Two "Âşık" in the city environment: Maksut Koca and Nevruz Ali̇ Çi̇çek

This work is on identifying the situation of minstrelsy tradition in urban atmosphere via the case of two minstrels from Kars who live and perform in metropoles. The work was limited with İstanbul and İzmir, two metropoles from Turkey which is the centre of minstrelsy tradition. The primary goal of our work is to identify the change of the minstrelsy tradition according to the performance places and time in urban atmosphere. Another goal is to define the impact of the urban atmosphere on the oral and musical performance of the minstrel. Âşık Maksut Koca was born in Taşdere village, which was called Sozgert earlier, in Arpaçay town of Kars, in the year 1961. Koca, who migrated to İstanbul with his family in September, 1989 has been living there since. Nevruz Ali Çiçek was born in the village Çetindurak, which was called Başyörgel earlier, in Arpaçay town of Kars, in 1955. He has been living in İzmir since his migration in 1970. Both minstrels have used syllabic meter when singing their poems. However they have also some poems written in "aruz" meter. It was possible to classify the minstrels'' poems which differed thematically under the titles: "Love", "Religion and Mysticism", "Nature", "Homesickness" and "Social Issues". The impact of the migration from Kars to the metropoles can be seen intensely on the poems under these categories. The works that we have analysed were chosen according to the "makam" and "usûl" variety. The makams used are "Hüseyni", "Uşşak", "Segah", "Karciğar" and "Kürdi", and usûls are in 2/4, 4/4, 5/8, 6/8, 9/8, 10/8 and 12/8 time. In both minstrels' works the rhythmical texture of Kars region is apparent. The common point of the works analysed is their relation to the makam "Hüseyni" in terms of scale, tonic, dominant and melodic route characteristics. In the third part the biographies and arts of the major representatives of Kars minstrelsy tradition were handled together with the common characteristics in their social, cultural and artistic lives. The common characteristics identified were used in evaluating the the extent to which Maksut Koca and Nevruz Ali Çiçek represent the local qualities in urban atmosphere. In conclusion, Koca and Çiçek who persist minstrelsy tradition in İstanbul and İzmir have fed from Kars minstrelsy tradition. On the other hand the atmosphere they live in, market and audience demands have directly affected their performance preferences and repertory choice.