Turkish Folk Music Performance Tradition From Folklore Application to Conservatory Ensemble

This article discusses the Folklore Application Ensemble, which is affiliated with the Folklore Review and Compilation Board established in 1953 under the Istanbul Municipal Conservatory and since then, the Turkish Folk Music Society, which continues folk music performances as Istanbul University State Conservatory. This article aims to define the status of folk music performance in Turkey through oral history. The ethnographic work is based on oral history data and the collection of concert programs, posters, and photographs possessed by the institution. For this purpose, works in folk music after 1952 can be recognized in history. An in-depth interview was conducted with Handan (Sara？) Tunca, who had studied at the Istanbul Municipal Conservatory’s Turkish Music Theory training program and also worked at the Folk Music Society. The interview is important in understanding the spirit of the 65-year period since 1952 and systematically documenting the repertoire format and concerts during this period. The scope of this work is limited to the posters and concert programs that are accessible to the researcher. A detailed description of the period allows an ethnomusicological inventory of the second half of the folk music studies, whose origins extend to Darülelhan (House of Music)