Rethinking Spirituality through Music Education in Istanbul

Recently there has been a massive new interest in Turkey in the artistic practice of ney [reed flute]-playing. For some, much of the inspiration driving this interest connects to a search for the “spiritual.” According to a popular discourse, there is no instrument more “natural” and “simple” than t...

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Main Author: Banu Şenay
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Association pour la Recherche sur le Moyen-Orient 2017-12-01
Series:European Journal of Turkish Studies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/ejts/5539
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author Banu Şenay
author_facet Banu Şenay
author_sort Banu Şenay
collection DOAJ
description Recently there has been a massive new interest in Turkey in the artistic practice of ney [reed flute]-playing. For some, much of the inspiration driving this interest connects to a search for the “spiritual.” According to a popular discourse, there is no instrument more “natural” and “simple” than the ney. For others, inspired by the poetry of Rumi, the instrument’s sound draws oneself closer to the Divine. While a close connection exists between this “spiritualization” of the ney and contemporary commercial developments in the global and Turkish music industry, the Turkish state too has been active in creating meanings about the “spiritual ney” by incorporating it into its tourism industry and nationalist ideology. By contrast, the critical reflections of the master musicians that my fieldwork study examines suggest a very different conception of spirituality. Here the “spiritual” experience of this musical practice is understood to be grounded not in the sounds of the instrument itself, but in learning the art in a certain way.
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institution Kabale University
issn 1773-0546
language English
publishDate 2017-12-01
publisher Association pour la Recherche sur le Moyen-Orient
record_format Article
series European Journal of Turkish Studies
spelling doaj-art-304e4fc528254ab8be2e9a8579c1fe9c2024-12-09T13:09:29ZengAssociation pour la Recherche sur le Moyen-OrientEuropean Journal of Turkish Studies1773-05462017-12-012510.4000/ejts.5539Rethinking Spirituality through Music Education in IstanbulBanu ŞenayRecently there has been a massive new interest in Turkey in the artistic practice of ney [reed flute]-playing. For some, much of the inspiration driving this interest connects to a search for the “spiritual.” According to a popular discourse, there is no instrument more “natural” and “simple” than the ney. For others, inspired by the poetry of Rumi, the instrument’s sound draws oneself closer to the Divine. While a close connection exists between this “spiritualization” of the ney and contemporary commercial developments in the global and Turkish music industry, the Turkish state too has been active in creating meanings about the “spiritual ney” by incorporating it into its tourism industry and nationalist ideology. By contrast, the critical reflections of the master musicians that my fieldwork study examines suggest a very different conception of spirituality. Here the “spiritual” experience of this musical practice is understood to be grounded not in the sounds of the instrument itself, but in learning the art in a certain way.https://journals.openedition.org/ejts/5539TurkeySufismspiritualityneymusic education
spellingShingle Banu Şenay
Rethinking Spirituality through Music Education in Istanbul
European Journal of Turkish Studies
Turkey
Sufism
spirituality
ney
music education
title Rethinking Spirituality through Music Education in Istanbul
title_full Rethinking Spirituality through Music Education in Istanbul
title_fullStr Rethinking Spirituality through Music Education in Istanbul
title_full_unstemmed Rethinking Spirituality through Music Education in Istanbul
title_short Rethinking Spirituality through Music Education in Istanbul
title_sort rethinking spirituality through music education in istanbul
topic Turkey
Sufism
spirituality
ney
music education
url https://journals.openedition.org/ejts/5539
work_keys_str_mv AT banusenay rethinkingspiritualitythroughmusiceducationinistanbul