Peşrev

Peşrev IPA|/pɛʃˈɾɛv/, "Pişrev" IPA|/piʃˈɾɛv/, "peshrev", or "pishrev" (called "bashraf", بشرف, in Arabic) is an instrumental form in Turkish classical music. It is the name of the first piece of music played during a group performance called a fasıl IPA|/fʌˈsɯł/. It also serves as the penultimate piece of the "Mevlevi ayini", ritual music of the Mevlevi order, under the name "son pişrev" (final peşrev), preceding "son semai". It usually uses simpler usuls than the other major form of instrumental music, "saz semai".

Along with the "samai", it was introduced into Arabic music in the 19th century, and became particularly popular in Egypt.

Etymology

In Ottoman Turkish, it was a Persian loanword composed of the particles "pīš", which means "before, ahead", and "rev", "that which goes"; coming to mean "that which comes first". In Persian, the word "pišdaramad" is used instead to denote the first piece of a traditional music performance.

Structure

Peşrevs are composed of movements called "hane" IPA|/haːˈnɛ/ (lit. "house"), at the end of which there is always an unchanging particle introducing the "teslim" IPA|/t̪esˈliːm/(lit. "handing in") aka "mülazime" IPA|/mylaːziˈmɛ/ (lit. "that which is inseparable or constant"), i.e. the refrain. Peşrevs are named after the maqam used in the first "hane" and usually end with this maqam; in Turkish classical music theory, they are said to be "bound" to this maqam. There are always modulations to other maqams in the "hane"s that follow the first "hane", but with the refrain ("teslim"), the piece always regains the principal mode. At the end of each "hane", a pause is made on the strong degree of its maqam, forming a semi-cadence. This is called a "yarım karar" or "nim karar" (lit. "semi-decision"). Peşrevs usually have 4 "hane"s, yet they occasionally have 2, 5 or 6. [ÖZKAN, İsmail Hakkı, "Türk Mûsıkîsi Nazariyatı ve Usûlleri : Kudüm Velveleleri", Ötüken Neşriyat, Istanbul : 2000 (6^th edition).]

In principle, they comport rather large usuls, yet peşrevs with shorter rhythmical patterns do exist. One rule that is never ever transgressed is that this usul may "not" be a compound meter of the family aksak. Some peşrevs, called "batak" or "karabatak" are so organized as to instigate a form of question and answer between instruments.

If the "hane"s are to be marked with [A, C, D, E] and the "teslim" with [B] , the regular structure of a peşrev would be A+B/C+B/D+B/E+B, thus always ending with the "teslim". For some, the "teslim" is also the first "hane"; therefore they have the structure: A/B+A/C+A/D+A.

"Peşrev" composers in Turkish classical music

Tanburi Büyük Osman Bey was a prominent peşrev composer. Other composers include Tanburi Cemil Bey, Gazi Giray Han and Dilhayat Kalfa.

References