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Ottoman classical music Ottoman music () or Turkish classical music (, or more recently ) is the tradition of Art music, classical music originating in the Ottoman Empire. Developed in the palace, major Ottoman cities, and Sufi lodges, it traditionally features a sol ...

, ''usul'' is an underlying

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular r ...

ic cycle that complements the melodic rhythm and sometimes helps shape the overall structure of a composition. An usul can be as short as two beats or as long as 128 beats. Usul is often translated as "

meter The metre (or meter in US spelling; symbol: m) is the base unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). Since 2019, the metre has been defined as the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of of ...

", but usul and meter are not exactly the same. Both are repeating rhythmic patterns with more or less complex inner structures of beats of differing duration and weight. But a student learning Turkish music in the traditional ''meşk'' system first memorizes the usul kinetically by striking the

knee In humans and other primates, the knee joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two joints: one between the femur and tibia (tibiofemoral joint), and one between the femur and patella (patellofemoral joint). It is the largest joint in the hu ...

s with the

hand A hand is a prehensile, multi-fingered appendage located at the end of the forearm or forelimb of primates such as humans, chimpanzees, monkeys, and lemurs. A few other vertebrates such as the Koala#Characteristics, koala (which has two thumb#O ...

s. The student then sings the vocal or instrumental composition while performing the underlying usul. This pedagogical system helps the student memorize the composition while internalizing the underlying rhythmic structure. Usul patterns have standard pronounceable vocables built from combinations of the syllables ''düm'', ''dü-üm'', ''tek'', ''tekkyaa'', ''teke'', ''te-ek'', where düm, dü-üm indicate a strong low beat of single or double duration, and tek, tekkya, teke, te-ek indicate various combinations of light beats of half, single or double duration. Long ''usul''s (e.g., 28/4, 32/4, 120/4) are compound metric structures that underlie longer sections of entire compositions. In Ottoman times, the usul was realized by drummers. Drums are generally omitted in modern performances except for

Mevlevi The Mevlevi Order or Mawlawiyya (; ) is a Sufi order that originated in Konya, Turkey (formerly capital of the Sultanate of Rum) and which was founded by the followers of Jalaluddin Muhammad Balkhi Rumi, a 13th-century Persian poet, Sufi ...

. When performing music for the Mevlevi ceremony, drummers traditionally play embellished (''velveleli'') versions of the usuls. Instrumental improvisations (''taksim'') and vocal improvisations ('' gazel'', '' mersiye'', etc.) are generally performed in "free" rhythm, with no usul. The melodic counterpart to usul rhythmic mode is '' makam'' melodic mode. The parallel system to usul in

Indian music Owing to India's vastness and diversity, Indian music encompasses numerous genres in multiple varieties and forms which include classical music, folk, rock, and pop. It has a history spanning several millennia and developed over several ...

is '' tala''.

Usul

Usuls based on number of beats per bar

*2-) Nimsofyan *3-) Semâî *4-) Sofyan *5-) Zafer, Türk Aksağı (Süreyya) *6-) Yürüksemâî, Sengin Semaî, Ağır Semai *7-) Devr-i Hindî, Devr-i Turan (Mandra), Devr-i Aryân *8-) Düyek, Ağırdüyek, Katakofti (Müsemmen) *9-) Aksak, Ağır Aksak, Oynak, Evfer, Ağır Evfer, Bulgar Darbı (Darbıbulgar), Çiftesofyan (Raksaksağı) *10-) Aksaksemaî, Ağır Aksaksemaî *12-) Frenkçin *13-) Nimevsat *14-) Devrirevan *15-) Raksan *16-) Nimhafîf *28-) Devr-i Kebir *32-) Hafîf, Muhammes *88-) Darbıfetih

External links

Rhythmic layers in Turkish art music Asian rhythm Music of Turkey Turkish words and phrases Ottoman classical music Turkish makam music

Usul

Usuls based on number of beats per bar

See also

External links