Abstract:

Many scribes of historical Ottoman song text collections attributed pieces related to the Persianate repertoire to renowned late medieval composers. Researchers working more closely on the early song text collections pointed to the considerable change undergone by Ottoman music repertoire at the beginning of the seventeenth century. Apparently, a shift from a popular to a more courtly style occurred, while the Persianate repertoire regained significance and was perceived as old and authoritative. How this “revived” and established repertoire was transmitted in nineteenth-century music collections is still a research topic which is pending and important. This paper looks at three vocal pieces of the kâr genre that derived from the Ottoman Persianate repertoire and were handed down in Hampartsum music collections. Based on Cantemir’s descriptions of the kâr, this paper will highlight divergences in the transmission practices relating to the Persianate repertoire and suggest alternative readings based on historical materials, both musical and textual.

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