The Semah in Tahtacı Turkmens: An Examination about Musical Structure

Abstract

AbstractIn this study, the examination and maqamic analysis of the musical structure in the semahs of theTahtaci Turkmen communities were included. In terms of their rituals, institutions, beliefs andworship, Tahtacis have distinct features compared to other Alawi communities. Therefore, religiousmusic (semah, nefes) developed in the axis of belief and worship, and non-religious (mengi,lament, etc.) music is also characteristic like other practices. The analysis of the maqam structureand regional melody characters of the Tahtaci communities, which are the subject of this study, areimportant in terms of revealing their musical accumulation and musical identities shaped within theframework of life-belief-culture. Descriptive method was used in the research and was benefittedfrom document scanning method to collect data. Quantitative and qualitative data analysis techniquessuch as document analysis, content analysis and Markov chains were used in the analysis of the dataobtained. At the same time, innovative data analysis approaches are used, which is one of the mainissues that distinguish the research from other researches. The sample group of the research consistsof 24 semah piece from the TRT repertoire and personal archives. As a result of the research, it isconcluded that Tahtaci semahs show melodic structuring approximately in two octave tessitura. Itconsists of a different melodic maqam nuclei, which usually contains different types of maqams.Moreover, it completely reflects the 17 tone system used in Turkish Folk Music, transitions are in theform of expansion, and contraction between the perdes and melodic clusters used mostly developedin the axis of the perdes of the agirlama (entrance) section and the yeldirme (shifting section) sections.Keywords: Tahtacis, Tahtaci Turkmens, Tahtaci’s Semahs, Turkish Folk Music, Musical Analysis,Semah