Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Yegah Musicology Journal, cilt.9, sa.1, ss.85-108, 2026 (Scopus)
Marches are musical forms that instill feelings of unity and togetherness in the society they address. They have primarily developed and popularized within military music as forms of war music. The military music structure, which had been used in Turkish armies since time immemorial, changed in 1826. This study examines whether the marches performed by Turkish military bands include makam melodies. In this respect, the study is important in examining whether there is a tradition of polyphonic Turkish marches with makam melodies. For this purpose, the Turkish Marches section of the Ministry of National Defense Music Archive was examined. The marches were analyzed according to whether they bear traces of makam music in terms of general structure and melodies. Six marches identified as bearing these traces were analyzed. As a result of the examinations, it was determined that the marches with makam traces cover approximately ten percent of the entire archive. It has been observed that the number of general marches is considerably less compared to the old records and that many marches were not arranged for military bands. The analyzed marches show that a tradition of Turkish military marches with makam elements can be formed. The march culture inherited from the Turkish tradition to the Western armies should regain its original position. In this respect, it is suggested that the march tradition should be furthered by including elements of Turkish musical heritage, particularly in terms of composition.