The Prohibition of Turkish Music

The ban on Turkish music was one of the controversial practices during the cultural transformation process in Türkiye in the first half of the 20th century. This development emerged as part of the Westernization reforms carried out especially in the early years of the Republic. After listening to a musical ensemble at Sarayburnu, Atatürk remarked, “This music is far from expressing our emotions,” a statement that was misinterpreted and led to the removal of Turkish music from radio broadcasts.

According to the account of theater artist Vasfi Rıza Zobu, who lived through this period, following this misunderstanding, Turkish music began to be excluded from Atatürk’s dinner tables, and such works were not performed or listened to for a long time. However, one evening, when Zobu was invited by Atatürk to the farm cottage in Ankara, upon being reminded of a Turkish music piece he had once sung at a piyeste, Atatürk personally requested that he perform Dellâlzâde İsmail Efendi’s composition.

According to Zobu’s testimony, after the performance, Atatürk clarified that his earlier words had been misunderstood and that his intention was not to ban Turkish music entirely, but rather to reorganize it according to universal standards and transform it into an international art form. In this context, he emphasized the need to develop Turkish music using Western technical, scientific, and instrumental systems.

During the same period, journalist Yunus Nadi Bey, in a request to Atatürk published in Dolmabahçe Sarayı, expressed his concern that the public was being deprived of alaturka music. Atatürk responded by stating that a generation must make sacrifices for progress, but he underscored that “our national culture must be valued,” thereby affirming that Turkish music was not entirely rejected.

The bans imposed on Turkish music arose as a consequence of the Westernization and modernization ideals of the early Republican period. During this time, traditional Turkish music was labeled as “old” and “Oriental,” while Western music was viewed as an instrument of modernization. The effort to construct the new nation’s national identity also played a significant role in this process. Music, as a component of this identity, was sought to be reshaped accordingly. In this context, the collection and development of Turkish folk music were encouraged, while a critical stance was taken toward Ottoman court music and alaturka music. Moreover, certain statements by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk were misinterpreted or exaggerated by officials of the time, laying the groundwork for stricter bans.