After perusing the first paragraph of Musical Ethics & Islam by Banu Senay, I knew that it would be an enjoyable read–then it only got better. This is an ethnographic study of what it takes to become a master player of the ney, a musical instrument commonly called the “Sufi-flute,” found in the Middle East, Central Asia, and parts of Africa. This work tracks the lifelong journey it takes to become a master neyzen. As she relates her journey as an apprentice, Senay emphasizes the importance of a master teacher (the hoca) in order for the learner (the talibe) to understand the techniques of ney playing, a skill that has been orally transmitted throughout the ages.
In her book Senay sometimes uses Turkish terms to describe certain elements related to her study. These terms serve to add flavor to her research and give the feeling of “being there.” You will find definitions in the glossary at the end of the book. We will now join the author on her apprenticeship-express as she guides us through the challenges and struggles it takes to understand this enchanting instrument. Our first stop is to learn a little of the history of the ney and its connection to Sufism.
During the Ottoman Empire of the eighteenth century, ney playing was central to classical music, and held a wide and diverse audience. The majority of neyzens were of the Dervish sect, but religious and secular music were equally accepted. However, with the advent of the new Turkish Republic in 1923, ney playing and its connection to Sufism came to an end; at the same time the practice of Sufism was also discouraged. Sweeping reforms, both political and cultural, were advanced as the new government attempted to become “modernized” and “Westernized” (31). The revival of the ney began in 1975 at the hands of a few individual masters. Concerts appeared throughout Europe but could not be found in Turkey. By the beginning of the twenty-first century the ney had gained such worldwide popularity that workshops, schools, and clubs began to appear again in Turkish urban centers. However, by this time the ney had become an instrument less of tradition and more of innovation. Its association with the spirituality of Sufism disappeared, but master teachers never lost their determination to emphasize the ney’s most important quality–the production of perfect sound, which brings us to our next stop.
The reed for the mouthpiece of the ney has everything to do with the crafting of a good sound, a sound described as “mournful, plaintive and burning – an enchanting sound that penetrates to the very soul….It is an expression of the inner voice and evokes a sense of spirituality” (50). The amount of breath is important in shaping the tonal shades found in the sound. The material to fashion the reed is found on the shores of rivers in the Mediterranian region. It is harvested in early autumn when three years old and carefully processed, which often takes one to two years. In her description, Senay says that the reed is an “animated living material–it breathes, weeps, and it sings” (64).
Along with the reed, physical comportment plays an important role in achieving a masterful sound. The student must learn how to angle the lips on the mouthpiece, how to position the head, and how to control breathing. Stillness is essential to the ideal body posture and the control of expression. Senay insists that, “the ney must be held according to what it demands, and the mouthpiece placed on lips according to what it wants.” The ney comes to life with the breath of the neyzen, and the quality of the reed shapes the interaction between the instrument and the artist. The result is the creation of a pleasing sound. Senay emphasizes that the score itself is not the piece, but comes to life when it is played, and becomes a new creation each time it is played. In this way, the “essential quality of music lies in the improvisation and interpretation of the performer.” We now come to the next stop on our journey.
Improvisation, which gives more freedon and creativity to the musician, is nothing new to classical music in Turkey. It can be found as early as the seventeenth century in the Dervish movement. Improvisation, however, requires deep musical knowledge and technical ability. In order to learn improvisation, students are advised to attend performances and to listen to recordings of renowned artists so that they can train their ears to pick up certain nuances of sound. It is a myth that impromptu compositions emerge on the spur of the moment. It takes work. The value of improvisation is that it allows the performer the freedom to create emotion through the element of surprise and to produce a mood to influence the listener. Senay maintains that the key to mastering improvisation is the development of listening skills. She claims that technical skills and artistic knowledge do not emerge without acquiring “powerfully cultivated” listening. This can be achieved through the practice of sohbet (conversation). Here the apprentice guides us on our next stop.
Sohbet is performed on the spot and creates a mood and spontaneity in the listeners–just as musical improvisation requires an audience. Through artistic and ethical discussion, students can reflect on what constitutes good musical practice. Senay suggests that there is much more to listening than interpreting a speech, though in the end an effective sohbet produces an effect of intimacy best expressed by companionship between those participanting in the act of listening. “To do sohbet is to have a spiritual conversation between a master teacher and his disciples.” This conversation includes the passing and cultivation of religious knowledge in order to cultivate an ethical self. An example of an effective sohbet is where it may be framed around the concept that all sounds are contained in a single note. Senay quotes Iman Ali (125):
"Knowledge is singular. Just as with knowledge, music, too, can be conceived of as a unified sound. All sounds exist in one pitch….A single sound is like unity. But don’t forget that there is unity in diversity….and to obtain a sustained sound from that pitch is to discover the spirituality embedded in that unity."
The “unity of being” has always been central to the teachings of Sufism. According to the Sufi view of divinity, the universe is nothing but a manifestation of the Divine. God is one and infinite, yet the multiple attributes of God are present in His creation, and therefore within all human beings. The key to this example is that the student is listening. Through this listening, the student cultivates an attitude toward more effective moral behavior and understands the connection between correct musical practice and an ethical way of life. The act of listening and sharing close company builds a powerful emotional and spiritual connection between the participants. What emerges is a deep love, which in Sufism is the most effective pathway to God, and will be conducive to the student becoming a perfectly skilled practitioner in whatever field of study is being pursued. Within the framework of sohbet is the connection of love and respect between the participants. This conception of love (muhabbet) has a close connection to one’s capacity to learn. As a result, lessons with the master teacher are often structured around the event of “not playing.” Modification happens when we gain new knowdedge, which brings us to the next stop on our journey.
Modification occurs not by what we see, but by how we see. When listeners extract meaning, they do so in relation to their own experience. While sohbets facilitate in learners correct musical practices and allow them to reflect upon complex meanings between music and Sufism, musical practice serves as a means of ethical cultivation. “The achievement of artistic excellence is the perfecting of one’s moral self,” but to acquire this mastery one must undergo repetitive training and a series of modifications, which includes developing patience, respect, responsibility, and trust. The apprentices must render loyalty to the master teacher who inspires acts that create an “ethical becoming” (123). “Just as the neyzen blows breath into the ney, and the ney comes to life, the “Essence” (of the universe) blows life into the human ney, who gets a good sound from life.” The seventeenth-century Sufi poet, Niyazi-I Musri once said, “In Many-ness I found One-ness.”
Although Senay promotes the idea that the music of the ney shares in the spirituality of Sufism, she draws the line at the idea that the study of or performance with the ney should be instrumental in promoting any particular tenet of Islam–whether religious, radical, or political. In the writing of her book, she refers to scripture only when thinking about music and when it can be applied to learning and mastering the ney. Her intention in her writing is to emphasize the relationship between the hoca and the talibe, where the talibe renders complete respect and loyality to the master. She explains how the two are tied together in feelings of trust and deep affection. She opines that sohbet encourages improvisation and the development of life skills involved in solving the problems of everyday activities as well as overcoming challenges.
This has been a most interesting and delightful literary journey. As a musician of string instruments, I feel certain that I can apply the concepts offered here in my own study of music. Though some musical knowledge may be helpful in understanding the technical aspect in this book, I don’t see it as necessary. The tools offered here can be applied to every skill in life’s pursuit.
I enjoyed very much the image of the ney coming to life at the breath of the musician. I have often felt the same way about every artistic pursuit I have been involved in, whether it be the creation of a painting or the design of a stainedglass project. For me the item took on a life of its own and created for itself certain demands from me as the artist. Although the focus of her work is the study of the ney, Senay cannot help but to have discovered, in the end, that she has been on a spiritual journey all the while.
--------
[Review length: 1720 words • Review posted on March 26, 2025]