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2.10.3 Turkish classical music
This section highlights issues that are relevant to notating Turkish classical music.
| References for Turkish classical music | ||
| Turkish note names |
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References for Turkish classical music
Turkish classical music developed in the Ottoman Empire in a period roughly contemporaneous with classical music in Europe, and has continued on into the 20th and 21st centuries as a vibrant and distinct tradition with its own compositional forms, theory and performance styles. Among its striking features is the use of microtonal intervals based on ‘commas’ of 1/9 of a tone, from which are constructed the melodic forms known as makam (plural makamlar).
Some issues relevant to Turkish classical music are covered elsewhere:
- Special note names and accidentals are explained in Common notation for non-Western music.
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Turkish note names
Pitches in Turkish classical music traditionally have unique names, and the basis of pitch on 1/9-tone divisions means makamlar employ a completely different set of intervals from Western scales and modes: koma (1/9 of a tone), eksik bakiye (3/9), bakiye (4/9), kücük mücenneb (5/9), büyük mücenneb (8/9), tanîni (a whole tone) and artık ikili (12/9 or 13/9 of a tone).
From a modern notational point of view it is convenient to use the standard Western staff notes (c, d, e, …) with special accidentals that raise or lower notes by intervals of 1/9, 4/9, 5/9 and 8/9 of a tone. These accidentals are defined in the file ‘makam.ly’.
The following table lists:
- the name of these special accidentals,
- the accidental suffix that must be added to notes,
- and their pitch alteration as a fraction of one whole tone.
Accidental name
suffix
pitch alteration
büyük mücenneb (sharp)
-bm
+8/9
kücük mücenneb (sharp)
-k
+5/9
bakiye (sharp)
-b
+4/9
koma (sharp)
-c
+1/9
koma (flat)
-fc
-1/9
bakiye (flat)
-fb
-4/9
kücük mücenneb (flat)
-fk
-5/9
büyük mücenneb (flat)
-fbm
-8/9
For a more general explanation of non-Western music notation, see Common notation for non-Western music.
See also
Music Glossary: makam, makamlar.
Notation Reference: Common notation for non-Western music.
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