A READING THROUGH MUSIC IN THE CONTEXT OF ISLAMIC ART AND AESTHETICS: “FARABI’S ISFAHAN SAZ SEMAİ”

Abstract

Beyond being a religious belief, Islam influences and regulates all phases of life. One of these areas of influence is art. In this sense, art can be considered as an expression of cultural accumulations and an aesthetic interpretation of tawhid in terms of Islam. Today, the discussions on the existence of Islamic art show that; art and aesthetic sensitivity constitute the building blocks of Islamic art. Unfortunately, the studies covering the aesthetic perception, aesthetic judgment, aesthetic pleasure and aesthetic thought, which constitute the aesthetic context of art, did not receive enough attention in the Islamic world. However, despite all this, extraordinary works have also been brought to the body as an indicator of aesthetic sensitivity. The encouraging views of Islam on art and aesthetic issues have transformed the cultural backgrounds of different communities that share the same belief into a tremendous wealth of expression with an Islamic perspective over time. This process not only contributed to people's search for beauty, but also formed the foundations of Islamic art. Mûsikî, one of the most effective Islamic arts, contributed to the spread of artistic performances through both migrations and commercial activities. The change in the artistic and aesthetic elements of the motifs in the performed music is a very remarkable dimension. The most effective aesthetic elements in the art of sound, which is also defined as Hendese-i Savt in Islamic sense, were shaped by the principle of tawhid, composition styles such as dubeyt, baytan, navba, especially the recitation of the Qur'an, emerged and singing became a profession. Socio-cultural changes in the regions where Islam is accepted have also been subjected to systematic evaluations by different thought groups. 'Ebu-Nasr Muhammed bin Muhammed bin Tarhan bin Uzluğ el-Fârâbî (870-950)', which is the focus of these pioneering studies, made significant contributions to the Islamic world of thought, especially he was interested in the aesthetic aspects of music and restructured, where he saw a tool in the search for the beauty. In terms of Islamic aesthetics, he classified the authorities that should be read from the morning prayer to the vakd-i nevm, and gave original works in the melodic conditions of his age in terms of the ability to create and the elements that make up the aesthetics, as in the case of isfahan saz semâî. In order to make reliable citations in the context of the effects of Islamic art and aesthetics on music, there was a need for a comprehensive terminology, and the subject of what is the aesthetic equivalent of religious thought has created a new field of study. In this article, it was emphasized that interdisciplinary research should be carried out by associating the knowledge in the field about musical practices of Muslim communities with the subject of aesthetics.