Biography of the Turkish Composer Ahmed Adnan Saygun and a Discussion of His Violin Works

Adnan Saygun was a ethnomusicologist and notable violinist. After a biography, this study uses Saygun's violin music to discuss his practise of utilizing Turkish folk elements. It provides an entry point to authentic Turkish folk idiom in his compositions and Turkish classical music.

This work is a valuable musicological contribution to the history of modern Turkish music as well as to the modern voice of the 20th century.

Acknowledgements... vii Preface... ix Foreword... xi Introduction... 1 I. Saygun's Biography... 5 II. Saygun's Harmonic And Melodic Vocabulary: Modes... 13 A) The Turkish Modes: A General Survey... 13 B) Saygun and Turkish Modes in an Ethnomusicological Context... 22 C) Saygun and Turkish Modes in a Compositional Context... 23 III. A Discussion of the Folk Elements Found in Saygun's Violin Works... 31 A) Horon... 31 B) Kemence... 33 C) Agir Zeybek... 39 D) A Kastamonian Dance: Sepetcioglu... 43 E) The Unmetered Turkish Folk Singing Style: Uzun Hava... 44 F) Illustrations... 49 1. An autographed portrait of Saygun... 49 2. A map of Turkey... 50 3. The horon dance... 50 4. The kemence... 51 5. The kemence bow hold... 51 IV. A Discussion of Saygun's Suite for Violin and Piano... 53 A) Prelude [Prelud]... 54 B) Horon... 58 C) Zeybek [Agir Zeybek]... 62 D) Kastamonian Dance [Sepetcioglu]... 65 V. An Annotated List of Saygun's Works and a Discography... 71 A) Translations... 71 B) An Annotated List of Compositions... 72 C) The Works Without an Opus Number... 78 D) Books... 78 E) Articles... 80 F) A Discography... 84 Conclusion... 89 Appendix: A Guide to Turkish Pronunciation... 91 Bibliography... 93 Index... 99