Pythagorean Wisdom in Turkish Makams - the meşk tradition in the last century
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The presentation is centred on the ancient music transmission system, which began in Europe after Pythagoras started a philosophy school in Croton, Italy. The system was taught to competent people on a one to one oral tradition basis. This system became known as Meşk in Turkey. It did not require books as it was oral only. The presenter became part of Meşk through several renowned Turkish Musicians. Hence the presentation is from personal experience. The core concept within Meşk is for the musician to find an inner stability which arises from enquiry into the true nature of the human soul; the meaning behind the words on the temple at Adelphi which read :- “Know Thyself” The first focus is the main teacher Tanburi Necdet Yaşar, little known in Turkey during the 1970’s. After meeting him and with his agreement to teach, it took eight years to learn 74 of the most important Makams; through many visits to Istanbul; recording all the lessons and exams. Next a focus on the Mevlevi neyzen and musicologist Rauf Yekta Bey. His book, a section in the French Lavignac Encyclopaedia; was photocopied, and a dear friend and co-researcher translated it with diagrams etc. into English. This enabled a deep and detailed study of Yekta Bey’s research; who showed how the Pythagoreans experimented with Just Intonation intervals and chose groups within the perfect fourth which suited their purpose. Next the focus is on the journeys of Pythagoras into India and Egypt. He studied philosophy and music in these places. His discoveries journeyed into Anatolia and Europe; then Eastward again to the Arabic countries of the Greek Empire. The Divine revelation of Pythagoras shows how he was able to construct a language with music which leads into the deepest levels of the human psyche. The allegorical personality of the Indian Goddess Saraswati depicts this revelation; showing in the Indian way the marriage of knowledge and devotion. Pythagoras put this into the word we now know as “philosophy” which is a marriage of the Greek terms “philos” and “sophos” or love and wisdom. The structure of this Divine language shows how the naturally occurring sequence of simple ratios creates intervals which accord with human hearing. The way these sequences fit into each other shows the beauty of mathematics. The Pythagoreans developed musical scales using the intervals which give us the best melodic expression. Middlesex University would not accept Meşk teaching unsupported by other books. This was partly overcome by the presenter through the discovery of the German physiologist Herman Helmholtz, who investigated musical intervals. Those who were part of the 20th Century Meşk from Tanburi Cemil through to Necdet Yaşar are outlined showing the traditional line to which the presenter belongs. The change from Meşk to the European music academy system shows how many Pythagorean notes went missing due to the notation problems of the Ezgi/Arel system. A USA researcher’s record of the 1970s tanbur neck reveals this. Yet the tanbur neck of Necdet Yaşar shows that through Meşk, operating outside the mainstream music system, retained all the missing notes. A short clip from a lesson on Saba Makam explains how Necdet could not accept the notes played from the theories of the mainstream system. Rauf Yekta in his book describes the important element of movement and rest, for the full expression of the Makams; and how vital this element is. A taksim by Necdet in the Nihavent Makam clearly shows this element. A list of the 74 Makams taught by Necdet is shown. Rauf Yekta’s 1922 recommendation that Europe adopt the legacy of the Orient in music, is shown. He describes the huge melodic possibility of Turkish music being superior to that of the Europeans. This is followed by the presenter’s current similar recommendation for 21st century Turkey. A summary of all subjects is encapsulated in a original diagrammatic way, to show how the four stages of mastery in Meşk can be achieved by self effort in a use of all the Pythagorean intervals; showing the working of the whole human being to achieve this goal. Finally the presenter’s daughter is introduced through her composition and a taksim as an example of the achievement possible through the Meşk system.
Language: English
Subfield: Music
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7082258093
FWCI:
Cites:
Cited by:
Related to: