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KÜRDÎ SAZ SEMÂÎ
Zaman Yolcusu
Tribute note – Wouter Swets (1930–2016) was a well-known and notable ethnomusicologist, musician, composer, teacher and writer. Through lectures, workshops, radio programs, scholarly articles, polemics, CD reviews, and performances with his ensembles Čalgija and Al-Farabi, Swets inspired countless music lovers and musicians to share his passion for the modal music traditions of the Balkans, Anatolia, Arabia and Central Asia, his understanding of which was rooted in the massive collection of beautiful melodies he collected over his life. Even though he would have argued that ‘world music’ does not actually exist as a genre, he has often been called its godfather in the Netherlands. Swets was one of the more colourful and entertaining house guests I remember from my early youth, who would always make music when he stayed with us. Even though I was too young to join in at that time, Swets played a pivotal role in my musical upbringing, first of all through my father who was member of Čalgija in its first line-up. Later on, I played with more Čalgija veterans, all of whom were thoroughly infused with Swets’ views and practices, referring to the man at least once per rehearsal. So in my musical life, he never seemed far away. Swets passed away shortly after I thought of paying him a visit to present some of my modal compositions, and I ended up playing at his funeral instead. After the ceremony, I thought that it would be appropriate to dedicate a composition to him. I chose this saz semâî because the way its teslim modulates reminds me somewhat of the brilliant interludes Swets wrote to the Bosnian-Serbian folk songs ‘Haj otkako je Banka Luka postala’ and ‘Kad ja pođoh na bembašu’. The semâî’s title ‘Zaman Yolcusu’ (time traveller), refers to the way he made arrangements, by which he brought traditional melodies back to what he thought must have been their pristine versions, guided by a combination of science and his impeccable sense of aesthetics. He would for example remove western-style harmonisation and its limitations to microtonality, or restore complex rhythmic patterns in order to resolve phrasing issues he attributed to unruly metric simplifications. Whether or not Swets would have actually liked this saz semâî, I cannot tell. His approval could never be taken for granted: as testified by his occassionally vehement reviews and comments he was very critical. His extraordinary analytical skills would have enabled him to spot any deficiency prima vista, and this piece is unorthodox in several ways. I am confident, though, that he would also be able to recognise and perhaps appreciate the respect it carries, for a man who influenced the lives of many fellow musicians, as well as for the music he loved and stood for.
credits
from Pîrî Reis,
released February 10, 2017
Musicians: Harris Lambrakis (ney), Giorgos Papaioannou (violin), Manolis Kanakakis (kanun), Yorgos Mavromanolakis (oud), Marijia Katsouna (bendir) | Composition: Michiel van der Meulen | Makam: Kürdî | Usul: aksak semâî (10/8, 3-2-2-3)
Kairos Collective is the occasional ensemble that Michiel van der Meulen assembles to record or perform his contemporary
modal music. Kairos is the personification of the right moment, the time to act or an opportunity to be seized, perfectly encapsulating the spirit and atmosphere of the collective's sessions....more
