Tümata

TÜMATA was founded in 1976 by Dr. Rahmi Oruç Güvenç with the aim of researching and promoting the origins, development, therapeutic value, and rich repertoire and variety of instruments of Turkish music.

After operating as part of the Center for Ethnomusicology Research and Applicationat Istanbul Universityfrom 1991 to 1995, it continued its activities as the Unit for Research and Promotion of Turkish Music at the Institute of Turkish Studiesat Marmara University.

The repertoire, performance styles, dances, costumes and sets, sociocultural and psychological sources of Turkish music—which is said to have a history of at least 6,000 years—as well as the materials used in music therapy, which has been rediscovered in modern medicine, are all general areas of activity for TÜMATA.

For this purpose, six centers were established in Mannheim, Munich, Berlin, Zurich, Madrid, and Barcelona , ​​and a school training music therapists was opened in Rosenau, Austria . At this school , Dr. Rahmi Oruç Güvenç, Yaşar Güvenç, Gülten Urallı, Prof. Dr. Ayhan Songar, Dr. Adnan Ziyalar, Prof. Dr. Fevzi Samuk, Prof. Dr. Nil Sarı, Prof. Dr. Hidayet Sarı, Prof. Dr. Kazım Mirşan, Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Mastnak, Haluk Tarcan, and Hikmet Barutçugil taught courses in art, medicine, history, music, and other fields. Additionally, Gülten Urallı taught courses on voice, movement, dance therapy, and song pronunciation at this school.

The school’s first graduates received their diplomas in October 1995 following a “Turkish Music Concert” they performed at the Sultan Bayezid II Hospital in Edirne.

In 1986, Prof. (FH) Priv. Doz. Mag. Dr. Gerhard Tucek served as the general coordinator for European connections, school and course activities in European countries, as well as concerts and seminars . In 1986, the Ethnomusicology Foundation was established in Vienna. School programs began in 1989. In 1997, an educational agreement was established between the Munich Academy of Music and Theater (Hochschule), the Rosenau School of Music Therapy in Austria, and TÜMATA. In 1999, the Institute of Ethnomusic Therapy was founded by G. Kadir Tuçek, and music therapy training programs continue to be offered in Rosenau, Zurich, Madrid, Barcelona, Berlin, and Mannheim under the auspices of this institute.

Clinical studies began in 1993. The neurology study—the oldest among the projects and clinical trials launched at the Meidling Clinic in Vienna—has been completed. Cardiology studies have been ongoing since 2000, and oncology studies since 2001. Research on people with disabilities has been ongoing since 1993. In addition, geriatrics and immunology projects are also continuing.

TÜMATA, guided by the belief that Turkish music exhibits continuity and integrity in terms of history and geography, strives to thoroughly study and preserve the music of every region where Turks reside. More than four hundred authentic Turkish musical instruments have been collected for this purpose, and a museum has been established. Our musical heritage is being documented through CDs, DVDs, videos, sheet music, and archival work, and is presented to enthusiasts and academic and artistic communities through ethnomusicology concerts performed by the group’s thirty members. Seminars, symposia, and festivals both domestically and internationally also constitute an important area of activity for TÜMATA. In recent years, in collaboration with a school in Austria, three symposia, two festivals, and numerous seminars in various countries have been organized. At these symposia and festivals, Turkish music was examined from the perspectives of ethnomusicology and medicine, and laboratory findings evaluated using parameters such as EEG, EKG, and galvanometer were brought to the forefront; The therapeutic value of Turkish music has been recognized in the fields of psychiatry, pedagogy, physical therapy, and rehabilitation at these symposia.

TÜMATA’s ideals and efforts are publicized both domestically and internationally through radio and television programs, as well as various media outlets.

Dance & Movement Therapy Albums 2001 ©

Baksı Dance and Improvisation, Archetypal Movements and Imagery Music.

Receptive Pentatonic Album: Pentatonic Melodies

Central Asian Albums:

Central Asian Turkish Music, Asian Turkish Music 1, Asian Turkish Music 2, Asian Jazz: TÜMATA & Keith Jarrett, Friendship Bridge Festival 1-2,

Sufi Music Albums 2001 ©

The Path of Rumi, Sema & Semah, From the Heart to the Tongue—1, From the Heart to the Tongue—2, Turkish Sufi Music 1, Turkish Sufi Music 2, Oceans of Remembrance, Sema Hymns.

Instrumental CDs:

Prodigy Baby (6 CDs), Reiki Album, Healing Album, Rast-Hicaz Mode, Melodies from the Rebab 1-2-3-4, Ney Improvisations 1-2, Kopuz Improvisations 1-2, The Rhythm of Nature / The Rhythm of the Nature (2025)

The CD accompanying the book *Ancient Oriental Music and Movement Therapy (AOM)*: *Heilende Musik aus dem Orient* (Andrea Azize Güvenç, 2009)

06.06.2026