Considerations on Muammer Sun’s “Three Pieces for Violin and Piano” in Terms of Piano Performance Practice
Three Pieces for Violin and Piano (1955) by Muammer Sun, one of the thirdgeneration composers of the Turkish Republic, stands out as one of his most frequently performed chamber music works. This piece regularly features in the concert programs of numerous artists and is often performed both in Turkey and abroad. Additionally, it is one of the most frequently recorded chamber music works by Turkish composers.
Sun composed this piece during his second year as a conservatory student, at a time when he had just started studying harmony and counterpoint with Ahmed Adnan Saygun, but had not yet delved into form and musical analysis. Despite this, the work is thought to display a certain level of maturity in terms of both harmony and form. Moreover, Sun stated that throughout his life, he never felt the need to change even a single note of this student work, which was published by the State Conservatory Press six years after it was composed.
Performing a musical work requires preliminary research and preparation in various areas. The piece to be performed should first be analyzed in terms of its form and harmony, with careful attention given to the details of its notation before moving on to performance practice. During this process, any available recordings of the piece can serve as useful reference points. In this study, Three Pieces for Violin and Piano has been structurally analyzed. The edition published by the State Conservatory Press has been reviewed for editorial accuracy, with errors and omissions identified, and performance practice suggestions from a pianistic perspective have been provided.
Muammer Sun’un “Keman ve Piyano İçin Üç Parça” Başlıklı Eserinin Piyano İcra Pratiği Açısından Değerlendirilmesi
Cumhuriyetimizin 3. kuşak bestecilerinden Muammer Sun’un Keman ve Piyano için Üç Parça (1955) isimli eserinin, bestecinin en çok icra edilen oda müziği eserlerinden birisi olduğu görülmektedir. Eser birçok sanatçının konser programlarında yer almakta, yurt içinde ve yurt dışında sıklıkla seslendirilmektedir. Türk bestecilerinin oda müziği eserleri arasında da kompakt disk kaydı en çok yapılan eserler arasında yerini almaktadır.
Sun bu eseri Konservatuvar öğrenciliğinin ikinci yılında, Ahmed Adnan Saygun ile armoni ve kontrpuan çalışmaya yeni başladıkları, ancak form ve müzikal analiz konusunda henüz çalışmadıkları bir dönemde bestelemiştir. Buna rağmen eserinin armoni ve form açısından belirli bir olgunluk düzeyine işaret ettiği düşünülmektedir. Üstelik Sun, besteledikten altı yıl sonra Devlet Konservatuvarı Yayınları’ndan basılan bu öğrencilik eserinin bir tek notasını bile ömrü boyunca değiştirme gereği duymadığını belirtmiştir.
Bir eserin icra pratiği birçok alanda bir ön çalışma ve araştırmayı gerekli kılmaktadır. İcra edilecek eser öncelikle formal ve armonik açıdan incelenmeli, notasyondaki ayrıntılarla ilgilenilmeli, ardından çalma pratiği çalışmalarına geçilmelidir. Bu sırada eserin, varsa kayıtları da yol gösterici olabilmektedir. Bu çalışmada Keman ve Piyano için Üç Parça öncelikle yapısal olarak ele alınmış, Devlet Konservatuvarı Yayınları basımı editoryal açıdan incelenerek basım hataları ve eksiklikler tespit edilmiş, piyanistik açıdan icra pratiği önerileri sunulmuştur.
Muammer Sun holds an important place in Contemporary Turkish Music as one of the third-generation composers of Turkish Republic. Born in 1932, Sun developed an early interest in music and worked to refine his craft. He is particularly known for his works that aim to build a bridge between traditional Turkish music and Western music. His piece titled Three Pieces for Violin and Piano is among his most frequently performed chamber music works. This piece is often included in concert programs both in Turkey and internationally. Additionally, it is one of the most recorded chamber music works by Turkish composers, which reflects its popularity and value
Sun composed Three Pieces for Violin and Piano in 1955, during his second year as a student, while studying harmony and counterpoint with the renowned Turkish composer Ahmed Adnan Saygun. Six years after composing it, the piece was published by the State Conservatory Press, and throughout his life, Sun never felt the need to change a single note. This fact suggests his satisfaction and contentment with the work.
In 1972, Sun adapted this piece for orchestra and added a section for solo violin titled Taksim. This new work became known as Four Pieces for Violin and Orchestra or Suite for Violin and Orchestra.
The first performance of Three Pieces for Violin and Piano was given by the composer and his friend Ersan Alper at the conservatory concert hall while he was still a student. The piece has since been recorded on compact disc by Suna Kan-Ferhunde Erkin, Jülide Yalçın Dittgen-Yeşim Gökalp, Atilla Aldemir-Şevki Karayel, and Sevil Ulucan-Gülnare Şekinskaya.
The performance of a piece often requires detailed preliminary research in various areas. First, the work to be performed should be analyzed formally and harmonically. This process continues by reviewing the details of the printed or, if available, manuscript version of the piece. When pianistic studies begin, previous recordings can guide the performer and play an important role in shaping the performance.
Harmonically, this piece can be said to be composed using Kemal İlerici’s “Quartal Harmony” system. Sun, who instinctively used quartal harmonies in his earlier compositions, was introduced to Kemal İlerici by his chamber music teacher Orhan Barlas. He then learned this system from İlerici while continuing his composition education at the State Conservatory.
When Sun composed this piece, he was studying harmony and counterpoint with Ahmed Adnan Saygun but lacked experience in form and musical analysis. Despite this, the piece displays a mature structure in terms of form. Formally, Türkü consists of a theme and three variations following an introduction. Each variation is connected by a bridge. Şarkı is composed in a song form frequently used in traditional Turkish music (A B C B). Sections A and B are in the Segah maqam, while section C is in Eviç maqam. Köçekçe follows a compound A B A form and is in the Karcığar maqam, with bridges between sections.
Upon examining the score published by the State Conservatory, some typos are observed. Dynamics, pedal markings, notes, rests, accidentals, legato ties, and octave indications, which appear to be missing, misplaced, or incorrect, are presented with supporting evidence.
In terms of piano performance, suggestions have been made to make it easier for pianists to execute certain passages or to better convey what is written in the score. Recommendations, such as having the other hand play notes intended for one hand, aim to reduce the risk of errors in large leaps or to achieve the desired note values. While making these adjustments, care was taken to ensure that the musical lines remained intact and that the music was not negatively impacted. Additionally, a few fingerings and pedal indications were proposed.
The most important clue regarding the performance of this piece is an anecdote in which Muammer Sun, listening to a rehearsal by Fethi Kopuz and Mithat Fenmen before a concert, expressed that he wanted the piece to be played not like Chopin, but more roughly, with vigor and vitality.
The composer specified the tempo of each piece with a metronome marking and clearly indicated tempo changes within the pieces. When comparing the recordings of the piece with the tempo markings specified by the composer, it is concluded that the recording by Suna Kan and Ferhunde Erkin is the closest to the original indications.
