Analysis of the motifs and sentence structures used by Ahmet Meter in his Hüzzâm improvisation

Abstract

Ahmet Meter is an artist who has played a significant role in the development of the qanun playing technique with his mastery over the instrument, his performances, and his style. He has guided the qanun performers who followed him with his Turkish music style and has played an influential role in the development of our music through his performances. In this study, Ahmet Meter’s Hüzzâm improvisation has been analyzed in terms of motifs and sentence structures. The research is significant as it is the first study on Ahmet Meter’s Hüzzâm improvisation, it contains an analysis based on the melodic features of the improvisation, it determines Meter’s performing style, and it provides a written resource for other researchers. The problem of this research is the identification of the motifs and sentence structures in Ahmet Meter’s Hüzzâm improvisation. In the research, a qualitative research method, document review/analysis, was used. Three main criteria were determined in the analysis of Ahmet Meter’s Hüzzâm improvisation. The first criterion is the repetition of motifs and sentence structures frequently used in the improvisation. The second criterion is the length and shortness of sentences. Finally, chromatic usages within sentences were chosen as a criterion for analysis. According to the analysis based on these criteria, it was found that the sentence structures and the sections formed by them in the Hüzzâm improvisation were quite long. It was concluded that motif and sentence structures were formed with the intensive use of repetitive patterns and, as a result, these structures frequently repeated each other by using the same note clusters. The fundamental element that symbolizes the expressive power in improvisations is the sentence. Original and qualitative sentence structures are extremely important building blocks that support the belief that there should be aesthetic balance and harmony in the performance, providing a sense of the performer’s musical expressions and emotions, which can be felt by the listener in compositions. All the features of the sentence ensure that the created work has the same characteristics and quality. Therefore, in every improvisation analysis, the improvisation itself must be evaluated as a piece of music. In other planned analysis studies in the field, it is suggested that sentence analyses, in addition to modal and technical analyses, should be emphasized and included in the studies.