An Analysis of the Meşk Tradition In Turkish Music In The Context of Performance Theory

Abstract

In this study, the educational method used in the transmission of oral culture during the period in which it took shape and the meşk tradition, a traditional form of cultural performance, have been evaluated within the framework of cultural performance theories, which form the starting point of the ethnomusicological approach. In this study, the concept of the meşk tradition in the field of musical performance is examined in two different contexts. The first is the meşk tradition within the master-apprentice relationship. The fundamental elements defining this context are the master (the teacher), the apprentice (the learner), and the environment in which the meşk takes place. The other is meşk in the context of participatory performance, which consists of elements such as the participant, the listener and the performance environment. In this regard, within the tradition of meşk in Turkish music, the master’s spiritual and cultural teachings are passed on to the apprentice through performance, while the apprentice demonstrates imitation and repetition in order to learn what has been passed on. Performances in musical gatherings or rituals, which take place with participation, are considered within the scope of cultural performance. The aim of this study is to reinterpret the tradition of meşk within the framework of performance theory and cultural performance, taking into account its different contexts. The data in this study were obtained through literature reviews and archival research using qualitative research methods. Based on the findings of this study, an attempt has been made to provide a perspective on how different aspects of cultural transmission can be evaluated as a form of performance within the context of performance theory, drawing on the theoretical dimensions of ethnomusicology.