Polyphonic Music
THE ISSUE OF POLYPHONIC MUSIC
In regard to polyphonic music being able to have an influence on our nation,
first of all the music belonging to us must be selected, ensuring they are
appreciated and understood by our nation. There are some tasks for the
composers. Atatürk trusted in the young musicians educated in the western
countries to improve our music. He probably had many ideas from the different
regions conderning the solutions. He invited the young composers from time to
time and listened to their opinions and considered them. I personally suppose
that they probably had proposed the orchestration of little and short themes
inspired by folk music sources to improve musical instruments and polyphonic
music. This has been understood by the remarks of Atatürk on this subject.
The important thing was to get the people used to polyphonic music. The trend
of presentation of musicpoor quality had been going on for a long time because
of the willingness of the people to listen. The reality is that the people were
obliged mostly to accept what was offered to them. However this attitude
perpetuates the people’s willingness to accept poor quality. The artist must be
the person who is charged with the improvement of the people’s preferences and
is not under necessity of producing works of poor quality, in other words, must
have a personality capable of educating the people. Especially the musical works
must be censored by excellent taste. Determination of standards of taste,
improving the understanding of art and tastes and to elevate them to a high
level are the important task of real artists.
In polyphonic sound, a good understanding must be reached in accordance with
the Turkish understanding and in keeping with Atatürk’s principals.
In the direction pointed out by the Atatürk: “The works can be measure of the
innovations” sufficient efforts have not been made, unfortunately.
In every respect, Atatürk had pointed out that the new works were needed to
mark an epoch in Turkish music orientated towards the West originating in an
authentic Turkish concept of music.
A nation doing theirs own literature, music must use theirs own enthusiasm,
theirs own melodies, in their works. If they do not and if they do not use their
own possibilities they can not lead the community with other materials
originating from abroad. It is a reality that a nation to maintain its level and
to reach a contemporary level, to find a place and to take an important place
among the other nations of world, is be possible by relating to their own
culture and by owning to their culture.
The artists are the presenters of their fine arts, using the themes
originating in folklore in accordance with the civilised communities’
improvements. Of course it is necessary to adopted polyphone music, even the
electronic music. Folklore is one of the sources of innovation. The countries
having reached the modern superior level in arts have shown in their history of
music how they used the folklore sources, and executed the main principles to
mark and to improve a new national epoch.