The official patronage in Turkish music education and schooling process in the twentieth century

Between the last periods of the Ottoman Empire and the first years of the Republic of Turkey, Turkish music had been transferred to new generations through the educational activities of both governmental and non-governmental institutions and associations. Shortly after the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey, in 1926, the abolition of Turkish music education at state educational institutions, especially at the only state conservatory of that time, Dârülelhan, and instead appropriation of a Western music-based education system at the newly established schools of the Republic caused a lack of official patronage in Turkish music education. The period of reintroduction of the Turkish music at state educational institutions, which started at that time and continued until the establishment of the Istanbul Turkish Music State Conservatory (ITMDK) in 1976, was marked by many events. During this 50-years period Turkish music missing the official patronage was surviving by alternative channels such as various musical societies, private meşkhanes, lodges and in-radio training. Turkish music education, which was again given at state institutions after the establishment of ITMDK, faced some other difficulties during that process. Those difficulties were experienced in terms of Turkish music education for the first time in the history of the Republic. In this study, these trends in the 20th century are discussed in four separate chapters. All these trends were researched through historical documents such as the minutes of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and the Senate of the Republic, newspapers, magazines and interviews. At the end of each chapter, based on the trends covered in the study, the difficulties encountered in the reintroduction process specific to that period are presented by including personal testimonies. The aim of this study is to shed light on future studies by presenting the phases of Turkish music education in the 20th century, based on the process of official patronage and reintroduction, in a chronological order.