Challenges and New Insights in the Critical Edition of the Persianate Repertoire in Ottoman Music

Year 2023, Issue: 27, 14 - 29, 31.05.2023

Cüneyt-ersin Mıhçı

https://doi.org/10.56074/msgsusbd.1266120

Abstract

Many scribes of historical Ottoman song text collections attributed pieces related to the Persianate repertoire to renowned late medieval composers. Researchers working on the early song text collections more closely pointed to the considerable change Ottoman music repertoire underwent at the beginning of the seventeenth century. Apparently a shifted from a popular to a courtlier style occurred, while the Persianate repertoire regained significance and was perceived as old and authoritative. How this “revived” and established repertoire was transmitted in nineteenth-century music collections is still a pending and important research topic. This paper looks at three vocal pieces of the kâr genre that derived from the Ottoman Persianate repertoire and that was handed down in Hampartsum music collections. Based on Cantemir’s descriptions of the kâr, this paper will point to divergences in the transmission practices of the Persianate repertoire and suggest alternative readings based on historical musical and textual materials.

Keywords

Ottoman music, Song text collections, Persian lyrics, Kâr

Supporting Institution

Corpus Musicae Ottomanicae (Münster Üniversitesi)

Thanks

Neslihan Demirkol; Mohsen Mahdavi

Challenges and New Insights in the Critical Edition of the Persianate Repertoire in Ottoman Music

Abstract

Many scribes of historical Ottoman song text collections attributed pieces related to the Persianate repertoire to renowned late medieval composers. Researchers working more closely on the early song text collections pointed to the considerable change undergone by Ottoman music repertoire at the beginning of the seventeenth century. Apparently, a shift from a popular to a more courtly style occurred, while the Persianate repertoire regained significance and was perceived as old and authoritative. How this “revived” and established repertoire was transmitted in nineteenth-century music collections is still a research topic which is pending and important. This paper looks at three vocal pieces of the kâr genre that derived from the Ottoman Persianate repertoire and were handed down in Hampartsum music collections. Based on Cantemir’s descriptions of the kâr, this paper will highlight divergences in the transmission practices relating to the Persianate repertoire and suggest alternative readings based on historical materials, both musical and textual.

Keywords

Ottoman Music, Song Text Collections, Persian Lyrics, Kâr, Vocal Music

References

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