Theoretical analysis of seyir dynamics in tanbur taksims: The example of Uşşak taksims by Necdet Yaşar and İzzettin Ökte

Abstract

When the earliest known recordings in the tanbur performance tradition are examined, it can be observed that tanbur performance developed mainly around two approaches. The first is the classical style, which is thought to have begun with Tanburi İsak, and the second is the Cemil Bey style, which is thought to have begun with Cemil Bey. As followers of this style, Necdet Yaşar and İzzettin Ökte appear as two performers who played an important role in the tanbur performance tradition of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. This study examines, from a modal perspective, the taksims performed in the Uşşak makam by two representatives of different styles within the twentieth-century generation of tanbur performance, one of the deep-rooted instruments of Turkish music. The aim of examining these taksims is to discuss the differences in the approaches of these performers, who lived in the same period and were nourished by similar sources in many respects, toward the same makam. In the analysis of these taksims, the Arel-Ezgi-Uzdilek theoretical system was taken as a reference. In the study, the recordings of both performers were notated through transcription technique. Since the taksim form is generally performed in free rhythm in terms of usul, the transcriptions were also notated in free rhythm. Based on the data obtained from this study, it was understood that Necdet Yaşar adopted a more innovative performance approach, foregrounded plectrum strokes more prominently, and employed a modal progression that moved beyond conventional makam rules. As a result of the same analyses, it was determined that İzzettin Ökte adopted a calmer performance style, placing more notes within fewer plectrum strokes and giving greater priority to makam rules.