The bowed instrument tradition in Turkish music and the introduction of the violin: A historical and performance-based analysis
Makaleler > Tam Makale · 2026
Yazarlar: Kürşat Yıldız
ODÜ Sosyal Bilimler Araştırmaları Dergisi (ODÜSOBİAD), Uluslararası, 2026, cilt 16
DOI: 10.48146/odusobiad.1872352
Özet
This study examines the historical development of bowed string instruments in Turkish musical culture and analyzes how the violin and related instruments were introduced and integrated into Turkish music, together with the concrete performance-level evidence of that integration. It traces a line from the Central Asian ıklığ to later instruments such as the rebap, kemane, kemençe, Black Sea kemençe, ayaklı keman, and sine keman. The research is based on a qualitative design, relying on literature review and historical source analysis. The findings indicate that the Western violin entered the Ottoman musical environment from the eighteenth century onward, first through informal settings and later through court circles, becoming gradually widespread. The findings further show that this adaptation had concrete performance-level counterparts: the frequent tuning of the E string to the gerdaniye pitch, the thigh-rest playing position found in some regions (echoing the earlier rebab tradition), and the limited reach of systematic training together indicate that the violin entered Turkish music not passively but through an active process of negotiation by performers. Ultimately, the violin's place in Turkish music reflects not merely an instrumental transfer but a reinterpretation and adaptation at the level of tuning, posture, and technique.