Kudsi Erguner
// author, composer & musicianKUDSI ERGUNER is an author, musician master of the traditional Mevlevi Sufi music and ney flute virtuoso from Istanbul, Turkey. He has performed with Peter Gabriel, George Aperghis, Maurice Béjart, Peter Brook, Carolyn Carlson, Didier Lockwood, Mark Minkovsky, and Bob Wilson. Kudsi Erguner now lives and works as an author, composer, musician, musicologist, teacher, and translator in Paris, France. His album “Works Of Kemani Tatyos Efendi” (1996), and “Vocal Masterpieces Of Kemani Tatyos Efendi” (1996) are both available from Traditional Crossroads Records, “Chemins” (1997) is available from Al Sur Records, “Sufi Music Of Turkey [Re-Released]” (2000), and “Gazel: Classical Sufi Music Of The Ottoman Empire [Re-Released]” (2006) are both available from Times Square Records. Kudsi Erguner’s book “Le Livre Des Derviches Bektashi: Villayet Name; Suivi De Les Dits Des Bektashi” (1997), and “La Fontaine De La Séparation: Voyages d’un Musicien Soufi” (2001) are both available from Le Bois d’Orion, and “Journeys Of A Sufi Musician” (2005) is available from Saqi Books.
E-mail: erguner[@]free.fr
Photo: Kudsi Erguner
Interview:
I do not believe that any music or musical instrument could be spiritual. However, I believe that listeners and musicians can have a meaningful inner life. I do not deny that historically all over the world there has developed music that was appreciated spiritually and constituted a certain repertory. This common traditional heritage, shared by the people belonging to the same cultural era, is often considered as spiritual or religious music. But the modernity, especially for many non-European people, destroyed this common ethos, changed its context and replaced the traditions with new references. The commercial civilization to which the entire world belongs, dictates all of us to appreciate the same products with same considerations.
It is not because you are listening to music considered as joyful that you might become happy, but if you are happy; it all has a joyful sense. Similarly, it is not the music that makes you spiritual, but if you are spiritual you can transform the music into a spiritual song. There will be no spiritual music if I am not spiritual. I can not be spiritual if the music and harmony are not in me. The music and harmony won’t be in me if I don’t have discernment, and I can’t have discernment if I am like everybody. Spirituality is a personal development and a personal experience. Therefore, it gives a personal perception which is completely contrary to our commercial civilization who obliges the masses to consume music with a pre-given sense. Music is a connection between the past and the present. If at the moment when music is being performed, there is no spirituality in the soul of the listeners or the performers, music becomes a commemoration of the past.
“It is not the music that makes you spiritual, but if you are spiritual you can transform the music into a spiritual song.”
– Kudsi Erguner, author of “Journeys Of A Sufi Musician”
