TR
EN
Musicological Functions of Silence in Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
Abstract
This study investigates the position of silence within the auditory structure of Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (2011), its relationship with scene compositions, and the musicological functions it articulates. The film’s limited use of music reveals that silence is not merely an absence; rather, it functions as a constitutive element that shapes the rhythm of the narrative, the perception of time, and the spatial depth. In this context, the study evaluates silence through the concepts of acoustic ecology, auditory object, time-image, and narrative aurality within a musicological framework. The research employs the “case study” model, one of the qualitative research methods. Data were gathered through detailed scene analysis, document review, and content analysis. During the analytical process, particular focus was placed on the search sequences, interior scenes, the autopsy section, and the diegetic music scene featuring the performance of “Allı Turnam.” These scenes were examined in terms of the rhythmic structure of silence, the spatial timbral characteristics, and its contribution to the psychological unraveling of the characters. The findings demonstrate that silence in the film evolves into a fundamental auditory strategy that carries the dramatic progression within the field of musicology. This study shows that in Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, silence is not a superficial void defining the atmosphere; rather, it is constructed as a multilayered auditory space that shapes the aesthetic structure of the image, the rhythm of time, and the tension among characters. In the film, silence reorganizes many functions that music might otherwise assume, becoming an effective narrative element that directs the viewer toward the cultural weight of the setting, the density of time, and the intellectual layers of the narrative.
Keywords
References
- Altman, R. (Ed.). (1992). Sound theory, sound practice. Routledge. Bull, M. (2007). Sound moves: iPod culture and urban experience. Routledge. Chion, M. (2019). Audio-vision: Sound on Screen. Columbia University Press.
- Ceylan, N. B. (Yönetmen). (2011). Bir Zamanlar Anadolu’da [Film]. Zeynofilm.
- Deleuze, G. (1989). Cinema 2: The time-image (H. Tomlinson & R. Galeta, Trans.). University of Minnesota Press.
- Gorbman, C. (1987). Unheard melodies: Narrative film music. Indiana University Press.
- Kulezic-Wilson, D. (2015). Film, sound and the multisensory experience: Sound, listening and voice in screen practice. Palgrave Macmillan.
- Lacey, K. (2013). Listening publics: The politics and experience of listening in the media age. John Wiley & Sons.
- Magee, G. S. (2014). Robert Altman’s Soundtracks: Film, Music, and Sound from M*A*S*H to A Prairie Home Companion. Oxford University Press.
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Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Linguistics (Other)
Journal Section
Review
Authors
Publication Date
June 30, 2026
Submission Date
December 6, 2025
Acceptance Date
March 31, 2026
Published in Issue
Year 2026 Volume: 6 Number: 1
APA
Yazan, E. İ. (2026). Musicological Functions of Silence in Once Upon a Time in Anatolia. Rahva Journal of Technical and Social Studies, 6(1), 44-52. https://izlik.org/JA34TJ78PS
AMA
1.Yazan Eİ. Musicological Functions of Silence in Once Upon a Time in Anatolia. Rahva. 2026;6(1):44-52. https://izlik.org/JA34TJ78PS
Chicago
Yazan, Evren İdil. 2026. “Musicological Functions of Silence in Once Upon a Time in Anatolia”. Rahva Journal of Technical and Social Studies 6 (1): 44-52. https://izlik.org/JA34TJ78PS.
EndNote
Yazan Eİ (June 1, 2026) Musicological Functions of Silence in Once Upon a Time in Anatolia. Rahva Journal of Technical and Social Studies 6 1 44–52.
IEEE
[1]E. İ. Yazan, “Musicological Functions of Silence in Once Upon a Time in Anatolia”, Rahva, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 44–52, June 2026, [Online]. Available: https://izlik.org/JA34TJ78PS
ISNAD
Yazan, Evren İdil. “Musicological Functions of Silence in Once Upon a Time in Anatolia”. Rahva Journal of Technical and Social Studies 6/1 (June 1, 2026): 44-52. https://izlik.org/JA34TJ78PS.
JAMA
1.Yazan Eİ. Musicological Functions of Silence in Once Upon a Time in Anatolia. Rahva. 2026;6:44–52.
MLA
Yazan, Evren İdil. “Musicological Functions of Silence in Once Upon a Time in Anatolia”. Rahva Journal of Technical and Social Studies, vol. 6, no. 1, June 2026, pp. 44-52, https://izlik.org/JA34TJ78PS.
Vancouver
1.Evren İdil Yazan. Musicological Functions of Silence in Once Upon a Time in Anatolia. Rahva [Internet]. 2026 Jun. 1;6(1):44-52. Available from: https://izlik.org/JA34TJ78PS