Analysis of arabesque effects in Zeki Müren’s performance on the sample of the Hijaz song “Anlatılmaz Bin Derd İle”

Abstract

In the second half of the 20th century, the process that accelerated the adoption of the Arabesque style by some vocal artists coming from the Turkish music tradition was mainly influenced by the casinos (nightclubs), one of the influential areas of the entertainment sector, which transformed its program according to the changing customer potential. While the casino program was shaped by its unique internal dynamics, the most talked-about soloist who completely changed the system and stage layout with a new concept was Zeki Müren. During his mature period, Müren, as an influential artist in terms of style and vocal performance, brought a different dimension to Turkish art music vocal performance within the scope of his repertoire preferences and "Arabesque" expressions, embracing a more flexible performance style and introducing a new "style" specifically for the casinos. Müren, with his style and vocal performance shaping the rules in his field and considering his pioneering identity, the description of the arabesque influences reflected in his technical execution is remarkable in emphasizing the significance of the interaction between art and sociology in society. Furthermore, drawing from research that examines arabesque music from a sociological perspective and based on scientific data, this study aims to illustrate the impact of arabesque style on Turkish art music through the analysis of Zeki Müren's performance of "Anlatılmaz Bin Derd İle" from his youth and casino periods. During the process, a qualitative research method was followed to conduct a field scan and performance analysis. The book "Methods of Analysis and Interpretation in Turkish Music" by Gülçin Yahya Kaçar, presenting a highly comprehensive model in the stage of analysis and transcription of notes, was utilized. The elements of expression in the performance were notated using the Sibelius 6 program, and to ensure the accurate transfer of these elements, spectrogram images of notable sections were included. As a result of the research, it was observed that in the artist's early period performances, slight traces of elements from the casino version stand out, while in the casino version, the arabesque style is depicted with quite characteristic expressions through practices such as diction, embellishments, and rubato.