The Performance Module workshop will be dedicated to historically informed performance of Ottoman music traditions. Taught in small groups by scholar-performers who have extensive experience working directly with historical sources, this module explores how Ottoman musical repertories were historically transmitted through the dynamic interaction of written notation and oral/aural practice.
Rather than treating notation as a fixed representation of musical works, the workshop emphasizes the fluidity of historical musical practice and the diversity of interpretive traditions that coexisted across different communities, lineages, and performance contexts within Ottoman society. Through comparison of a broad range of historical sources—including Hampartsum, post-Byzantine, staff notation sources, and with reference to critical editions prepared by CMO — instructors and participants will investigate how these sources informed, and were informed by, the embodied musical knowledge of the practicing musicians who transmitted them aurally.
Themes and Areas of Exploration
Participants will explore:
- Historical approaches to variation, interpretation, and melodic realization
- Differing versions of pieces across manuscripts and notation systems
- The coexistence of multiple performance traditions and localized schools of interpretation
- The role of embodiment, memory, and listening in musical transmission
- Possible guidelines for ‚performance editions‘ that can convey nuances of historical music performance practices
- How CMO Critical Editions can be utilized to inform performance practice
Who Should Apply
We welcome applications from:
- Musicians working in Ottoman, Middle Eastern, or related musical traditions
- Students and scholars interested in historical performance practice
- Ethnomusicologists, historical musicologists, and conservatory students
Applicants should possess the following skills:
- Intermediate or advanced music performance experience,
- Knowledge of staff notation, & basic knowledge of makâm and usûl
- Proficiency performing with an instrument or voice
What Participants Will Gain
Participants will gain:
- Hands-on experience performing historical Ottoman repertories
- Deeper understanding of the relationship between written and oral transmission
- Exposure to diverse historical notation traditions and source materials
- Collaborative experience with leading performers and researchers in the field