Art Songs of Early Republican Composers in Türkiye: Ahmet Samim Bilgen's ‘Merdiven’ in Terms of Vocal Technique and Composition

Yıl 2022, Sayı: 23, 103 - 114, 29.12.2022

Alin Yağcıoğlu

Öz

The presence of art song in Türkiye can be traced back to the Ottoman State, before the establishment of the Turkish Republic in 1923. Indeed, all the education and performances had largely taken place in Istanbul, as it was the capital of the Ottoman State. Therefore, it can be said that this art basically flourished in a city-based manner. However, it spread all over the country after the republic was established. As part of the cultural reform, the integration of the genres and norms of the Western classical music into the culture of the country appeared on the agenda. Thus, talented students were sent to Europe to study composition. After the completion of their studies, these early republican composers returned to Türkiye and started composing in several forms of Western classical music, one of which is art song. Thus, they created the first repertory of Turkish art song.
Most sources usually mention the Turkish Five as the early republican Turkish composers. In fact, at the time, there were also other composers who wrote music in Western classical form. Ahmet Samim Bilgen was one of these composers. He played the first violin at Şehir Orkestrası (founded by Cemal Reşid Rey and the only orchestra in Istanbul at the time). At the same time, he was a student at the faculty of law at Istanbul University. Since he built his career on law after completing his education and thus little is known about him, his name is rarely mentioned in the sources regarding music in the early republican period. In fact, he never quit music. He was a remarkable figure in the music scene of the period due to both his compositions and the success of his musical plays and marches. He was also in close contact with his peers in music throughout his life. Moreover, he was a member of the Sevda - Cenap And Music Foundation and Ankara Polyphonic Music Foundation.
Based on oral history and manuscripts of the composer in addition to relevant books and journals, this study aims to bring forward Ahmet Samim Bilgen as a composer through the first art song he composed for the soprano voice in addition to revealing his autobiography for the first time. In addition, the performability of this art song is analyzed through certain properties of the vocal technique of the soprano voice. Therefore, these properties are also explained in the study.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Ahmet Samim Bilgen, Turkish Art Song, Soprano Voice, Early Republican Turkish Composers, Vocal Technique.

Türkiye'de Erken Cumhuriyet Dönemi Bestecilerinin Sanat Şarkıları Çerçevesinde Ahmet Samim Bilgen'in ‘Merdiven’ Adlı Eserinin Vokal Tekniği ve Besteleme Açısından İncelenmesi

Öz

The presence of art song in Türkiye can be traced back to the Ottoman State, before the establishment of the Turkish Republic in 1923. Indeed, all the education and performances had largely taken place in Istanbul, as it was the capital of the Ottoman State. Therefore, it can be said that this art basically flourished in a city-based manner. However, it spread all over the country after the republic was established. As part of the cultural reform, the integration of the genres and norms of the Western classical music into the culture of the country appeared on the agenda. Thus, talented students were sent to Europe to study composition. After the completion of their studies, these early republican composers returned to Türkiye and started composing in several forms of Western classical music, one of which is art song. Thus, they created the first repertory of Turkish art song.
Most sources usually mention the Turkish Five as the early republican Turkish composers. In fact, at the time, there were also other composers who wrote music in Western classical form. Ahmet Samim Bilgen was one of these composers. He played the first violin at Şehir Orkestrası (founded by Cemal Reşid Rey and the only orchestra in Istanbul at the time). At the same time, he was a student at the faculty of law at Istanbul University. Since he built his career on law after completing his education and thus little is known about him, his name is rarely mentioned in the sources regarding music in the early republican period. In fact, he never quit music. He was a remarkable figure in the music scene of the period due to both his compositions and the success of his musical plays and marches. He was also in close contact with his peers in music throughout his life. Moreover, he was a member of the Sevda - Cenap And Music Foundation and Ankara Polyphonic Music Foundation.
Based on oral history and manuscripts of the composer in addition to relevant books and journals, this study aims to bring forward Ahmet Samim Bilgen as a composer through the first art song he composed for the soprano voice in addition to revealing his autobiography for the first time. In addition, the performability of this art song is analyzed through certain properties of the vocal technique of the soprano voice. Therefore, these properties are also explained in the study.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Ahmet Samim Bilgen, Türkçe sanat şarkısı, Soprano ses rengi, Erken cumhuriyet dönemi Türk bestecileri, Şan tekniği

Teşekkür

Yazar, Samim Bilgen'in otobiyografisine ve eserlerine ulaşabilmesini değerli yardımlarıyla mümkün kılan Prof. Dr. Semih Bilgen, Üstün Bilgen Reinart ve Gülsün Bilgen Konuray'a teşekkür eder. The author would like to express her gratitude to Prof. Dr. Semih Bilgen, Üstün Bilgen Reinart, and Gülsün Bilgen Konuray for their valuable help in accessing his autobiography and works.

Kaynakça

• Alnar, H. F. (1938, February). Söz ve müzikte vurgu [Accent in words and music]. Çığır, 62-63, 11-12.
• Altar, C. M. (2001). Opera tarihi cilt IV [History of opera vol IV]. Pan Yayıncılık.
• Aracı, E. (2006). Donize i Paşa: Osmanlı Sarayının İtalyan maestrosu [Donizetti Pasha: The Italian maestro of the Ottoman Palace]. Yapı Kredi Yayıncılık.
• Balkılıç, Ö. (2009). Cumhuriyet, halk ve müzik: Türkiye’de müzik reformu 1922-1952 [Republic, public, and music: Music reform in Turkey 1922-1952]. Tan Kitabevi.
• Bayraşa, M. A. (n.d.). Ahmed Adnan Saygun’un ses ve piyano için yaratıları [Ahmed Adnan Saygun’s works for voice and piano]. http://www.muziklopedi.org/?/Kitap/35
• Bilgen, A. S. (n.d.). Autobiography. Unpublished manuscript. [from the archive of Semih Bilgen].
• Bilgen, A. S. (n.d.). Dalgalar. Unpublished manuscript.
• Bilgen, A. S. (n.d.). Merdiven. Unpublished manuscript.
• Brailey, S. E. N. (2021). Demystifying the soprano voice: A guide for composers. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Wisconsin-Madison). https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/demystifying-soprano-voice-introductory-guide/docview/2531536555/se-2
• Büyük konserimiz [Our great concert]. (May 16, 1935). Cumhuriyet. http://nek.istanbul.edu.tr:4444/ekos/GAZETE/cumhuriyet//cumhuriyet_1935/cumhuriyet_1935_mayis_/cumhuriyet_1935_mayis_16_.pdf
• Dickinson, P., Wiley Hitchcock, H., & Keith, E. C. (2013). Art song. In Oxford dictionary of music. https://doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.A2240068
• Giray, S. (2002). Ahmed Adnan Saygun’un keman yapıtları: Bir kemancıya rehber [The works of Ahmed Adnan Saygun for the violin: A guide for violinists]. Kültür Bakanlığı Yayınları.
• İlyasoğlu, E. (2007). 71 Türk bestecisi [71 Turkish composers]. Pan Yayıncılık.
• Kutlay-Baydar, E. (2010). Osmanlı’nın Avrupalı müzisyenleri [The European musicians of the Ottoman Empire]. Kapı Yayınları.
• Meister, B. (1980). An introduction to the art song. Taplinger.
• Musıki müsabakamızda kazanan eserler [The prize-winning works in our music competition]. (May 19, 1935). Cumhuriyet. http://nek.istanbul.edu.tr:4444/ekos/GAZETE/ cumhuriyet//cumhuriyet_1935 /cumhuriyet 1935_mayis_/cumhuriyet_1935_mayis_19_.pdf
• The American Academy of Teachers of Singing. (2007). Suggested guidelines for the composition of vocal music. Journal of Singing, 63(5), 513-521. https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/38012343/suggestedguidelines-for-the-composition-of-vocal-music-unt
• Uçman Karacalı, P. (2016). Almanca liedler [German lieds]. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Yayınları.
• Yöre, S. (2011, August). Kültürleşmenin bir parçası olarak Osmanlı’da operanın görünümü [View of the opera in the O oman Empire as a part of acculturation]. Zeitschrift für die Welt der Türken,3(2), 53-69. https://www.dieweltdertuerken.org/index.php/ZfWT/article/viewFile/234/s_yore