Bowed instruments
Classical kemençe
Classical kemençe: A pear-shaped, three-string bowed instrument held upright on the knee; it is also known as the Istanbul kemençe. Also called the armudi (pear-shaped) kemençe; it has been played in Istanbul since the 17th century and in the 19th century became the main bowed instrument of classical Turkish music. Masters such as Vasilaki Efendi and Tanbûrî Cemil Bey turned it into a great performance tradition.
In brief
- Family: Bowed, fretless (lyra family)
- Origin: From the Byzantine lyra; in the 19th century it became the main bowed instrument of Ottoman classical music
- Body and materials: Pear-shaped body carved from a single piece of wood; two D-shaped sound holes
- Dimensions: About 40–41 cm long, 14–15 cm wide; vibrating string length 25.5–26 cm
- Strings and tuning: Three strings (gut, the lowest wound); yegâh, rast, nevâ
- Playing: Held upright on the knee; the strings are touched from the side with the base of the fingernails
- Other names: Armudî kemençe, Istanbul kemençe, Politikí lýra
- 16th–17th centuries: The name kemençe appears in Revani's İşaretname; the kemençe described by Evliya Çelebi had three or four strings and was played on the knee, the strings touched with the fingernails[1, 2, 3]
Listen
History
Also called the armudi (pear-shaped) kemençe; it has been played in Istanbul since the 17th century and in the 19th century became the main bowed instrument of classical Turkish music. Masters such as Vasilaki Efendi and Tanbûrî Cemil Bey turned it into a great performance tradition.
Construction
It consists of a small pear-shaped body, a short neck and three strings; the body has two crescent-shaped sound holes.
How it is played
It is held upright on the knee and played with a bow; the sound is produced by touching the side of the string with the base of the fingernails, which makes very fine intervals and slides possible.
Its place in makam music
Being fretless and stopped with the nails, it is among the instruments that can render the comma nuances of the makams most finely; it stands out in taksim and peşrev performance.
Getting started: types, sizes, tuning
- Dimensions: It is 40–41 cm long and 14–15 cm wide; the vibrating string length is about 26 cm.
- Tuning: The three strings are tuned to yegâh (low D), rast (G) and nevâ (D).
- Playing: Notes are found by touching the strings from the side with the fingernails; the bow is held with the palm facing up.
- Difference from the Black Sea kemençe: The Black Sea kemençe is 56 cm, its strings are tuned to E, A, D, and they are pressed with the fingertips.[1]
Start with this instrument
Masters on recordings
Performers who play this instrument on recordings of works in the score archive (MusicBrainz).
Frequently asked questions about the Classical kemençe
Are the classical kemençe and the Black Sea kemençe the same instrument?
No. The classical kemençe has a short, wide, pear-shaped body; the strings are played by touching them from the side with the base of the fingernails, and fine ornaments and slides stand out. The Black Sea kemençe has a narrow, long, bottle-shaped body and is mostly played on two strings at once. One is the instrument of Istanbul's classical music, the other of Black Sea folk music.
What is the difference between the classical kemençe and the violin?
The classical kemençe has three strings, is held upright on the knee, and the strings are played by touching them from the side with the nails; its sound is thin, nasal and melancholy. The violin has four strings, is held on the shoulder, and the strings are pressed onto the fingerboard with the fingertips; its range is wider and its sound more powerful. In the 20th century, while the violin became widespread in ensembles, the kemençe remained a solo and small-ensemble instrument with its distinctive timbre.
Who are the important kemençe players?
Kemençeci Vasilaki, Tanbûrî Cemil Bey and Aleko Bacanos are among the leading kemençe players of the 78 rpm record era. Cemil Bey's recordings deeply influenced the kemençe style. In recent times, players such as İhsan Özgen and Derya Türkan have both carried on the traditional repertoire and taken the kemençe to international stages.
Is the classical kemençe hard to learn?
It is considered one of the harder instruments: touching the string from the side with the base of the nail without pressing it down, controlling bow pressure and finding the commas accurately on the fretless neck take long practice. At first, even producing a clean sound can take time. Students usually start with a teacher, on slow études and peşrevs; good ear training speeds up progress considerably.
Can I play the classical kemençe on this site?
Yes. The “Play in the browser” button on this page opens the virtual kemençe; the sounds were cut one by one from a recording of an Uşşak scale played by Neva Günaydın (CC BY 4.0). The pitches of the makam you choose play at their comma values, so you can listen to and try out makam intervals with the timbre of the kemençe.