesrev: A set of pieces are performed in fasıls (group performances) after the bas taksîmi. They are composed in large usûls (rhythmic cycles), e.g. 24/4, 32/4, 64/4 and have no alteration of usûl. They consist of four parts, each called a hâne, and a senyo-mülazime (repetition of part of the piece) or teslim (finale), which are paralleled in the nakarat (repetition) in vocal music. In its melodical structure, the first hâne and teslim (finale) are composed in the makam, that pesrev is associated with; the second and fourth hânes in the neighbouring makams; and the third hâne with transitions to makams in high pitches.

Fihrist Pesrev: This is a type of instrumental music with a fixed kâr-i nātik which dictates various makams and rhythms in a certain order.

2b. Small forms with rhythm:
Medhal: A type of pesrev which was first used by Refik Fersan, a composer and tanbur-player. It differs from pesrev in that it is composed in small usûls. It also has four hânes but is shorter than pesrev, permitting new explorations in its melodic and rhythmic structure. It may be composed without any usûl in its karabatak version (pieces, where instruments make an appearance and then are not heard again in that piece).

Sazsemâîsi: Instrumental pieces which are performed after Yürüksemâî (6/4 or 6/8) in the fasıl. They have, like pesrev, four (occasionally six) hânes and a mülazime (repetition). They differ from pesrev in that their first three hânes must be composed using the usûl of Aksaksemâî (10/8), and the fourth hâne is in various small usûls (mostly Yürüksemâî, 6/4 or 6/8). There are also other types of instrumental pieces in Ottoman music, such as sirto or longa (Romanian dance forms, integrated into Turkish music) which are composed for dancing, and aranağme (instrumental interludes between vocal parts) which are the small pieces specially composed for sarkı (songs).

3. Instruments of Ottoman Music
Instruments have a double function: they are the indispensable accompaniments for the voice, and a music form in their own right.

Old musical forms and instruments in Ottoman music have become outmoded and new ones have emerged. The kopuz (ancient lute), for instance, which is the ancestor of all string instruments in classical and folk music was in use only until the 18th century. The ud (large, short-necked lute) which was so popular between the 10th and 16th centuries, was by and large replaced by the tanbur (long-necked lute with a small, almost round resonator) at the end of the 17th century, only to re-emerge two centuries later. The historical Turkish harp çeng, and the Turkish panflute mıskal became obsolete in the 19th century, whereas the santur (hammered dulcimer) experienced the same fate in the 20th century. Among the instruments which entered classical music in the 20th century, there are the keman (viola) which was imported from the West under the name of sînekeman, cello and bass, and kemençe (short-necked, 3-stringed fiddle) and lavta (mediumsized lute, smaller than the ud) which were accompanying instruments for palace dances called köçekçe and tavsanca.

The number of instruments used in Ottoman music has increased over time. While Sükrullah, who lived during the time of Murad II (Sultan from 1421–1451) listed only nine instruments, Lâdikli counted 18, and Kâtib Çelebi 19. Evliya Çelebi (1611–1682?) who was also a musician, mentions some 76 instruments.

2007 Turkish Traditional Music