A book review of Walter Feldman's From Rumi to the Whirling Dervishes

Abstract

This study critically reviews Walter Feldman’s From Rumi to the Whirling Dervishes: Music, Poetry, and Mysticism in the Ottoman Empire (2022). The book provides a comprehensive examination of the historical, aesthetic, musical, and mystical dimensions of the Mevlevi tradition, exploring the complex relationships among music, poetry, ritual, and Sufi thought within the cultural context of the Ottoman Empire. Feldman approaches the Mevlevi order not as an isolated institution confined to the Ottoman realm but as the product of a multilayered cultural sphere shaped through continuous interaction with Anatolia, Iran, and the broader Islamic world. Employing an interdisciplinary perspective that integrates historical ethnomusicology, musicology, cultural history, literary studies, and Sufi scholarship, the author offers an in-depth analysis of the structural evolution of the Mevlevi ritual and the central role of music within it. This review examines how the book addresses the institutionalization of the Mevlevi order, the historical development of the Mevlevi ayin, the symbolic and musical significance of the ney, the functions of music in Mevlevi culture, and the structural characteristics of the ritual repertoire. Detailed discussions of makam, usûl, compositional techniques, and the relationship between poetry and music substantially enhance the musicological value of the work. Feldman also presents original interpretations concerning the historical origins of specific musical forms while establishing significant connections among Ottoman, Anatolian, Persian, and Central Asian musical traditions. By combining technical musical analyses with historical and cultural interpretation, the book emerges as an essential reference that presents Mevlevi music as a dynamic intellectual and artistic tradition extending across centuries. Its rich visual materials, extensive bibliography, detailed glossary, and comprehensive index further strengthen its scholarly value. Consequently, the book represents an important reference source for researchers in Ottoman-Turkish music, ethnomusicology, and Sufi studies.