Yeni Makam 1

Yeni Makam 1:

New Sounds for Solo Bassoon using Ancient Modes

by Edward I Hines

Wendell, Massachusetts

I. INTRODUCTION

Yeni Makam I (New Makam 1) for solo bassoon, was written using ancient Turkish modes call Makam. Makam are based on the same Pythagorean principles of construction as Western modes and scales. Makam, however, are oriental in nature, predating equal temperament, and closely reflect ancient intonations.

Classical Turkish composers and musicians viewed Makam as rules of composition rather than simply scales. While any Makam may be reduced to scale form, their application is most significant in the melodic context. In this context there exist a tonic and dominant as in Western modes and scales. The ancient intonations of Makam appear at different scale degrees, according to the particular Makam in use, and are microtonal in measurement. The result is a diatonic melody containing a pitch or pitches that are out of tune by standards of equal temperament. But to the trained ear, Makam are a highly organized approach to pitch interpretation which lead to a variety of colors and sensations.

II. OBJECTIVE

The objective of Yeni Makam I is to familiarize the performer with the art of Makam and its synthesis with Western composition. The four movements borrow and expand on Makam typically found in Turkish classical and Turkish folk music. (Turkish classical music encompasses two styles common during the Ottoman period 1453-1923. These are art music of the Ottoman court as well as music written for the Mevlevi or Whirling Dervishes. Turkish folk music, while generally not associated with the Ottomans, does contain elements of Makam.) In some cases, an entire Makam is the basis for a movement. In others, only characteristic pitches of certain Makam are used. A characteristic pitch may also serve as the theoretical principle for the invention of a new pitch or pitches in this work.

III. INTERPRETATION OF INTERVALS

Each movement of Yeni Makam I contains one or more pitches whose intonation is adjusted up or down by intervals of less than a tempered half-tone. Adjusted pitches include their own accidental signs which are graphically related to the sharp and flat. All other pitches, as well as the sharp and flat, are performed normally.

Many of the adjusted pitches in this work are obtained through altered fingerings which are diagrammed. Others are accomplished through embouchure adjustments, i.e., bending up or down. As instruments and styles vary from player to player, the performer is advised to use fingerings as a guideline and to experiment with other fingerings if satisfactory results are not achieved.

The two primary intonation adjustments which the player will perform in Yeni Makam I are the eighth-tone and the quarter-tone, adjusted up or down.

IV. HEARING INTERVALS OF MAKAM

N. B. The following exercises are designed to help the performer distinguish between eighth-tones and quarter- tones.

Exercise #1: Half-tones

Exercise #2

Repeat Exercise #1, but hold the Bn fingering while bending the embouchure down to obtain Bb.

Exercise #3: Altered Bb fingerings.

Play Bb by first using normal fingering and then by fingering Bn and bending embouchure down.

Exercise #4: Varying embouchure speed.

Using Bn fingering, vary the speed when bending the embouchure down to Bb. Drop quickly as when using the keys; drop slowly creating a smooth glissando.

The area of sound heard in the glissando is what intrigues composers and performers of Makam. The glissando itself is a special effect; within it exist the eighth-tone and the quarter-tone, two small intervals which have been measured, defined and are routinely performed in Turkish music.

Exercise #5: Eighth-tones.

Measured at 24-25 Cents (when one whole-tone = 200 Cents), an eighth-tone is referred to in Turkish music as a Pythagorean Comma. To perform an eighth-tone the player slightly raises or lowers the original pitch until the effect of moving away from the pitch is recognized. The player must be certain to maintain the integrity of the original pitch without bringing in characterstics of the neighboring half tone.

Exercise #6: Quarter-tones.

The quarter-tone is defined as that pitch which exists midway (48-50 Cents) between any two halftones. To locate the lower quarter-tone from Br' , bend the embouchure down to the point where elements of both Bn and Bb are heard. The quarter-tone has a distinct quality. Because it is equidistant from its neighboring half-tones, it is sometimes described as a neutral tone.

With time and practice, the performer will develop sensitivity for how the eighth and quarter-tone affect pitch. This, in turn, will lead to greater overall sensitivity to the nuances of intonation. Modern electronic tuners calibrated in Cents are an ideal means of measuring and identifying eighth and quarter-tones. These small intervals, it will soon be discovered, create pitches in their own right.

Numerous examples in the literature of Turkish music omit the accidental sign for the quarter-tone. As Turkish music has a significant oral tradition, performers are trained by ear as well as through reading notations. They learn to recognize characteristic pitches of certain Makam, either unmarked or marked as eighth-tones, which are actually performed as quarter- tones. Yeni Makam I brings the tunings of Turkish music to the performer utilizing traditional accidental markings and newly devised quarter-tone markings, in order to replicate the authentic sounds of this unique music.

The fundamental principle of the development of Turkish classical music may be expressed as the cultivation of its melodic side on the basis of the Pythagorean theory. In this direction the Turks have gone farther than all the Oriental peoples and their experiment in this sphere should be studied since it very probably will be exploited in the future development not (only) of the melodic, but of the harmonic music of the world. -Victor Belaiev, Turkish Music, The Musical Quarterly, July, 1935. Used with permission.

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