THE MUSICAL CODES OF ALEVi-BEKTASHI CULTURE

Abstract

Music is an effective abstract means which accompanies religious expressions and practices in all the beliefs. It is known that music is a religious-based phenomenon in Alevi-Bektashi culture. Some musical elements symbolised Alevi-Bektashi culture and their belief system. These elements are forms, modes, instruments composition and performance of Alevi-Bektashi musical culture. Even though these elements have in general certain standarts, there are also regional differences in the elements. Preliminary research showed that there are not analytic studies on the codes of Alevi-Bektashi musical culture and their structural features, and so this research has been done. In this research, it was investigated the musical elements of Alevi-Bektashi culture, and the findings of the research emerged by literature survey, content analysis, and musical analysis in ethnomusicology discipline and qualitative research model. So the findings were coded and identified. The musical codes of Alevi-Bektashi culture were represented by the concepts of creator/performer, creation method, musical instrument, form, maqam, and place. The codes were defined, analyzed as a musical, exemplified with the notes, and discussed in the result.