An Examination of the Possibilities of Using the Ney Instrument in Contemporary Music

Abstract

In the process extending from the second half of the 20th century to the present day, intercultural studies have an essential place in the influence of global understanding and technological developments. Contemporary Music has a more comprehensive range of timbral data possibilities than at any other time in the history of Music. Therefore, many musical formal variations can be achieved by hybridising these tones with each other. Turkish Maqam Music instruments are also included in this data potential. In recent years, it has been seen that Turkish Maqam Music instruments have appeared more frequently in the Contemporary Music scene. The Ney, an instrument belonging mainly to Turkish Maqam Music, has opened a special space for itself in contemporary and intercultural music due to its expressive possibilities, timbre characteristics, and the religious and philosophical heritage it represents. It has been observed that there has been a noticeable increase in the works composed for the Ney in the Intercultural Contemporary Music repertoire in recent years. Many composers in our country and globally are investigating the aesthetic transition possibilities between “local” and “Contemporary”, taking into account the unique characteristics of the Ney instrument among the sound options of contemporary music. This research is significant in terms of revealing the usage possibilities of the Ney instrument in the field of contemporary music. It provides an essential contribution to the literature by providing examples of the conventional use of the Ney instrument and its use in contemporary music and by examining and analysing them in the context of the five basic categories that make up music as it pioneers studies in the field. In this context, it is also essential to provide resources for future studies. It aims to provide a theoretical background to composers who want to use the Ney instrument in their works in our country and around the world, to performers who want to perform these works, and to researchers working in this field. In this study, which is handled with a qualitative research method, the use of Ney and the results of the encounter between the technical possibilities of the Ney and the musical textures of Contemporary Music are examined. The Ney’s relationship with Western Music and instruments belonging to this genre, its international and local uses in music history, and its conventional structure are examined through examples. In this context, the possibilities of using the Ney instrument in Contemporary Music are shown through seven examples. Within the organological classification of wind instruments, including the Ney instrument, the sound production characteristics of the Ney instrument and the most common techniques used in woodwind instruments in Contemporary Music are exemplified as a result of the data obtained from the literature review. It has been adapted to the Ney instrument under the title Possibilities of Using the Ney Instrument in Contemporary Music. Then, to create a theoretical framework for the analyses to be carried out within the scope of this study, five basic categories that make up music, frequency-duration-articulation-dynamic-timbre, were defined. To reveal the advanced performance stage of the traditional Ney writing, Tanburi Cemil Bey’s Şedd-i Araban Saz Semai was taken as an example, and this work was examined through the five basic categories that make up the Music. The boundaries of the traditional Ney writing were drawn in this direction. In this research, to exemplify the possibilities of using the Ney instrument in contemporary music, seven works by seven contemporary composers working in this field were analysed based on the five basic parameters that make up music (frequency, duration, articulation, dynamics and timbre). Non-conventional writings were identified and exemplified in the works discussed. These works are respectively “Het Leven is Net Een Krentenbol, Met Af En Toe Een Hard Stukje” by Eda Er, “Karacaahmet-Üsküdar Bir İki” by Aslı Kobaner, “Wir Verstehen Euch Nicht” by Okan Yaşarlar,”Untitled for Turkish Ney” by Jeremy Woodruff, “Zamanın Ruhu: Bir Ses” by Attila Kadri Şendil, “Liqid Identities No:3 (Segâh-Uşşak) For Solo Ney” by Mustafa Eren Arın, “Untitled” by Toivo Tulev. These studies were examined according to the five basic categories that make up Music, and the characteristics of the Ney script encountered in Contemporary Music were tried to be determined. In addition to the traditional Ney technique, today’s composers’ development of new forms of expression and sound arrangements by considering the Ney from a different perspective plays an essential role in creating experimental sounds in Contemporary Music. This reveals that the use of the Ney in contemporary music includes both a traditional and an innovative and experimental approach. It is thought that expanding studies on the interaction of the Ney with other musical cultures and instruments will help discover new forms of expression in the field of intercultural music. Non-conventional uses of traditional instruments can bring a new perspective to local musical practices. Thus, with the global musical integration of tradition, a field of application of a wide variety of musical expression can be created, expanding the boundaries of Contemporary Music by establishing a bridge between local and international musical elements. Composing new works for the Ney inspired by different musical genres will enrich the instrument’s repertoire. © 2024, Genc Bilge Yayıncılık. All rights reserved.