Turkish Music

Submitted by:Riel Amadeus A. Diala

Submitted to:Mrs. Florgin Santos

What is Turkish Music?

The music of Turkey includes diverse elements ranging from Central Asian folk music to influences from Byzantine music, Greek music, Ottoman music, Persian music, Balkan music, as well as references to more modern European and American popular music. Turkey is a country on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, and is a crossroad of cultures from across Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, the Caucasus and South and Central Asia.

The roots of traditional music in Turkey spans across centuries to a time when the Seljuk Turks colonized Anatolia and Persia in the 11th century and contains elements of both Turkic and pre-Turkic influences. Much of its modern popular music can trace its roots to the emergence in the early 1930s drive for Westernization.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Turkey

Whirling Dervishes (Mevleviler)

According to the Dervishes, the fundamental condition of our existence is to revolve. There is no object, no being which does not revolve.

This Mevlevi worship ceremony is a ritual dance, or sema, representing union with God. The dervishes enter the whirling hall dressed in in long white robes with full skirts which represent their shrouds. The ceremony begins whit a chant from the hafiz, a celebrant who has committed the entire Koran to memory. By holding their right arms up, palms upward, they receive the blessings of heaven which are communicated to earth by holding their left arms down, palms downwards. Pivoting on their left heels, the dervishes whirl ever faster, reaching ecstasy with a blissful expression. At the end of the ceremony part of the public joins the dervishes into a small prayer.

http://www.destoop.com/trip/3%20DAYBYDAY/020105%20Beirut/5-Dervishes.HTM

Makam

Makam (pl. makamlar; from the Arabic word مقام) is a system of melody types used in Turkish classical music. It provides a complex set of rules for composing and performance. Each makam specifies a unique intervalic structure (cinsler) and melodic development (seyir).

Commas and accidentalsThe basic notes named according to the solfege system and thus, for example, "Do" is C and "Re" is D.In Turkish music theory, one whole tone is divided into nine commas. The following figure gives the comma values of Turkish accidentals. In the context of the Arab maqam, this system is not of equal temperament. In fact, in the Western system of temperament, C-sharp and D-flat—which are functionally the same tone—are equivalent to 4.5 commas in the Turkish system; thus, they fall directly in the center of the line depicted above. NotesUnlike in Western music, where the note C, for example, is called C regardless of what octave it might be in, in the Turkish system the notes are—for the most part—individually named (although many are variations on a basic name); this can be seen in the following table, which covers the notes from middle C ("Kaba Çârgâh") to the same note two octaves above ("Tîz Çârgâh"):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makam

Horon (Hora)

The Horon dance originated many centuries ago in the region of the Black Sea. Today this region comes under the domain of Turkey. The dance style is reminiscent of the Pontus and is considered to be one of the national dances of Turkey. Greek and Persian influence can clearly be seen in this unique Turkish dance form. The terms used to describe the style such as “Horoi” and “Horo” literally translate as dance in English. The term comes from the ancient Greek language. The dance steps have a constant circular movement with the dancers taking distinctive short steps to characterize the movement.

The Horon dance is accentuated by the Tremoulo movement. This is a fast shaking of the upper part of the body. It is achieved by twisting the back on its natural axis and this is what lends color to the dance form. Dancers align in a single file and then form a circle when looking to perform the horon dance. There are many variations of the Horon dance but most of them bear striking resemblance to Greek dances of the past. The only obvious difference in the Turkish style Horon dance is the fact that the dancing troupe does not have a lead dancer. Rather, the dancers make a single formation and synchronize all movements with each other. The Turkish addition to this ancient Greek dance was the rapid moving dance step of the upper torso. This innovation is quite recent compared to the rest of the dance style. It is believed that this dance step takes inspiration from the silver anchovy fish’s shimmying which is found in great abundance in the neighboring Black Sea.

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/articles/turkey/Horon-Turkish-Dance/3292

Spoon Dance Zeybek

Kasik Oyunu, also called ‘The Turkish Spoon Dance’ is performed in Turkey from Konya to Silifke by lively-dressed men and women creating dance rhythm with a pair of wooden spoons in each hand.The Turkish folk danced named the Horon is a popular folk dance in the Black Sea region. This dance is characterized by tense, quick movements. It is usually danced by a line of women or men that stand in a semi-circle. This dance comes from the word "Horom". Imagine a line of cornstalks tied together and looking as if it forms a lattice. This is what the dance is like. It is also interesting because the dancers will suddenly squat during this dance making it very exciting to watch.

The zeybek is a form of folk dance peculiar to Western, Central and southern Anatolia in Turkey. It is named after the Zeybeks.All zeybek dances have a common characteristic form, but the positioning of the arms and body differ according to the different regions. The rhythm is also very characteristic, a pattern of nine slow beats: 9/4 = 2+2+2+3 beats or 3+2+2+2 with occasional variations.Zeybek melodies can be divided according to their tempo: ağır (slow) and kıvrak (fast). The ağır zeybek have rhythmic patterns of 9/2 or 9/4, which begin with an introduction called gezinleme in free style where the dancers wander freely before starting to dance in time with the rhythm. There is, however, no gezinleme introduction in female zeybek dances. Kıvrak zeybek have rhythmic patterns of 9/8 or 9/16.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeybek_dance

Instruments

Qanon-It is basically a zither with a narrow trapezoidal soundboard. Nylon or PVC strings are stretched over a single bridge poised on fish-skins on one end, attached to tuning pegs at the other end.Kanuns used in Turkey have 26 courses of strings, with three strings per course. It is played on the lap by plucking the strings with two tortoise-shell picks, one in each hand, or by the fingernails, and has a range of three and a half octaves, from A2 to E6. The dimensions of Turkish kanuns are typically 95 to 100 cm (37-39") long, 38 to 40 cm (15-16") wide and 4 to 6 cm (1.5-2.3") high. The instrument also has special latches for each course, called mandals. These small levers, which can be raised or lowered quickly by the performer while the instrument is being played, serve to change the pitch of a particular course slightly by altering the string lengths.http://www.iranguidebook.com/tourism-travel-to-iran/iranian-culture/iranian-musical-instruments/3774-kanun-instrument

Doombek-Arabian in origin, the doombek is commonly found in Turkey, the Balkan countries, and North Africa. The Doombek is a drum with a goblet or chalice-like shape. Also known as the Dombak, Doumbek, Darabuka, and Darbukka it is commonly associated with Middle Eastern music, often as the lead voice of percussion. The name is an approximation of the two basic sounds the drum makes: "Dum" (the bass tone) and "Bek" (the high-pitched crack from the edge of the drum). There is actually a great deal of variety available in the sound.http://yellowbellmusic.com/instruments/percussion/dumbek.php

Zills-also zils or finger cymbals, (from Turkish zil, "cymbals") are tiny metallic cymbals used in belly dancing and similar performances. They are called sājāt .in Arabic. They are similar to Tibetan tingsha bells (صاجات)

Saz-The Saz is a chordophone and is a member of the long necked Lute family. Such long necked Lutes have an ancestry that can be traced as far back as the ancient cultures of Babylon and Sumeria. Today the Saz is the most important instrument of the Turkish folk. The Saz may even define the poetic heart of the Turkish people. Its general shape is similar to the Bouzouki and Oud. The traditional method of playing the Saz is to pluck with the fingers of the right hand and note the strings with the fingers, and occasionally the thumb, of the left hand. Today however, most players use a plastic plectrum to strum the strings. Professional players also use electronic pickups to amplify the sound. When playing with the fingers or a plectrum, players can add rhythm, by hitting the soundboard with the right hand.http://www.worldmusicalinstruments.com/c-105-saz.aspx

Tar- long-necked lute descended from the tanbur of Sāsānian Iran and known in a variety of forms throughout the Middle East, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. The body of the tar is hollowed out of a single piece of wood and is rounded out in two bulges so that the membrane-covered belly is like a figure 8 or hourglass. The instrument, which is played with a small metal pick, has movable frets and lateral pegs for the metal strings that are rib-fastened.

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