Exposition

Exploring the Unique Timbre of the Violin in Ottoman Music (last edited: 2025)

Ana Lazar
open exposition

About this exposition

This artistic research investigates the timbre of the violin in Ottoman music from the perspective of a musician outside the tradition. Its goal is not only to understand how this distinctive sound is created but also to experience how cultural, historical, and stylistic influences shape it. Approaching the tradition as both learner and artist, I learn from master musicians, immerse myself in traditional musical environments, and engage in reflective creative practice. I explore how violinists trained in Western classical music can enter this tradition respectfully, embody its nuances, and remain true to its core. Using four guiding frameworks—tacit knowledge, meşk - oral transmission, cultural immersion, and instrument modification—I document a journey of listening, learning, and transformation. This process integrates literature review, conceptual framing, artistic methodology, and reflective analysis, turning the violin into a space where diverse musical traditions engage in meaningful dialogue. Key outcomes of this study show that timbre in Ottoman violin playing is not fixed but culturally constructed and personally shaped. Timbre is deeply contextual, influenced by cultural models like the human voice and traditional instruments, and expressed through subtle choices in vibrato, ornamentation, bowing, and instrument setup. The expressive identity of Ottoman music relies on sensitivity and subtlety, with small variations significantly affecting the emotional and modal character of the music. Learning in this tradition depends heavily on embodied, tacit knowledge passed down orally through the meşk system, where core concepts such as makam nuance and microtonality are absorbed through long-term listening, singing, and playing alongside masters. Deep listening and cultural immersion were essential for developing stylistic understanding, revealing nuances that notation alone cannot capture.
typeresearch exposition
keywordsOttoman music, Turkish classical music, violin timbre, tacit knowledge, meşk, embodied learning, cultural immersion, deep listening, practice-based approach, ornamentation, microtonality, vibrato, instrument modification.
date26/07/2025
last modified05/08/2025
statusin progress
share statuspublic
copyrightAna Lazar
licenseCC BY-NC-ND
languageEnglish
urlhttps://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/3805963/3805964


Copyrights

nameAna In Istanbul 2020
copyrightHussein Alkel
licenseAll rights reserved
usagespicture
nameExploring the Unique Timbre of the Violin in Ottoman Music
copyrightAna Lazar
licenseAll rights reserved
usagespdf
nameLesson with Derya
copyrightAna Lazar
licenseAll rights reserved
usagesvideo
nameExample of Buraks lesson
copyrightAna Lazar, Burak Savaş
licenseAll rights reserved
usagesaudio
nameEchoes of Elsewhere
copyrightAna Lazar
licenseAll rights reserved
usagesvideo
nameHijaz Saz Semai-Derya Turkan
copyrightDerya Turkan
licenseAll rights reserved
usagesaudio

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