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Turkish Musical Forms
There are many different instrumental and vocal forms in Turkish music, and the structure and performance rules of these as we know them today were laid down during the Ottoman period. I shall restrict myself to listing the most common instrumental forms below, as these are the most likely to be encountered when listening to performances or recordings of Turkish oud.
A saz semaisi traditionally consists of four movements, and each movement (hane) is followed by a refrain (teslim). The usul, or rhythmic pattern, that accompanies the saz semaisi must always be a semai rhythm: the first three movements and all four refrains are normally in a 10/8 rhythm (such as aksak semai), whereas the fourth hane is in a 6/8 or 6/4 rhythm (such as yuruk semai).
The Turkish pesrev is very similar to the saz semaisi, in that it consists of four movements, each followed by a refrain. However, all four sections will normally be in the same rhythm, and the choice of usul to accompany the pesrev is not restricted as in the case of the saz semaisi.
The taksim is a semi-improvised form that aims to demonstrate the structure of a particular makam. Each taksim must follow the general seyir of the makam, and can illustrate the relationship with similar makamlar via suitable modulations. The taksim was originally used as a prelude to a composition such as a pesrev, and its purpose was twofold: to introduce the audience to the makam of the following piece and to demonstrate the skill and virtuosity of the performer.
[Note: More information on the whole range of instrumental and vocal forms, and Turkish music in general, can be found on the Turkmusikisi.com website.]
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