Digital representation of Turkish music: A systematic review of studies conducted between 2000 and 2025

Abstract

This study examines how the performance-centred and richly nuanced structure of Turkish music is represented within formal, computation-based digital systems, and systematically identifies the strengths and limitations of this process. Based on a survey of 574 academic works published between 2000 and 2025 and an in-depth analysis of 169 selected sources, significant advances are identified in the algorithmic representation of makam theory, the digitization of microtonal pitch systems, the modelling of usul structures, and the digital reproduction of Turkish musical instruments. Software such as Makambox, Makampedia, KORAL and ATMMC stand out as concrete examples of these developments. However, the findings also point to a central “problem of representation” in the field: there is a marked mismatch between the continuous, context-sensitive and performance-driven nature of Turkish music theory and the predominantly discrete, static and generalizing architectures of mainstream digital technologies. The difficulties in formalizing the concept of seyir, the microtonal limitations of the MIDI protocol, and the lack of common standards are among the main manifestations of this mismatch. By analysing these divergences, the study proposes concrete future directions for research and design in the domains of education, performance, archiving, composition and technical infrastructure.

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