Abstract
Nationalist Materials of the Aşk-ı Memnu Opera
Selman Ada is an important name on behalf of modern art in Turkey as a composer bringing
works in international opera repertory. The fact that Ada was trained in France gave him an
opportunity to recognize international art better, and it may be asserted that knowing “traditional music” materials led him to form a synthesis by involving different colours into his music. In this context, the examination of Ada’s works is so important to define the point arrived at from the first years of Turkish Republic. So, the investigation of “nationalism” ideology of Selman Ada’s Aşk-ı Memnu (Forbidden Love) as to the effects on art as a contemporary work comes front as a significant must. As a result, it may be said that political efforts effective in cultural field and novelties reveal themselves clearly as “nationalism”, the dominant ideology of that period over the works of art, and when the works in this period assessed, the effect of this ideology can clearly be seen. So, the evaluation of the opera, Aşk-ı Memnu in terms of this ideology will also present an opportunity to understand the association between art and policy related to contemporary arts. By looking at the topic from this point, Selman Ada’s opera, Aşk-ı Memnu, has been tried to be assessed scientifically as to “nationalism”.
Keywords
Opera, Nationalism, Nationalist Music, Aşk-ı Memnu.
