Turkish Classical Clarinet Repertoire: Performance, Accessibility, and Integration into the Canon, with a Performance Guide to Works by Edward J. Hines and Ahmet Adnan Saygun
While American and western European works make up the majority of the classical clarinet repertoire known and studied in the West, works of Turkish origin are the focus of this document. Though over 100 pieces of Turkish classical clarinet repertoire exist, they are widely unknown to Western musicia...
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| Format: | Dissertation |
| Language: | English |
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ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
01-01-2019
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| Online Access: | Get full text |
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| Summary: | While American and western European works make up the majority of the classical clarinet repertoire known and studied in the West, works of Turkish origin are the focus of this document. Though over 100 pieces of Turkish classical clarinet repertoire exist, they are widely unknown to Western musicians, uncatalogued, and seldom performed. Consequently, although the clarinet is a staple of Turkish music and is extremely popular in the country’s folk tradition, classical clarinet music by Turkish composers remains difficult for Western musicians to find and acquire.The history of Anatolia as a cultural melting pot resulted in diverse and unique classical and folk musical traditions, both based on the makam modal system. Unlike the Western tradition, which developed twelve-tone equal temperament, the octave in the Turkish modal system comprises twenty-four unequally-spaced tones. The clarinet was introduced to Turkey by Giuseppe Donizetti (1788–1856), who traveled to Turkey at the behest of the sultanate to found European-style bands. Particularly appreciated was the clarinette d’amour, pitched in G. Turkey imported its early clarinets from Germany, where the Albert system was in use. These factors led to Turkey’s almost exclusive use of the Albert-system G clarinet in the early twentieth century. Even today, with more than 55 Turkish conservatories teaching classical Western music, the G clarinet retains its importance.When the Republic of Turkey was established in 1923, president Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (1881–1938), strove to define a national Turkish music style that combined Western and Ottoman traditions. To this aim, government-funded musical training in Europe was offered to musicians who passed a state-sponsored examination. Four members of the Turkish Five—a conglomerate of composers comprising Cemal Resit Rey (1904–1985), Ulvi Cemal Erkin (1906–1972), Hasan Ferit Alnar (1906–1978), Necil Kazım Akses (1908–1999), and Ahmet Adnan Saygun (1907–1991), who pioneered the composition and performance of nationalist Turkish music—were among those awarded scholarships. Though their contributions to clarinet repertoire are minimal, they paved the way for future generations of Turkish composers to create classical clarinet works.Although contemporary Turkish composers are writing for the clarinet, their works seldom reach Western—and especially American—musicians. Efforts to promote Turkish clarinet repertoire have been made, but more must be done to disseminate these works to Western performers and instructors. The performance guide to Yeni Makam 4, by Edward J. Hines, and Sezisler (Intuitions) for clarinet duet and Horon for clarinet and piano, by Ahmet Adnan Saygun, contained in this document, along with a list of over 100 Turkish classical clarinet works, publication and recording information for said pieces, and a fingering chart comparing the Boehm and Albert systems, strive toward this goal.Turkish classical clarinet music, merging influences from western Europe and the Middle East, is a beautiful genre that in my opinion deserves a place in the canon of clarinet repertoire. This document aims to further a global awareness not only of this music’s existence, but of its value. |
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| ISBN: | 1687971854 9781687971852 |