<str<strong>on</strong>g>CIM09</str<strong>on</strong>g> 26-29 octobre 2009Modern Disappearance and Postmodern Rebirth of theÇeng (Turkish Harp)Şehvar BeşiroğluState C<strong>on</strong>servatory of Turkish Music, Istanbul Technical University (Turkey)Ali ErgurDepartment of Sociology, Galatasaray University (Turkey)BACKGROUND IN ORGANOLOGYÇeng is a musical instrument with 14 to 24 strings Antique Asia civilizati<strong>on</strong> originated that is played bytwo hands and keeping perpendicular to the lap. It is classified as “open harps” under the sub-category ofharp of main category chordoph<strong>on</strong>e in Hornbostel-Sachs system received as the recent classificati<strong>on</strong> in 20thcentury.This type of instrument exists today in Burma, China, Central Asia, Central Africa and Europe. As it is inthe case of several other instruments, it has been subject to a fluctuating history, with periods of ascendanceand followed by those of relative oblivi<strong>on</strong>, due to sociological as well as technical reas<strong>on</strong>s.BACKGROUND IN SOCIOLOGYModernizati<strong>on</strong> as the sociological axis in Turkey, had transformed, since the eighteenth century, thetraditi<strong>on</strong>al forms of socializati<strong>on</strong>, while creating instituti<strong>on</strong>al regulati<strong>on</strong>s in full c<strong>on</strong>formity with anintensifying urban life, and a variety of cultural representati<strong>on</strong>s that corresp<strong>on</strong>d to it.The inevitable aband<strong>on</strong> of low-volume musical instruments, reflects the systematic proliferati<strong>on</strong> of asocial need for some popular forms with significantly higher voices. The çeng is <strong>on</strong>e of the best examples ofsuch a natural eliminati<strong>on</strong>. Moreover, as the actual process of globalizati<strong>on</strong> seems to revalue the local andthe authentic through an articulati<strong>on</strong> with the global market, the çeng is reentering the cultural scene innew synthetic musical expressi<strong>on</strong>s, as well as in strict authentic performances.AIMSThis proposal aims to discuss the historical evoluti<strong>on</strong> of the çeng, in accordance with both therati<strong>on</strong>alizati<strong>on</strong> observed during the Turkish modernizati<strong>on</strong>, and the reevaluati<strong>on</strong> of local and authenticcultural issues through the global articulati<strong>on</strong>.MAIN CONTRIBUTIONWe estimate to satisfactorily dem<strong>on</strong>strate that the historical evoluti<strong>on</strong> of the musical instruments isneither linear nor value-charged. On the c<strong>on</strong>trary, functi<strong>on</strong>s and meanings attributed to an instrument aretotally c<strong>on</strong>text-dependent. Thus, the case of the çeng, towards post-industrial, global cultural articulati<strong>on</strong>s,as well as the modern rati<strong>on</strong>al standardizati<strong>on</strong>s and c<strong>on</strong>sequent natural selecti<strong>on</strong>s, can be c<strong>on</strong>sidered as asign of the social c<strong>on</strong>structi<strong>on</strong> of musical norms and tastes, proving thus that instruments can disappearand rebirth, according to the cultural specificities and the relati<strong>on</strong>s of producti<strong>on</strong> of a specific historicalperiod.IMPLICATIONSThree main implicati<strong>on</strong>s are deriving from this analysis:(1) There is a variety of studies <strong>on</strong> musical instruments in Turkish musicology, but, nearly n<strong>on</strong>e of themtake into account that there are socially determined. This study tries to place the history of a musicalinstrument in a sociological c<strong>on</strong>text.(2) A vast variety of analyses <strong>on</strong> popular culture tend to be positi<strong>on</strong>ed <strong>on</strong> a sharply polarized debatewhich c<strong>on</strong>sider it either as a process of manipulati<strong>on</strong> of masses or an over-valorizati<strong>on</strong> of the interactiveaut<strong>on</strong>omies. This study aims to expose, through the example of the çeng, the coexistence of both tendencies,under the global c<strong>on</strong>diti<strong>on</strong>s that make music as a both capitalistic activity and interactive encounter withthe local and the authentic.(3) Few studies have been made <strong>on</strong> the çeng. Our proposal will try to discern the features of theinstrument as a c<strong>on</strong>tributi<strong>on</strong> to organological studies as a sociological phenomen<strong>on</strong>.Thus, this analysis can help to repositi<strong>on</strong> every instance of the musical practice in close relati<strong>on</strong> with itssociological meaning, especially in music schools of Turkey, where such a wide-perspective view seems tosystematically lack.24 <str<strong>on</strong>g>CIM09</str<strong>on</strong>g>
26-29 octobre 2009 <str<strong>on</strong>g>CIM09</str<strong>on</strong>g>REFERENCESADORNO, Theodor W. Introducti<strong>on</strong> à la sociologie de la musique (Introducti<strong>on</strong> to the sociology of music)(Paris : Editi<strong>on</strong>s C<strong>on</strong>trechamps, 1994)AND, Metin, 16.yy da Istanbul (Kent, Saray, Gunluk Yasam) (Istanbul in the 16th century, City, Palace, EverydayLife) (Istanbul: Akbank Yayinlari, 1993)FELDMAN, Walter, Music of the Ottoman Court, (Berlin: InterCultural Institute, 1996)SACHS, HORNBOSTEL, edt. MYERS, Helen, Organology, An Introducti<strong>on</strong>(USA: The Nort<strong>on</strong>/ Grove Handbooks in Music, 1992)YEKTA, RAUF, Turk Musikisi (Turkish Music), (Istanbul: Pan Yayincilik, 1986)WEBER, Max, Sociologie de la musique. Les f<strong>on</strong>dements rati<strong>on</strong>nels et sociaux de la musique (Sociology of music,The rati<strong>on</strong>al and sociological foundati<strong>on</strong>s of music), (Paris : Métailié, 1998)BIOGRAPHIESŞehvar BeşiroğluCurrent positi<strong>on</strong> Professor of musicology, Istanbul Technical University, TurkeyMain field of research <strong>Musicology</strong>Main research areas Turkish Historical <strong>Musicology</strong>, Organology, Ethnomusicology, Gender StudiesRelevant qualificati<strong>on</strong>s Master of Arts (Turkish Music), Istanbul Technical University, Turkey,1988DMA (Turkish Music), Istanbul Technical University, Turkey 1993Post Doctoral (Ottoman History and Music) Harvard UniversityBook publicati<strong>on</strong>s “Turk Sanat Muzigi”, “Kanun” (“Turkish Art Music”, “Qānūn”)ed: Korukcu, Cetin, (Istanbul: Hurriyet, 1998)“Fadime Kimdir?” (Whos is Fadime?) “Fadimeler’in Aglamalari”(The lamenting of Fadimes), ed: Kolivar,A., Çelik,L., (Istanbul: Heyamola, 2007)Advisory boards ITU Social Science JournalAkdeniz University Art JournalDokuz Eylul University 7Plus JournalAli ErgurCurrent positi<strong>on</strong> Associate professor of sociology, Galatasaray University, Istanbul, TurkeyMain field of research SociologyMain research areas Technology and society, sociology of musicRelevant qualificati<strong>on</strong>s Master of social sciences (sociology), Marmara University, Istanbul, 1992Ph.D. (sociology), Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey, 1997Book publicati<strong>on</strong>s Portedeki Hayalet: Muzigin Sosyolojisi Uzerine Denemeler(Phantom of the stave: Essays <strong>on</strong> the sociology of music) (Istanbul: Baglam 2002)Gorkemli Unutus (The W<strong>on</strong>derful Oblivi<strong>on</strong>) (Istanbul: Baglam, 2006)Le technocentrisme: Promesses et menaces de l’ère informatique (Paris: L’Harmattan, 2009)Muzikli Aklin Defteri (The Notebook of the musical mind) (Istanbul: Pan, 2009)Advisory boards Journal of <strong>Interdisciplinary</strong> <strong>Musicology</strong><str<strong>on</strong>g>CIM09</str<strong>on</strong>g> 25