Musical Analysis of Some of the Works by Hafiz Yusuf Efendi

Enderuni Hafiz Yusuf Efendi, one of the most important musicians who lived in the Ottoman Empire during a period of intense innovative movements, is described as “hafiz composer” in Turkish music. He composed new works by adhering to the song tradition that started with Haji Arif Bey and took his place among the leading composers of his time as the owner of a clean style in music. Among his works numbered close to fifty both in secular and religious forms, only thirty of them have survived to the present day. Hafiz Yusuf Efendi, who was also a music teacher, taught music lessons to princes and raised many students. He was also the teacher of important Turkish music composers like Lemi Atlı and Münir Nurettin Selçuk. He produced a number of works mostly in the genre of ”song“ and a small number in the ”medhiye“, ”ilahi (mystic poems that emphasize praise for God)“ and ”anthem“ genres. The main topic of this article is to examine four different works selected from Hafiz Yusuf’s works in the forms of “songs”, “duaname”, “ilahi” and “anthem” in terms of geçki (modulation; a change of mode) and makam (maqam). With this work, it is aimed to disseminate research on the understanding of using techniques and makams used by Yusuf Efendi, one of the greatest composer of the twentieth century. Again, the aim of this research is to contribute to the better understanding and recognition of Hafiz Yusuf by the new generation who will receive classical Turkish music education.