Turkish Composers Research Articles

Technical Difficulties and Proposed Solutions of Özkan Manav’s “Aman Avcı” Arrangement for Op.41 for Double Bass and Piano

When looking at Contemporary Turkish Music, it is noticeable that the works of the second and third generation Turkish composers who came after the Turkish Five have achieved an advanced level of mastery. This research examines “Aman Avcı” for Op.41 Double Bass and Piano, an arrangement of Özkan Manav, one of the third-generation composers. By blending the touches of Western and Turkish music, a unique musical perceptions seen in the composer’s works, where pieces from Stravinsky, Saygun and Sciarrio can also be felt. Especially his emphasis on locality in his music is a notable musical perception that stands out in his other works, as in the example of the Azeri folk song "Aman Avcı", which is the subject of this research. In the content of the research, firstly Contemporary Turkish Music composers were mentioned, the life of the composer was explained and by introducing the Op.41 Double Bass and Piano arrangement of “Aman Avcı”, technical difficulties of the work were identified. At this point, it is aimed to shed light on the works of the double bass artists who will perform the piece.

OSMANLI DÖNEMİNDEN GÜNÜMÜZE ‘OPERETLER’

We need to give information about the definition and historical process of “operetta” before starting this study titled “Operettas from the Ottoman period to the present”. Operetta was a term used for short and unpretentious operas in the eighteenth century. At the end of the nineteenth century, "operetta" was called "small opera" and "musical theater" as a stage work, born out of the comic opera genre, developed in Paris and Vienna, one of the cultural and artistic centers of Europe. The operettas, which explained fun and emotional subjects in a simple language and appealed to a wide audience, also had the satiric feature of the lower class. In the Nineteenth Century Ottoman Period, when the influence of westernization began to be seen, interest in western style music increased along with the developments in Turkish music. Western style music was initially adopted by the people around the palace and later by the public and began to be performed. During this period, operettas were staged by Italian groups, and operettas were written by Turkish composers using Turkish and Western music together in the last quarter of the 19th century. In operettas written, the musical and instrumental features of Turkish music were used together with the harmony of Western music, and works were tried to be written using two different structures together. In this study, the development of operetta from the Ottoman period to the present day, which emerged in line with the Westernization movement, was discussed. The operettas that were written in this period but were not supported by the conditions of that period, could not be completed and therefore were not performed and forgotten, and operettas that have survived to the present day and have the characteristics of Turkish Music have been identified according to the sources. "Arif's Hilesi", known as the first Turkish operetta written in the Ottoman period and composed by Dikran Çuhaciyan, and the "İstanbulname" operetta composed by Turgay Erdener, one of the last generation composers, were also examined. Keywords: Ottoman, Republic, Period, Turkish, Operetta

The Historical Journey of Opera Translation in Turkey and its Perception by Contemporary Turkish Opera Performers

Opera, evolving on the foundation of two art forms, theatre and music, is a multidisciplinary genre that has affected many countries and cultures profoundly over the centuries. Even though opera emerged and blossomed in Western societies in the early sixteenth century, it took four more centuries to pass so that opera could meet the Turkish audience. Translation from Western sources has been a substantial medium to Westernize and Europeanize the Ottoman Empire and Republican Turkey. The proclamation of Tanzimat was the beginning of transformation in the multicultural and multilingual Ottoman Empire to form a nation-state, and therefore the Westernization process started in all fields including literature and music. Opera was one of the new art forms that came into prominence apart from theatre and prose. Since the Republic gave much importance to polyphonic music and attempted to carry Turkish music into universal standards, works of art in the most paramount genre of music, the opera, were translated. Translations of operas were carried out by the Turkish composers of the time in order to achieve a singable and coherent translation in terms of prosody. In this context, this study aims to present both the historical journey of opera translation in Turkey and to introduce the remarks of some contemporary opera performers of Ankara State Opera and Ballet, who were interviewed so as to grasp their perception of translated opera.

The Elements of Contemporary Turkish Composers’ Solo Piano Works Used in Piano Education

It is thought that to be successful in piano education it is important to understand how composers composed their solo piano works. In order to understand contemporary music, it is considered that the definition of today’s changing music understanding is possible with a closer examination of the ideas of contemporary composers about their artistic productions. For this reason, the qualitative research method was adopted in this study and the data obtained from the semi-structured interviews with 7 Turkish contemporary composers were analyzed by creating codes and themes with “Nvivo11 Qualitative Data Analysis Program”. The results obtained are musical elements of currents, styles, techniques, composers and genres that are influenced by contemporary Turkish composers’ solo piano works used in piano education. In total, 9 currents like Fluxus and New Complexity, 3 styles like Claudio Monteverdi, 5 techniques like Spectral Music and Polymodality, 5 composers like Karlheinz Stockhausen and Guillaume de Machaut and 9 genres like Turkish Folk Music and Traditional Greek are reached. It is thought that the results will contribute to the field because it will cause a better understanding in the artistic viewpoints of contemporary composers, as well as being a step for the piano and music educators and the students who have studied academic piano education in order for them to be able to understand the contemporary music.

FAMILIARITY STATUS OF CELLISTS TO PIECES COMPOSED FOR CELLO BY CONTEMPORARY TURKISH COMPOSERS

Bu araştırma Çağdaş Türk bestecilerinin viyolonsel için bestelediği konçerto, sonat, partita ve suitlerin ülkemizdeki viyolonsel sanatçıları tarafından tanınma durumlarını ortaya koymak amacıyla yapılmıştır. Bu araştırma ile Çağdaş Türk bestecilerinin viyolonsel için bestelediği konçerto, sonat, partita ve suitlerin viyolonsel sanatçıları tarafından tanınma durumlarının ortaya konulması; bundan sonra yapılacak olan bilimsel ve sanatsal başka çalışmalara ışık tutmasının yanı sıra bu eserlerin viyolonsel sanatçıları tarafından konser programlarına dâhil edilerek Çağdaş Türk bestecilerimizin ulusal ve uluslararası platformlara taşınmasının gerekliliği bakımından büyük önem taşımaktadır. Bu çalışma betimsel bir araştırmadır. Araştırmanın deseni durum çalışması olarak seçilmiş nitel araştırma teknikleri kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın evrenini Türkiye’deki viyolonsel sanatçıları oluşturmaktadır. Araştırmanın örneklemini ise, Türkiye’de yer alan 6 Devlet Senfoni Orkestraları, 6 Opera Orkestraları ve profesyonel sistemle çalışan 2 belediye orkestraları olmak üzere toplamda14 orkestrada görev yapan 28 viyolonsel sanatçıları oluşturmaktadır. Araştırmadaki veriler anket yoluyla elde edilmiştir. Anketler yolu ile elde edilen bulgular frekans (f) kullanılarak çözümlenmiş, daha sonra da her eser için ayrı ayrı tablolaştırılmış ve bu tabloların altına o tablodaki eser için gerekli açıklamalar ve yorumlar yazılmıştır. Verilerin analizi sonucunda Çağdaş Türk bestecilerinin viyolonsel için bestelediği konçerto, sonat partita ve suitlerin ülkemizdeki viyolonsel sanatçıları tarafından beklenen ölçüde tanınmadığı ortaya çıkmıştır.

TÜRK BESTECİLERİNİN YAZDIKLARI KEMAN KONÇERTOLARI VE BU KONÇERTOLARIN KEMAN EĞİTİMİNDE KULLANILMA DURUMLARI

The aim of this study is, through a systematic ordering of violin concertos written by Turkish composers, to make them available to those interested in this subject and to ascertain their level of usage in violin training at Music Departments of Education Faculties and Conservatories. In this study, the concertos which were located are introduced, and their level of usage at Music Departments of Education Faculties was investigated by methods of interview and questionnaire. It was found that the concertos were rarely used in the Education Faculties and their usage was very limited in Conservatoires. As a result, it is recommended that concertos should be written for use in the educational establishments, and for training young composers in. relation to composing of educational music, immediately filling this gap.

Una breve historia de las traducciones aranjman: los primeros ejemplos de la música pop turca

Aranjman in Turkish is a loanword borrowed from French. When used in the context of music, it refers to the 1960s, a formative stage in introducing foreign pop music with Turkish lyrics into the Turkish cultural repertoire. The present study views the aranjman era, which has so far constituted a blank space, from the perspective of translation studies. It first sketches out a theoretical framework fusing Even-Zohar’s «invention», «import» and «cultural repertoire» with André Lefevere’s notions of «rewritings» and «patrons». Briefly reviewing the latest approaches in song translation studies, the study proposes subcategories to the term «rewriting» to refer to instrumentation, voice and lyrics levels as «reperforming», «resinging» and «relyricizing» respectively, which altogether enable the song to be rewritten in another language. These acts cannot be achieved in the absence of music producers, who are the «patrons» initiating the recording or «rerecording» of a song in any given music industry. From a general perspective, it was the collaboration of these patrons and rewriters that introduced first the inventions and then the imports into the Turkish pop music cultural repertoire. In line with the political and cultural changes Turkey underwent from the 1950s onwards, the study proposes a periodization of the aranjman era in different stages which eventually led to the inventions within the Turkish cultural repertoire of pop music, this time not rewritten but written by Turkish composers and lyricists at all levels. While the main material the present study bases itself on is made up of song recordings released as albums, it also relies heavily on political and cultural history. All in all, the study underscores the importance of a holistic approach to song translation in redefining aranjman as a culture-specific type of rewriting in the formation of Turkish pop music while at the same time casting light on inseparable historical ties between politics and song translation.

“Yudumluk” ile “Tema ve Çeşitlemeler” için Çalışma ve Yorum Önerileri

<div><!--block-->This article summarizes Ekrem Zeki Ün’s attributes as a violin teacher and composer. The works of the composer for solo violin, “Yudumluk” and “Theme and Variations” are examined and suggestions are made regarding the study of these works. This article aims to familiarize the repertoire of young violinists with the works of Ekrem Zeki Ün. “Yudumluk” and “Theme and Variations” both require an advanced bow technique as a reflection of Ekrem Zeki Ün’s violin approach. The works also contain numerous modal elements frequently used by Turkish composers as well as syncopated rhythm and polyrhythmic structures, which are frequently encountered in Turkish music. In addition, it has been observed that Ekrem Zeki Ün occasionally used microtonal elements in his music. In view of these elements, the solo violin works “Yudumluk” and “Theme and Variations” are expected to have many strengths, both technically and artistically.</div>

Works of Turkish composers for ethnic instruments accompanied by orchestra: Dialogue of East and West

Relevance of the study. A school of classical music composition was was first seen in Turkish Republic in the first half of the 20th century. In this figure, a group of composers are called as "Turk Besleri” (“The Turkish Five”). They are the creators of Turkish polyphonic classical music and many masterpieces. But, the works written for only ethnic instruments are very few. Such works can contribute to the popularity of Turkish instruments in the classical music world.Analysis of the last researches. This theme is hardly ever researched. H.F. Alnar's Conçertos for qanun" can be seen only in some studies.Main objective of the study. The aim of this work is to reveal works accompanied by orchestra composed by Turkish composers for ethnic instruments. Another goal of this research is to encourage composers to create such works and it will make Turkish music more recognizable in the classical music world.The inclusion of Turkish musical instruments, melodies and rhythms in the Western music forms contributes to the recognition of Turkish music on the classical platform in the world, in line with the "East-West synthesis" principles in music art.Findings of researches. Only five works can be reached composed in this style. This work is conducted on this limited source that the researcher can reach.Results and conclusions There is a potential for writing such works in Turkey. Both current members can benefit from “East” and “West” music synthesis. It is suggested that such studies should be done in order to make the Anatolian music culture known all over the world. In this study, there has been a research within the scope of polyphonic musical works, which started during the Ottoman period and continued during the Republican period, on Turkish polyphonic compositions composed by Turkish composers for Turkish musical instruments. For the development of contemporary Turkish music in the Republican era, the artists who are called the "Turkish Fives" and who made great efforts on reaching this present contemporary level of music were sent to Europe for education by state scholarship. But, the works written for only ethnic instruments are very few. The aim of this work is to reveal works accompanied by orchestra composed by Turkish composers for ethnic instruments. Another goal of this research is to encourage composers to create such works and it will make Turkish music more recognizable in the classical music world.

Three Turkish Composers and Their Paris Education Years

The first Turkish musicians who chose composing as a profession were called “The Turkish Five”. These composers, listed by their date of birth, were: Cemal Resit Rey, Hasan Ferit Alnar, Ulvi Cemal Erkin, Ahmet Adnan Saygun and Necil Kazim Akses. These composers squeezed the 500 year music culture of Western music into 30-40 years and made important contributions to Turkish contemporary music. The Turkish five went abroad for education and brought their educational and musical culture heritage back to Turkey. Of Turkish Five, Cemal Resit Rey, Ulvi Cemal Erkin and Ahmet Adnan Saygun studied in France. In this paper, the years that Ahmed Adnan Saygun, Cemal Resit Rey and Ulvi Cemal Erkin spent in France were examined with a historical description, and an effort was made to reflect this period. The education they received with intercultural interaction and the contributions of this education to the Turkish Music culture were described.

Usage of Ulvi Cemal Erkin’s ‘Duyuşlar’ Compositions in Music Education Departments, According to the Opinions of Piano Educators

Piano lessons which take place in music education departments involve example works of Turkish and world composers, education music examples, piano literature and learning-teaching techniques. Within this context, Ulvi Cemal Erkin, who is a member of The Turkish Five, wrote a composition called Duyuşlar, which consists of 11 pieces and is used in piano training. In this study, it was aimed to determine the usage of the composition Duyuşlar in the programs of institutions teaching music education in piano lessons in terms of technique, musical, and style characteristics. In accordance with this purpose, interviews are carried out by asking semi-structured interview questions to piano instructors who are using this work in their education process and working in Music Education Departments. The results of the interviews are determined into themes and codes using the qualitative research analysis program NVivo11. As a result, it is observed that the usage frequency in the direction of the themes and the recommended levels to use in the students vary, but the works contribute to piano education in terms of piano techniques, aksak measures, nuances, expressions, tempo and polyphonic techniques. It has also been proposed to increase the frequency of usage of Duyuşlar. It is thought that this study will contribute to the field of piano education in terms of the limited literature about this composition.

TRADITIONAL FORMS AND GENRES OF TURKISH MUSIC IN THE CREATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL ART MUSIC COMPOSERS OF TURKEY

19th century was an era of nationalist movements in music. Nationalism was seen in important regions of the world, especially in Russia and Northern Europe. These nationalistic movements affected international art music composers of Turkey in the early years of Turkish Republic. Generally Turkish composers preferred to use traditional folk music elements instead of the elements of traditional art music. Either folk music with its melodic characteristic or maqam structure of art music is used by many international Turkish composers after the Turkish Fives. Generally, maqam factors are used as building stones in the compositions. The genre has been the less mentioned subject than maqam regarding the reflection of tradition. Besides, it is seen that the forms and genres of folk music are used in international art music. Here I present the composers’ preferences regarding Turkish music genres with notation samples.

Composition Style Of Modern Turkish Composer Cemal Reşit Rey

Having been one of the first generation composers in the history of Turkish Republic, Cemal Resit Rey (1904- 1985) is an important artist who served much as a pianist, conductor and educator. He helped the advance of Turkish composition through his works. Therefore, Cemal Resit Rey and his works are worth to be examined. With this study, it was aimed to bring a new perspective on the works and composition style of Cemal Resit Rey. When the compositions of Rey were examined, four different periods were observed in terms of style and composition technic: 1st period (1912-1926) was “tonal formation and development in creation”; 2nd period (1926–1930) was “ethno-folkloric formation and development in creation”; 3rd period (1931–1946) was “modal-mystic formation and development in creation”; and 4th period (1946–1983) was “back to tonality and mixed practices in creation”. He composed a total of 85 known pieces which demonstrated different style, pattern, form and musical characteristics. Most of his works were symphony, symphonic poem, suite, rhapsody and concerto.

ANALYSIS FORM OF TURGAY ERDENER’S CONCERTINO FOR OBOE AND STRINGS

The Concertino for Oboe and Strings by Turgay Erdener has significant importance because it is the first piece for oboe and strings written in concertino form by a contemporary Turkish composer. The composer has applied the rhythms and the maqams of the Ottoman Music, Turkish Folk Music and Turkish Art Music with the forms of Western Classical Music. The first movement is a compound ternary form and the core motif announced by the oboe is repeated continuously through the movement. The melodical structure of the first movement gives its place to the contrpunctual structure in the second movement. The basso continuo, segah maqam and Passacaglia form are the main features of this movement. The third movement has the lively atmosphere of the Turkish Folk Music. A humoristic language is applied in this movement where the playground of children has been described.

English

This study determined the levels of recognizing piano works of contemporary Turkish composers, the importance of practicing these works and difficulty in playing these works by the prospective music teachers in the Departments of Music Education in Turkey. Furthermore, this study performed a comparative analysis on the opinions of the prospective teachers who have played the works of contemporary Turkish composers during their piano education and those who have not in recognizing these works and considering their practice necessary. The sampling of the study consists of a total of 166 prospective music teachers in the first, second, third and fourth grades. The study utilized a general screening model and the data analysis of the study was performed through SPSS 21.0. 37.3% of the prospective music teachers carried out a study on the piano works of contemporary Turkish composer while 62.7% of them did not. Furthermore, the study concluded that recognizing the piano works of Contemporary Turkish Composers, considering the practice of these works necessary and having difficulty in playing these works by the prospective music teachers do not vary according to the type of high school that they graduated from and their grades and that the levels of recognizing the piano works of Contemporary Turkish Composers and considering the practice of these works necessary do not vary according to whether they have played these works before or not. Key words: Piano Education, Contemporary Turkish Music, Contemporary Turkish Piano Works, Contemporary Turkish Piano Music.

ÇAĞDAŞ TÜRK BESTECİLERİNDE POSTMODERN BİR EĞİLİM OLARAK YENİDEN YERELLİK

This article is based on the new relationship that contemporary Turkish composers established with locality. Locality became a significant debate topic since the establishment of Turkish Republic. It has not been only a debate topic but also became a trend as a practice method. Developments in music encountered in Europe and America correspondingly influenced Turkish music. Local music has been music

The Development of Polyphonic Music That Started During the Early Years of Republic of Turkey

The present study aimed at examining the development of conservatories which started to become institutionalized under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal in the early period of the Republic and which have brought polyphony to musical culture in our country. In line with this purpose, the following research questions were directed: • When did Interaction between Classical Western Music and Turkish Music start in our country? • What were the attitudes towards artistic activities in the early period of the Republic? • What are the contributions of Turkish composers to Modern Turkish Music who have an important place in the history of Turkish Music in our country? In the study, the interaction between Turkish Music and Western Music in our country in the 17th century was examined. In addition, the present study also focused on related Turkish composers who became expert in their fields as well as on other related composers who came to Turkey from various European countries. The present study is limited to these data, and the purpose is to present the collected data to today’s musicians and to contribute to their professional developments.

A Contemporary Turkish Composer: Mete Sakpınar

A Contemporary Turkish Composer: Mete Sakpınar

Determination of the Conformity of the Work Miniatures by Necil Kazım Akses with the Objectives of the 2nd Grade Piano Course of Music Teaching Bachelor's Degree Program

This study aims to determine the conformity of the work Miniatures, composed by Turkish composer Necil Kazım Akses for solo piano in 1936, with the objectives of the 2nd grade piano course of Music Teaching Bachelor's Degree Program. Firstly, to emphasize the importance of the study, the paper provides information about the developments in the field of music in the earlyyears of the Republic of Turkey, first generation composers, called “The Turkish Five”, including Necil Kazım Akses, as well as Necil Kazım Akses's life and works. The work, Miniatures, is analysed using the content analysis method. The findings obtained as a result of the analysis are expressed in frequencies and percentages. At the end of the study, it is found that the characteristics of the work are in conformity with the objectives of the Piano course in the second grade of Music Teaching Bachelor's Degree Program and it is concluded that the work can be used in the second grade of piano education and recommendations are made to that end.

A Study Related to the Usage of Contemporary Turkish Piano Music Works in Music Teacher Training

Abstract The formation of Turkish music repertoire has been encouraged since the establishment of the Republic in Turkey, and Turkish composers’ intensive efforts have raised our tunes with national motifs to the universal music level. In this regard, many artistic and educational oriented works of art have been written, which take their source from classical Turkish music and rhythms for the piano repertoire. Music teachers in Turkey are trained in the departments of music education, department of fine arts education in faculties of education at universities. Piano education is very important in music teacher training. Students are given piano training during their undergraduate studies of 4 years, and graduate with the vocalization of a wide repertoire ranging from the works of art of the baroque period to the ones in the contemporary period. Contemporary Turkish piano music works carry a great importance within this repertoire. The purpose of this research is to put forward with a current point of view the position and importance of contemporary Turkish piano music works in music teacher training in our present day.Within the scope of the research, Turkish piano music works in terms of programs and repertoire in music teacher training will be analysed on account of their technical features and appropriateness in education, and by handling them with a model directed towards establishing a situation, encountered difficulties and resolution suggestions will be evaluated within the framework of a descriptive method.