An evaluation of the art songs for soprano voice by Turkish composers of the Early Republican period in a vocal technique perspective

Abstract

The presence of Western art song in Turkey can be traced back to the Ottoman State before the establishment of the Turkish Republic in 1923. There was an intense attempt to integrate the genres and norms of Western classical music into the musical culture of the country after the establishment of the republic. This era includes the period when Atatürk's principles were set and applied in all fields and marks a profound time in music revolution. One of the aims of this revolution was to raise composers so that they would produce works in the form of Western classical music blending with the cultural and folkloric characteristics of the country. Since there was very limited opportunity to receive music education in the 1920s, the Ministry of Education organized auditions to choose talented students and give them scholarship so that they could study at European conservatories. Consequently, many musicians were given governmental scholarships to study in European music schools. On their return, they started composing for the purpose of forming the national repertory of works in different forms of Western classical music. Besides grand forms such as symphonies, concertos, operas and oratorios, small-scale works were also composed. Turkish art song, which had its structural basis on the Western art song, is one of these small-scale musical forms. These composers most of whom were given grants to study music abroad arranged Turkish folk songs for voice and piano; besides, they composed art songs in Turkish based on the poems of contemporary poets of their time as well. Among several poets whose works were used as lyrics of these art songs, Faruk Nafız Çamlıbel, Ahmet Haşim, Cahit Külebi, Melih Cevdet Anday, Orhan Veli Kanık, Necip Fazıl Kısakürek and Necdet Evliyagil come to the fore as the outstanding poets in the history of Turkish literature. Besides Ahmed Adnan Saygun, Cemal Reşid Rey and Necil Kazım Akses, who are considered as belonging to the Turkish Five, Ahmed Samim Bilgen, Faik Canselen, and Ferit Hilmi Atrek also composed Turkish art songs. As all other voice registers, soprano register has certain features which may hinder or enhance the quality of singing in vocal compositions, depending on the treatment of the vocal line and vowel/consonant properties of the lyrics. In this study, the art songs of early republican Turkish composers are analyzed in terms of vocal performability for the first time in order to invite composers to consider vocal features of the soprano register in addition to informing singers with this voice range for a more aware interpretation. Regarding this analysis, musical excerpts from the songs are categorised as either vocally friendly or vocally challenging. It is hoped that these findings will shed light on composing for the soprano voice and the works of early republican Turkish composers will find a solid place both in recital repertoire and the curricula of the music institutions in Turkey.