A Phenomenological Approach to the Relationship Between Alawism and Music (Tunceli Example)

Abstract

AbstractThe aim of this study is to understand what kind of features traditional Alawi music has in thecontext of its forms of performance and structural features, based on Alan Merriam’s view “Music isa stereotype of activities, thoughts and objects in stereotyped sounds”.For this purpose, those who have been both zakir and dede in cems since childhood and experiencedconstruction of the relationship between symbol and meaning in the tradition; Zeynel (Batar) Dede(70), one of the dedes of Celāl Ali Abbas Ocagi, who lives in Koyungolu village of Ovacik districtof Tunceli, was the main data source of the study and in-depth interviews with Alawism and musicwere held with him in December 2019. The interviews were described thematically and the semanticdimension of this music was tried to be illuminated within the scope of the themes that appeared.For the part of the study based on music analysis, the example of the Zaza verbal Shah Hatayi phrasecompiled from Zeynel Dede was set out and the semantic relationship of the Alawi-specific symbolswith the structural elements of the music was analysed through this phrase.In conclusion, based on the example of Zeynel Dede and in the context of the perception of therelationships established by the symbols, such as Haq-Muhammad-Ali, Yol, Hizir, Ahl al-bayt,Pir, Murshid and Karbalā with music, it has been observed that a common sense of history hasgained importance as the demonstrators built through music. It has been understood that the symbolsemerging in this context have turned into a form of stereotypical expressions in terms of theirrelationship with music and that such a reflection has brought ontological dimension to the culturalbalance transmitted from past to present in the triangle of symbol-perception-semantic world.Key words: Alawism, Music, Phenomenology