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ISTANBUL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES TRANSFORMATIONS OF KURDISH MUSIC IN SYRIA: SOCIAL AND POLITICAL FACTORS M.A. THESIS Hussain HAJJ Department of Musicology and Music Theory Musicology M.A. Programme JUNE 2018 ISTANBUL TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES TRANSFORMATIONS OF KURDISH MUSIC IN SYRIA: SOCIAL AND POLITICAL FACTORS M.A. THESIS Hussain HAJJ (404141007) Department of Musicology and Music Theory Musicology Programme Thesis Advisor: Assoc. Prof. Dr. F. Belma KURTİŞOĞLU JUNE 2018 İSTANBUL TEKNİK ÜNİVERSİTESİ SOSYAL BİLİMLER ENSTİTÜSÜ SURİYE’DE KÜRT MÜZİĞİNİN DÖNÜŞÜMÜ: SOSYAL VE POLİTİK ETKENLER YÜKSEK LİSANS TEZİ Hussain HAJJ (404141007) Müzikoloji ve Müzik Teorisi Anabilim Dalı Müzikoloji Yüksek Lisans Programı Tez Danışmanı: Doç. Dr. F. Belma KURTİŞOĞLU HAZİRAN 2018 Date of Submission : 7 May 2018 Date of Defense : 4 June 2018 v vi To the memory of my father, to my dear mother and Neslihan Güngör; thanks for always being there for me. vii viii FOREWORD When I started studying Musicology, a musician friend from Syrian Kurds told me that I am leaving my seat as an active musician and starting a life of academic researches, and that he will make music and I will research the music he makes. It was really an interesting statement to me; it made me think of two things, the first one is the intention behind this statement, while the second was the attitude of Kurds, especially Kurd musicians, towards researchers and researching. As for the first thing, I felt that there was a problem, maybe a social or psychological, of the Kurdish people in general, and the musicians in particular. In other words, as if everyone wants to live under the spotlight and make others hear his voice or/and recognize his presence, the thing that can not take place by living in the books, institutes and universities, but must be on stages, in the streets or any platform in front of the masses. This, I believe, has national and political dimensions of the same psychological, social and educational ones. As for the second thing, I have always craved to see researches on Kurdish music from political, social or even psychological and historical aspects. I have always wondered why there are so many anthologies of Kurdish songs and stories, while research materials are rare. Perhaps this is also linked to the desire of all Kurdish musicians to prefer the life of musical work to the life of musical research. Another issue that has always occupied me is that most Kurds, whether musicians or non-musicians, state that Kurdish music is rich and that most of the peoples who lived with and neighboured Kurds are influenced by Kurdish music. Let us take for granted that this is true, so what do other peoples know about Kurdish music? And if we see an openness to Kurdish culture in recent times, whether in the media or at the academic level, the predominant nature of this openness stems from political motives, contexts and backgrounds. Moreover, Kurdish music did not go through stages of harmony with time and keep pace with artistic developments, like that of Arabs, Turks or Persians. That is, regardless of the fact that the Kurds have not been able to govern themselves, and that the Kurdish culture in general has always been ix associated with a political act rather than a cultural act from the perspective of the other, the Kurds themselves have contributed to strengthening this view. Therefore, in my view, Kurdish music occupies a very shy and humble place compared to the music of other peoples in the region. So, I had to look for the persistent obstacles that hindered the progress of Kurdish music, and since the obstacles are many, according to my conclusion, I preferred to choose two prominent ones which emanated from political and social factors, and I handled them within a historical frame as much as possible. And considering that the music of all Kurds is a difficult task for me to grip at the moment, I thought that I can deal with the music of the Syrian Kurds in general, and that of Kobani, in particular, because I benefited greatly from my personal experience as a musician who lived most cultural problems for nearly twenty years. And I wish that this effort, which I hope I have successfully put forward and addressed, is a modest introduction for a larger research project. There is no doubt that any research has its impediments, especially the writing of a thesis for the first time in one's life. One of the main difficulties that I faced from time to time was psychological difficulties. Like any Syrian, I am concerned about the situation in Syria and my concern for my family, relatives and acquaintances who are scattered throughout the world. And other material and moral problems limited the freedom of my movement to access some sources and places. Regardless of the difficulty of writing in a language other than the mother language, and the great difference in the educational system between Syria and Turkey which made me very slow and lazy every once in a while. But all these things would not have been easier without the presence of all my teachers in the Department of Musicology who helped me very much since my first day at university, and I especially mention my thesis advisor Assoc. Prof. Dr. F. Belma KURTİŞOĞLU. I also do not forget the great support of my cousins Muhsin SEYDA and Xiyas SEYDA, my best friends and teachers Neslihan GÜNGÖR, Mehmet E. BİTMEZ, Selda ÖZTÜRK, Evrim Hikmet ÖĞÜT, Didem DANIŞ, Besime ŞEN, and every friend at school who added a different color to my academic tableau. Just as I do not forget my dear mother's prayers for me. I wish I had succeeded in what they supported me to achieve. June 2018 Hussain HAJJ x TABLE OF CONTENTS Page FOREWORD ............................................................................................................. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................... xi ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................................. xiii SUMMARY .............................................................................................................. xv ÖZET .............................................................................................................. xvii 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Purpose of Thesis ............................................................................................... 7 1.2 Literature Review ............................................................................................... 8 1.3 Methods ............................................................................................................11 1.4 Hypothesis ........................................................................................................ 13 2. KURDISH IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION AND PRESENCE ...................... 15 2.1 Muslim Resources ............................................................................................ 18 2.2 Western Resources ........................................................................................... 19 2.3 Kurdish Resources ............................................................................................ 20 3. THE KURDISH MUSIC ..................................................................................... 27 3.1 The Kurdish Singer and Styles of Singing ....................................................... 31 3.1.1 Dengbêjî style ........................................................................................... 31 3.1.2 Qesîdebêjî style ......................................................................................... 32 3.1.3 Stranbêjî style ........................................................................................... 32 3.2 The Kurdish Language (Lyrics and Texts of Songs) ....................................... 34 3.2.1 Dengbêjî texts ........................................................................................... 40 3.2.2 Qesîdebêjî texts ......................................................................................... 41 3.2.3 Stranbêjî texts ........................................................................................... 42 3.3 The Nature of Kurdish Melodies ...................................................................... 44 4. THE SYRIAN KURDS ........................................................................................ 48 4.1 The History of Kurdish Presence in Syria ........................................................ 48 4.2 The Syrian Kurds and Music ............................................................................ 52 5. HISTORY AND MUSIC OF KOBANI (AYN AL ARAB) .............................. 59 5.1 ‘New Comers’ and the Date of Music in Kobani ............................................. 64 5.2 The Tribal Influence on Music of Kobani ........................................................ 69 5.3 The Arabian Union and Fragmentation of Kurdish Culture ............................ 73 5.4 Politics, Society and Mihemed-ê Dûman ......................................................... 78 5.5 Newroz, PKK and Music Groups ..................................................................... 86 5.6 Music till the War of Kobani (19,09,2014) ...................................................... 92 6. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................