The cultural and aesthetic function of musical elements in Turkish folk narratives

Abstract

Although the presence of music in folk narratives—one of the most significant narrative forms within the Turkish oral cultural tradition—is clearly evident, there remain considerable deficiencies in documenting this aspect in writing, systematically archiving it, and evaluating it from a musicological perspective. The folk songs found in many narratives have reached the present day primarily in the form of lyrics, while their modal structures (makam), rhythmic patterns, and performance characteristics face the risk of being lost. The poems performed by âşıks (minstrels) with the accompaniment of the saz not only ensured the oral transmission of the stories but also enabled them to be internalized by society through a distinct musical aesthetic. The present study aims to fill this gap. In this research, a qualitative method has been adopted, based on a descriptive approach. Previous studies on folk narratives were reviewed, the relevant literature was examined, and evaluations were conducted with the aim of identifying the musical elements. The documents used in this study include folk narratives compiled from different geographies of Anatolia and the Turkic world, audio and visual recordings made in minstrel coffeehouses, written sources, and examples from folk music repertoires. Furthermore, considering that folk narratives have also served as subjects for operas and other musical genres, relevant archives and academic studies have also been examined. The collected materials were subjected to a content- and function-oriented analysis. The performance of poems in the form of folk songs (türkü), the diversity of modes and rhythms employed, the role of instruments—particularly the saz—and the ways in which these elements reinforce the emotional intensity of the narratives were described. The research findings indicate that the musical elements of folk narratives assume an indispensable role in terms of both social and artistic functions. However, the insufficient documentation of these musical elements through written and visual records constitutes a significant shortcoming. In particular, the musical dimension of folk narratives that have inspired operas and folk songs should be recorded using contemporary methods, transcribed into notation, archived, and examined on a broader scale within the discipline of musicology. Such endeavors are of great importance for the preservation of this tradition.