Transcription and analysis of traditional Turkish music
MTG01, 2-4pm
Exquisite details ofornamentation and expression in traditional Turkish music can be discovered and understood from studying oral traditions learned from performance practice and sound recordings. The concepts of makam, ‘Huseyni’ makam and taksim (improvisation with instrument) will be illustrated through live performance and recordings of Turkish violin players. Melodic analysis of a violin taksim will include an example from Antolian folk music. The violin has only established its position in traditional Turkish music since the beginning of the 18th century. A method of analysis based on the transcription of the violinist Sadi Isılay’s Huseyni makam violin taksim from the 20th century reveals a way of preserving and learning this tradition, making the repertoire more accessible to musicians unfamiliar with Turkish music.
Since 2010 Murat Gurel has been a lecturer in traditional Turkish violin playing at Ankara Haci Bayram Veli University, Traditional Turkish Music State Conservatory, Department of Instrument Education. In 2016 he completed his PhD on The Analysis of Nubar Tekyay’s Violin Taksims and he continues to research and teach Turkish music theory and practice based on Anatolian Ecole Edvar (old books that instruct makams between the 15th and 18th centuries). He regularly performs as a soloist and ensemble player in concerts in Turkey and at international festivals, as well as giving workshops and seminars. Gurel is an instructor and participant in the ERC-funded project, Beyond East and West: Developing and Documenting an Evolving Transcultural Musical Practice involving the University of Bristol and Bath Spa University (2015-2020).
Intercultural Communication through Practice 