Walter Feldman’s historical ethnomusicological approach to Mevlevi Ayinhanlık: An analytical model for vocal interpretation and acoustic heterophony

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the aesthetics of vocal performance in Mevlevi Ayinhanlık, drawing on Walter Feldman’s historical ethnomusicological approach and focusing on the relationship between the structural indicators provided by historical notated sources and knowledge transmitted through meşk and performance practice. The research was conducted using a qualitative approach and document analysis. The Segâh Âyini attributed to Buhurizâde Mustafa Itrî, the Rast Âyini by Kutb-ı Nâyî Osman Dede, and the Sâbâ Âyini by Hammâmîzâde İsmâil Dede Efendi were comparatively analyzed on the basis of the versions preserved in the collection of musical notation and song texts compiled by Neyzen Emin Dede. The analysis was structured along three dimensions: historical source-critical analysis, oral transmission, and performer-centered analysis of musical notation. The findings indicate that the notated sources provide substantial evidence for makam, usûl, the alignment of poetic text and syllables, and formal organization, while offering limited evidence regarding breath, tahrir, microtiming, timbre, and details of simultaneous performance. Within this framework, “vocal interpretation” is operationalized in this study as an analytical concept for explaining the performative dimension of the relationship between poetry, makam, and usûl. “Acoustic heterophony,” by contrast, is proposed not as a directly demonstrated finding but as an analytical model to be tested in future research through audio recordings, addressing how the ney and the vocal line may diverge around the same melodic axis in live performance. In conclusion, the study approaches Mevlevi Ayinhanlık as a historical-aesthetic domain situated at the intersection of the written musical text, the meşk tradition, and performance knowledge, while simultaneously highlighting both the possibilities offered by historical notated sources for structural analysis and the evidentiary limitations of such sources with regard to live performance.