Intonation in Theory and Practice of Greek and Turkish Music

Though the Christian Greek orthodox and the Islamic Ottoman cultures were rivals on a political and ideological level throughout the existence of the Ottoman empire, the Greek orthodox population of the empire like the Armenians, the Jews and other ethnic groups participated in a common musical culture. The musical cooperation and exchange of all these groups resulted in a musical “lingua franca”. Even now, common characteristics are evident in the musics of these nations of the Balkans and Near East that were once under Ottoman rule. The music of the Greek orthodox church, a vital element in the culture of the eastern Roman empire before it was conquered by the Turks, survived with the Church and continued to develop in subsequent centuries. It is difficult to trace the mutual influences that inevitably took place during the centuries of coexistence of Turkish and Greek music. But it is certain that especially from the 17th century onwards, Ottoman court music became increasingly recognized as a complement to Greek orthodox church music. This was a time that witnessed an impressive regeneration of the so called “post-Byzantine” music, culminating in a bloom of creativity in the 18th century. Numerous theoretical treatises and musical anthologies of religious and secular pieces testify to the significance for Greek church musicians of Ottoman music, as an important source for musical education, technique and inspiration. It was valued above all as an instrumental counterpart to the purely vocal church music, musical instruments permitting a tangible and empirical definition of musical phenomena that cannot be realized using the voice alone.