Tradition invention in Ottoman State's musical enviroment and Tanburi Cemil Bey as representative of 'artistic performance'

This study includes information about the life and artistic heritage of Turkish instrument player and composer Tanburî Cemil Bey, who lived between 1871-1916. The reflections of the political atmosphere of this period can be seen in the artist's lifetime, which coincided with the last periods of the Ottoman Empire. The elite society of the Tanzimat era has been living as eager to "changes" for a long time and meets the innovations included in life. Preparatory processes that in Turkish society and music art until this stage, and changes in the relationship between music and society observed during the transition from Ottoman to Republic are found in the first and second part of the thesis. Tanburî Cemil Bey's contributions to this period of change, his artistic productions and the analysis of these productions take place in the third part of the thesis. Tanburî Cemil Bey is one of the biggest representatives in the transfer of Turkish music inherited from the Ottoman Empire to the Republic by his music recordings. The sides of the effects of his art that seem far beyond his own period are discussed in the fourth chapter. Tanburî Cemil Bey was not understood as ordinary historical character who lived in the past; sometimes he was perceived as 'traditional' because of the results of his works which preserves the heritage of his period, and sometimes he was perceived as a modern portrait due to the his pro-innovation choices. Genius musician Tanburî Cemil Bey is still living as an exemplary musician prototype with his high musical achievement, such as his studiousness quality, perception and reactions of the world he lives in, his taksims, musical performances in accompany, open-minded perspective to all music genres, multi-instrumentalist qualities and new instrument inventions. These broad expansions in his life not only inspire musicians but also serve as a huge source for music researches. Keywords: Tanburi Cemil Bey, Turkish music, social change, tradition