The evolution of qanun performance in 20th-century Turkish music: From the meşk system to institutional education

Abstract

Turkish music has been transmitted from generation to generation throughout history through the meşk method, a multilayered form of cultural heritage shaped by its modal structure, style, rhythmic cycles (usûl), and performance characteristics. In this system, education was carried out through a one-to-one master-apprentice relationship based on practical application and formed the foundation of performance for centuries. Although the meşk system is considered to have an important place in Turkish Music, studies on the system remain relatively limited and contain. various uncertainties. This study aims to examine the meşk system, which has received relatively limited attention in the literature, in relation to contemporary institutional music education, specifically through the qanun, and to contribute to future research through the findings obtained. A comprehensive literature review was conducted using document analysis, one of the qualitative research methods. During the literature review, Google Scholar and the Turkish Council of Higher Education Thesis Center (YÖK-Tez), as well as fundamental sources related to the subject, were examined. The study was structured around keywords such as “Meşk on the Qanun,” “20th-Century Turkish Music,” “Meşk System,” “Qanun,” “Master-Apprentice Relationship,” and “Turkish Music Education.” The analysis addressed the meşk system in Turkish Music, the place and transformation of the qanun within this system, the effect of the master-apprentice relationship on performance, and the interaction between the meşk system and institutional music education. In addition, the educational backgrounds, performance styles, and musical approaches of qanun performers representing the Ottoman period, Republican period, and present day were comparatively evaluated. The findings indicate that the traditional meşk method was decisive at the beginning of the 20th century, while conservatory-based education began to shape the understanding of performance from the second half of the century onward. This transformation led to a significant expansion in the technical capacity of the qanun and in repertoire diversity. At the same time, the synthesis of the meşk system and institutional music education appears to have created a new field of development. Consequently, qanun performance has evolved into a cumulative structure that preserves the meşk system from which it has been nourished while continuously developing through integration with contemporary music education.