An examination of the Bayram Salâtı (Festival Call to Prayer): The Eyüp Sultan Mosque case study

Abstract

This study examines the religious and musical aspects of feast days in Ottoman and early Republican Istanbul, focusing in particular on the tradition of the Bayram Salâtı (Festival Call to Prayer). In the first stage, classical sources on types of salâ and the musicological literature were reviewed in order to establish a historical and theoretical framework. Subsequently, notations of frequently used types of salât were included. Different performances of these types, by individuals or ensembles, are presented via QR codes. The research then turns to detailed examinations of Bayram Salâtı practices. In this context, the Bayram Salâtı composed in the Bayatî mode by Hatib Zakirî Hasan Efendi is presented both in its notated form and through a recording performed by Bekir Sıdkı Sezgin, one of the foremost interpreters of Classical Turkish Music and sacred music, made accessible via QR code. Thus, by bringing together written and aural documentation, the study provides researchers with multi-dimensional access. In addition, the version of the Bayram Salâtı in the Segâh mode, collected from Sefer Elmas—who served as a muezzin at the Eyüp Sultan Mosque for nearly half a century—was transcribed into notation by the researcher. Published here for the first time, both in score and QR code form, this example highlights the originality of the study and brings to light a tradition that had not previously been recorded in the literature. The study not only demonstrates historical continuity but also aims to reveal the diversity and richness of mosque music. Ultimately, this research makes a significant contribution by documenting, archiving, and potentially reviving a religious musical form that was on the verge of being forgotten.