Music as a Message: The Program and its Manifestation in Fazıl Say’s Piano Compositions
Abstract
The article examines the features of the programmatic element and the methods of its implementation in a number of selected piano works by Fazıl Say. The composer is a representative of the newest generation of Turkish composers, who successfully combines his composing process with his performing activities. The article reveals the genre palette of his music, the features of his style based on a synthesis of classical music, Turkish folk music and jazz, as well as his aesthetic views on art. The object of analytical attention is formed by two piano works by the composer — his sonata Gezi Park 2 (2014), which is part of a triptych dedicated to the events of the Turkish protests of 2013, and the Izmir Suite (2018), dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Turkish War of Independence. Socio-political issues in Say’s music are reflected in different types of programmatic depiction — the narrative-generalized and the pictorial, both of which are enriched by an intertextual approach. This contributes to the individualization of the genres of the sonata and the suite, leads to the modification of their forms and dramatic development, and expands the semantic space of these
compositions.
Keywords: Turkish music, Fazıl Say, sonata Gezi Park 2, Izmir Suite, program music
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.56620/RM.2025.1.016-029
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