Underrepresentation of Balkan Composers’ solo piano works in undergraduate piano education in Türkiye: A qualitative case study

Year 2025, Volume: 13 Issue: 4, 529 - 550

Hamza Serdar Turan , Şirin Akbulut Demirci

Abstract

Throughout history, the Balkan region has been a crossroads of diverse cultures, a richness prominently reflected in its musical heritage. This cultural and musical diversity has contributed significantly to the solo piano repertoire through the works of numerous Balkan-born composers. Characterized by asymmetrical rhythms, modal melodies, and stylistic hybridity, these compositions offer both pedagogical value and artistic depth. However, despite their distinctive qualities, such works remain underrepresented in formal music education settings, particularly in Türkiye. This study investigates the extent to which these composers’ solo piano works are incorporated into undergraduate piano education programs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine piano instructors from three fine arts faculties, three education faculties, and three conservatories, each offering undergraduate music programs. The study was conducted using a qualitative case study approach, and the data were analyzed with NVivo 10 software to identify relevant themes, categories, and codes that reflect current pedagogical practices and challenges. The findings indicate that works by Balkan composers are largely absent from undergraduate piano curricula in Türkiye. The main reasons for this exclusion include a lack of accessible resources, limited awareness of the composers, the perceived difficulty level of the repertoire, and insufficient weekly course hours. Only one of the nine participants reported having engaged in academic work related to Balkan composers, while the majority had not participated in any artistic or scholarly activities in this area. Nevertheless, all participants acknowledged the potential benefits of such works for music students. The study concludes that integrating these compositions into piano education could offer substantial cognitive, affective, and psychomotor gains by exposing students to alternative rhythmic structures, expanded harmonic vocabularies, and culturally rooted musical expressions. Based on these findings, the study recommends incorporating Balkan composers’ works into curricula, expanding both printed and digital resources, increasing repertoire accessibility, and promoting artistic and academic activities to raise awareness and foster engagement.

Keywords

Balkan composers , music education , piano education

Ethical Statement

This study was conducted by institutional ethical principles and guidelines. Ethical approval was obtained from the Research and Publication Ethics Committee for Social and Human Sciences of Bursa Uludağ University. The application was reviewed and approved in the committee’s session numbered 2023–03 on March 31, 2023, under Decision No: 8. The committee confirmed that the interview questions and rubric to be used in the study met the necessary ethical, legal, and intellectual property standards. All participants were informed about the purpose and scope of the study, and their voluntary participation was ensured. Both authors contributed equally to all aspects of the research, including the conceptualization, literature review, data collection, data analysis, and manuscript preparation. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this article.

Supporting Institution

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Thanks

The authors would like to express their sincere gratitude to all academic staff and institutions who shared their time and expertise during the data collection process. Special thanks are extended to those who provided access to curriculum documents and institutional resources relevant to the study.

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