Traditional Turkish Art Music

Turkish art music is also known as divan music or classical Turkish music. Its repertoire and performance traditions developed considerably from the sixteenth century onwards.

The expressive detail of Turkish art music can be heard in forms such as kâr, beste, peşrev and the Mevlevi ayin. Important composers of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries include Itri Efendi, Hafız Post, Tabi Mehmet Efendi, Abdülali Efendi and Çengi Yusuf Dede.

The article highlights the Polish-born Albert Bobowski, later known as Ali Ufki, as an important figure. It dates his conversion to Islam to 1640 and credits him with notating around four hundred works in Mecmua-i Saz ü Söz, a valuable collection for the history of Ottoman music.

In the late eighteenth century, Sultan Selim III’s innovations brought a new dimension to Turkish art music. In the first half of the nineteenth century, İsmail Dede Efendi’s works strengthened its lasting repertoire. Later figures include Zekai Dede, known for Mevlevi ayins, and Hacı Arif Bey and Şevki Bey, celebrated for elegant works in the şarkı form.

Traditional Turkish art music is commonly divided into religious and secular branches. Religious music includes mosque and Sufi traditions; secular music includes instrumental and vocal forms.

Forms of Religious Music

Mosque Music

Ezan (call to prayer), sela, kıraat (recitation), münacaat (supplication), na’t, mevlid, miraciye, temcid and ilahi.

Sufi Music

İlahi, na’t, durak, mersiye (elegy), opening peşrev, Mevlevi ayin, closing peşrev, yürük semai, savt and nefes.

Forms of Secular Music

Instrumental Music

Taksim, peşrev, saz semaisi, sirto, longa, çiftetelli and zeybek.

Vocal Music

Kâr, beste, murabba, ağır semai, yürük semai, nakş, korçe and kâr-ı nâtık.

Next month, we will look at makams, rhythmic cycles and instruments in Turkish music.

Duygu Deniz Uşaklıgil
Rekor Sanat – Violin Teacher