Instrumentation of Ottoman/Turkish instruments

Abstract

Music is a universal art and narrative, but its universality can only be perceived through the diversity of cultures and countries. In Turkey, especially Istanbul and its surroundings had a close commercial and cultural relationship with Europe during the Ottoman era, which instigated a cultural interaction maintained till now. The cultural and artistic exchange between the Ottoman state and Europe dates back to the 16th century. Despite the many differences between them, these two musical styles were combined over time, and many composers composed works that survived. Also, contemporary musicians developed many practices based on new harmonic theories. In addition, the characteristics of Turkish music were used in Western works. In particular, solo pieces for Ottoman/Turkish music instruments were composed for the polyphonic orchestra. In this article, the major pieces that were composed in this genre were analyzed, and the original characteristics of Ottoman/Turkish music instruments used in the polyphonic orchestra demonstrated. From this perspective, the aspects to be considered were specified and explained to preserve the structure of both musical styles.