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The Turkish music was of tribal and national character until the Turks have
adopted Islam. But, after that, a different kind of music began to emerge which,
distinctly enough, separated itself from the above-mentioned category.
It did not happen all at once that the Turks totally adopted Islam. This transformation
continued for four centuries from the 7 th to the 11 th centuries.
Within this period, the western-bound migrations have further increased. The
Turks have established great states in Iran, Egypt, Iraq and India preserving
their own music, traditions, languages and specialities. Ultimately, they settled
in Anatolia.
The people of the Seljuk and Ottoman States, the latest ones established in
Anatolia, have always preserved their own traditions and music whereas the intellectuals
of the Palace have done the same for their own traditions and, consequently,
the Turkish folk music has been able to come to our present time without being
spoilt.
People, according to intellectuals, protected their customs and traditions
better.
People, according to intellectuals, protected their customs and traditions
better.
People held tight to the Turkish folk music, whereas intellectuals diverted
from the national character on pursue of a different fashion and air.
While intellectuals, influenced by the Islamic religion, pretended the Arabs
and the Persians after having been affected with their language, poetry and
music, people have continued to produce vocal work in their own traditions.
People have praised the heroes who have helped Islam spread rather than the
old idolators or the pagans.
Particularly, mysticism and the life in the dervish lodges have progressed
among the Turkistan and the Horasan Turks during the period of the Grand Seljuki
Empire (1040-1207).
Melodies which were based on the religious and mystic poetry, have created
a kind of music which was called "The Turkish Mystic Music" or "Tekke
(lodge) Music" in order to spread the Islamic beliefs among the people
in a traditionally simple style. And, part of the poetic works produced by the
artists playing kopuz, have formed "Anonim Folk Music" and the other
part formed the basis of "Asik Music" which is still practiced to-day.
(This category of music will further be studied in the Classical Music section)
A new combination of old traditions, tribal merits and the old Anatolian civilisations
can be seen assimilated in the Turkish culture after Turks have settled in their
new homeland, the Anatolia.
This way of combination has differed in some respects from the Central Asian
Turks and the other Islamic nations.
5000 year past of the Anatolia and the Mediterranean has created a conquering
spirit, a new nation and naturally, a new type of music.
The Turks who have moved to villages from tents and from there to big cities,
have led a way of living in the cities like Bursa, Edirne and Istanbul after
they have Turkified the cities like Erzurum, Sivas, Konya, Harput, Urfa and
Diyarbakir.
Intellectuals who have gathered in Palaces, mansions and religious schools,
have created a sort of poetry and music best suited them. I new kind of music
emerged what was called the "Palace" or the "Divan" music.
Some musicologists have confused the Turkish music with the Byzantion, Arabic
or the Persian music's because of the facts that the terms in the Turkish music
were based on the old Greek or the Arabic or the Persian languages, and the
books written on this subject were mostly in Arabic or Persian, finally, the
19th century Byzantine music very much resembled the Arabic and Persian music's
to which Europeans had been quite familiar.
As a matter of fact, the above-mentioned view proves to be wrong in many aspects
such as the Europeans have used Latin as a language of science until the 19th
century and a large number of scientific and technical terms, even to-day, are
adapted from Greek and Latin rooted words and suffixes.
On the contrary, taking into consideration the facts that Arab countries like
Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Tunisia Algeria and Egypt have lived as part of the Ottoman
Empire from the 16th century to the beginning of the 20th century and the Byzantian
church existed on the Turkish soils since 1453, it is easily understood as how
identical the music at those places with the Turkish music (12).
On the other hand, a folk music-based religious-mystic music was created within
the circles of dervish lodges where the great saints of religion and sects attended.
Folk poets who, travelling traditionally from one place to another, singing
and playing "saz" in their hands, have created a folk music-based
"Lovers Music" by inheriting the works of the preceding poets.
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