by When we explore the roots of Turkish culture from a musical perspective, we arrive at very important conclusions that can be brought to light through modern scientific explanations. With this in mind, let’s embark on a journey through art, history, and science to evaluate the Turkish tradition of music therapy.
In the early 20th century, Russian researchers Rudenko and Griaznov, who were conducting excavations in the Altai region of Central Asia, specifically in the Pazırık and Başadar areas (ancient Turkic settlements), discovered an instrument called the “çeng,” known as the ancestor of the modern harp. They dated it to around 1700 B.C.—that is, 3,700 years ago… When we look at German sinologist Prof. Wolfram Eberhart’s work titled *A History of China*, we see that he writes that around 3000 B.C., Chinese culture was influenced by Turkic culture in many areas, particularly music, dance, theater, animal training, and ceramics. 5,000 years ago.
On the cliffs of the Mülçe River near the city of Hotan in East Turkestan, there are figures of people dancing. Since there can be no dance without music or rhythm, these 6,000–8,000-year-old figures prove that the roots of our music extend back to those times. The dancing human figures on the Gobustan cliffs in Azerbaijan are said to be 12,000 to 14,000 years old. In light of this information, it becomes clear that our music has a history dating back at least 12,000 years.
Turkish music is one of the oldest of our cultural and artistic values, which our ancestors have passed down to us with great respect and care.
Music can be defined as the sequential arrangement of harmonious sounds within a specific rhythm. Sounds in nature are harmonious, and music is inherent in nature; it is a reality that exists alongside the entire realm of existence—such as the blowing of the wind, the singing of birds, the flowing of water, and the galloping of a horse. The conscious form of music emerges through human beings. Endowed with certain gifts, humans bring sounds together in a harmonious way, integrate them, and utilize them in various forms.
For a long time in Central Asia, the Turks—who focused particularly on pentatonic music—were, as we can see from the map of the spread of pentatonic music drawn by the Hungarian researcher Szisabolsky (this map identifies Southern Siberia—that is, a region inhabited by Turks—as the birthplace of pentatonic music), were also the first to use this form of music. Laboratory measurements have shown that pentatonic music—which is successfully used in the treatment of children with autism because it instills a sense of self-confidence and determination—increases alpha and theta waves in the brain, thereby facilitating a trance state. Thousands of years ago, the kam and baksis who performed this music successfully fulfilled not only the role of artists but also those of mediums, sociologists, educators, psychologists, and spiritual guides within their tribes—all roles carrying significant responsibility—based on the knowledge they acquired while in a trance. Music and dance were the most important elements of their rituals.
Now, about 1,000 years ago, let’s take a look at what was happening in Khorasan—whose name means “Land of the Sun” and was known at the time as the center of world medicine (comprising parts of present-day Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan, as well as parts of Azerbaijan, Iran, and Afghanistan)—and in the Uyghur regions. During that period, great scholars and artists known as “hezarfen” flourished here. They earned this title because they possessed knowledge in many fields, ranging from astrology to mathematics, music to biology, and painting to chemistry. The works of great figures such as Ibn Sina, al-Farabi, and Abu Bakr al-Razi serve as the finest evidence of this.
In Horasan culture, six principles are identified as essential for human health. These are: breathing, nutrition, the movement and stillness of the body, the movement and stillness of the spirit, retaining what the body needs, and expelling what the body does not need. The third of these—the movement and stillness of the body—is called riyazet. Although an active music therapy session—consisting of specific movements performed to music—is a wonderful example of riyazet, there are other forms of riyazet as well. For example, the riyazet of the ear is listening to beautiful sounds, while the riyazet of the mouth is speaking beautiful words.
The seven-note system, which emerged in light of this approach and is based on the division of a whole tone into nine komas, is known as modal music. The great scholars and artists of that era also emphasized in their works that this music had remarkably powerful therapeutic effects. For example, regarding the Rast mode, al-Farabi stated that it “brings joy and peace to people,” while Şuuri noted that it was appropriate to listen to it in the assembly of the ulema (scholars). According to him, the most effective time to listen to the Rast mode is at dawn. Haşim Bey, in his journal, illustrated which modes correspond to which organs using diagrams.
It is evident that the tradition of Turkish music and movement therapy—which began with the music and dances of the Central Asian tribes and took on a new dimension in Khorasan—holds an indispensable place in the lives of the Turkish people. Recognizing the importance of this subject, the Seljuk and Ottoman periods institutionalized this tradition, and it was practiced with meticulous care and seriousness by specialists in state-run hospitals (şifahane). Although this tradition was somewhat neglected after the Ottoman period, it has persisted and survived to the present day.
The field of medicine has undergone a process of change and transformation to meet the needs of people in our time. The journey that began with alternative medicine has led us, over time, to complementary medicine, then to comparative medicine, and finally to regenerative medicine. Throughout all these stages of medicine’s evolution, music therapy has always been present, albeit with varying degrees of prominence. Today, music—an ancient value of humanity and Turkish culture and art—and music therapy are on the verge of merging with the science of medicine.
We are striving to utilize and research the therapeutic properties of our music—which has its roots in Central Asia and has continued to evolve in Anatolia—in conjunction with today’s advanced resources. The studies, which began at the psychiatry clinic of Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty, continued in Berlin at the Urban Hospital with Dr. L. Gutjahr and Prof. V. Mechleid. EEG measurements conducted on German subjects revealed patterns in the brain corresponding to five primary emotions (hunger, aggression, happiness, sadness, anxiety). When the CDs we produced were tested on these subjects, this information—transmitted from the past to the present—was confirmed.
The study in the field of neurology, which began with projects and applications at the Meidling Clinic in Vienna, has been completed. In this study, it was observed that when patients in a coma were played Turkish musical modes, alpha and theta rhythms in the brain increased, and the patients entered a trance-like state while in a coma. Observations of patients who transitioned from a trance-like state to normal sleep and subsequently awoke from that sleep (i.e., emerged from a coma) demonstrate that music can reach very deep levels—places current medical technology cannot reach—and can facilitate the reversal of inhibited factors. Four additional projects focusing on cancer, geriatrics, cardiology, and immunology are currently underway at the Meidling Clinic.
In the studies launched in mid-2007 at Ankara Gazi Hospital, the focus was on psychiatry and algology (the science of pain). In the initial sessions conducted in collaboration with the Department of Algology, a reduction of up to 40% was observed in hormonal levels among patients with chronic pain. In the Department of Psychiatry, music therapy is being administered to children with autism, and the results are being measured at the hormonal level. Both studies are ongoing.
Finally, in December 2007, a symposium titled “From the Heart to Medicine, From Medicine to the Heart—Preparing for the Future Seminar IV: Regenerative Medicine and Spirituality” was held in Ankara with the participation of numerous experts from Turkey and abroad. The purpose of this seminar-symposium series is to explore how science is drawing closer to spirituality in light of the latest discoveries made with advanced technological capabilities, the foundations upon which this convergence is based, and to highlight that the knowledge—which science is only now beginning to comprehend but which our ancestors have been carrying for at least 12,,000 years, and that if the necessary attention and respect are shown to this knowledge, many things in the world could change for the better—not only for the people of this country but for all of humanity, who are the heirs to this legacy.