LE SYMPOSIUM INTERNATIONAL LE LIVRE. LA ROUMANIE. L ...

72 SÜER EKER
and the transcribed texts together. Along with the book, 1,500 copies of
which were published, two CDs have been distributed, one composed of
Kantemiroglu’s own pieces and the other of pieces he selected.
In his study, tura has transformed the work, known in short as The
Edvar 3 (theory of music) of Kantemiroglu, dating from three centuries ago
and almost incomprehensible for today’s turkish readers, into present-day
turkish. the first volume of the work consists of theoretical information
on classical turkish music, and the second volume of music pieces put
into notes. one of the most significant musicians of his period, Dimitri
Kantemiroglu has been embraced and accepted by turkish musicology
circles so much as to be commemorated alongside turkish composers. 4
the fact that there are many non-Muslim theoreticians, composers, and
performers such as those of Armenian, Greek, polish, and other similar
origins among the musicians who greatly contributed to turkish music is
influential in this.
4. 18 th century Ottoman Turkish and the Edvar of Kantemiroglu
the beginning of the 18 th century, which is when the Edvar of
Kantemiroglu was written, is the center point of the period named Classical
Ottoman Turkish in the history of turkish language. In the Classical
ottoman turkish period, thought to have lasted from the 16 th century until
the reform movements of the 19 th century, the language of the written works
is immensely heavy and burdensome due usually to the extensive Arabic
and persian elements. the writers’ style is dominated by the concern for
displaying the force of art and expression. lengthy compound sentences
are created by means of linking sentences with turkish adverbial verbs
or Arabic, persian, or turkish conjunctions; it is even possible to come
across sentences that last for one or two pages. Some of the sentences do
not contain any turkish elements other than the verbs and suffixes. Instead
of turkish adjectival or adverbial verbs, syntactical structures copied from
foreign languages, especially in the persian style, are frequently used.
In short, the work titled The Edvar of Kantemiroglu or Edvar belongs
to the Classical ottoman turkish period, the framework of which has just
been indicated; however, in the Edvar, which has a didactic purpose, the
3 Arabic edvār (plural of davr) ‘orbs, orbits, revolutions, circles; periods, ages’
(SteInGASS 1975).
4 It is known that the polish prince Wojciech Bobowski, who later took the name Ali
Ufkî (1610–1675?) upon converting to Islam, put into notes, in the Western fashion, many
musical pieces in his work titled Mecmua-i Saz u Soz. yet it is uncertain whether Ali ufkî
inspired Kantemiroglu.