Aida Islam

THE MUSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE

RELIGIOUS SERVICE IN THE MOSQUES OF
MACEDONIA

Introduction
This paper is part of a much larger study regarding the music of the Turkish
community in Macedonia and the elements inherited from the Ottoman music culture.
The music culture of the Turkish community inhabiting these regions
consisted of secular and religious music. The Ottoman religious circles created a wide
religious music repertoire, largely contributing to the general development of music
art (Aksoy, B. 806). As a heritage of the Ottoman music tradition, Islamic service in
these regions has its own music tradition divided into music performed in the tekes
and music performed in the mosques. Even though the rituals in these two religious
institutions are based on identical music rules, they still differ in the style and manner
of performance.
The music of the tekes, also called sufi or mystical music, was the subject of
our interest during one of the previous conferences. Thus, this paper will focus on
researching the other segment of religious music tradition – mosques music. It
consists of the basic religious service of the Islam religion practiced in the religious
temples – the mosques.
We shall present the music forms of the religious services in the mosques in
Macedonia through the religious forms seen in the repertoire of Ottoman religious
music. At the same time this will give a clear view on the religious tradition practiced
today in this region, and will carry out a comparative analysis of religious music
traditions today and in the past.
By employing the information from the interviews with the most prominent
spiritual leaders in Skopje and other cities in Macedonia, we shall present the
development of spiritual life in these regions from the first half of the 20th century to
the present.
Music in the mosques
The use of music in Islam is a disputable subject dating as far as the beginning
of this religion. Although the Koran contains no ill words against music, several lines
from this holy book have been interpreted differently by the rival parties: the people
opposing and the people supporting music (Farmer, G. 1967: 22-24). Thus, the
dispute which is still open gains a “philosophical” dimension. However, apart from all
the oppositions, in the historical course of Islamic social structures, music played an
important role, creating a separate genre known as “religious music” (Talu,
R.H.1995:1).
Mosque music, an extremely important segment of spiritual music, is the
music used during the religious services in the mosques. Unlike music traditions in
the tekes, where music instruments are employed, this spiritual tradition only practices
vocal music. Spiritual music in the mosques is usually performed by one or more
spiritual leaders (imams or muezins), whereas sometimes the attending believers also
take part.
The text of these music forms is mostly in Arabic. In order to mark specific
religious or even secular customs, some of the music forms are also performed at
home.
Spiritual music is considered a sub-genre of Turkish classical music, however
there are several differences in terms of the repertoire, the use of makams and
rhythmic patterns (more limited ones), as well as the absence of instruments (Özcan,
N: 724/3).
What should be emphasized about spiritual music is the fact that as opposed to
mystical dervish music, mosque music is used for functional purposes, i.e. its basic
role is to beautify the lyrics (Bohlman, P. 1988: 99).

Forms of mosque music

The most important forms of mosque music are: ezan, sala, temdzhid,
munadzhaat, tilavet, kamet, tesbih, telbije, mihrabije, tekbir, ilahii, durak, shugul,
miradzhije, mevlid, tevshih etc. The forms such as ezan, sala and temdzhid are
performed in the mosque minaret, whereas the other forms are performed during the
prayer. The most important feature of this type of spiritual music is that some of the
forms use improvisation. Some of these music forms are also performed in the tekes.
(www.dinleneyden.com/pages/cami.htm)
Mosques in Macedonia
The mosques, or mesdzhides (smaller temples without minarets) were the first
and most numerous objects in Islamic architecture, erected throughout the Ottoman
Empire. These religious temples served as gathering places for the believers to
conduct their religious rituals. The founders of these objects were individual Muslim
rulers or rich citizens, who had these mosques built as legacy (Bogoevic, K.L.
1998:15).
The State Institute for the Protection of Monuments has registered 114
mosques in Macedonia, considered as monuments. Namely, 30 have the status of
cultural monuments, whereas the remaining 84 are recorded and await this status in
the future. These are the religious constructions mostly located in the city areas, built
before the beginning of the 20th century (before 1901).
According to the Islamic Religious Community of Macedonia, there are
approximately 491 mosques and mesdzhids in Macedonia. This number includes the
temples built during Ottoman rule, after their retreat from the Balkans, until 2002
(information published in 2002).
Spiritual leaders and music features of religious services in the mosques of
Macedonia
The spiritual life of these regions in the first half of the previous century was
at a very high level. This resulted from the important role of music education during
Ottoman rule – education was the same in both religious and secular structures.
Namely, those who intended to receive education in order to become spiritual leaders
(imams or muezins), were firstly required to pass the eliminative music exam (Kisic,
Dane, 1996).
In the first half of the 20th century Macedonia saw the work of many educated
religious men who strove to maintain the quality of the religious services. Among
them were the notable haf’zs Husein, Rasim, Nedzhmi, Nedzhmettin, Bedri (who
studied theology in Cairo - Egypt, and was the head of the Islamic Religious
Community of Macedonia for years), and others.
Haf’z Ibrahim also worked during this period. He had the reputation of one of
the leading religious figures in Macedonia. His father Ibrahim Salih was a student of
Hadzhi Haf’z Yahya Efendi, who took part in the religious services during Sultan
Abdulhamid’s time (1876-1909) (Baki, S. 2001: 5).
Around the 1920s another important religious activist worked in Skopje –
Haf’z Ataullah Kurtish (1872-1946), who was educated in the Fatih Muslim Religious
Secondary School in Istanbul. Upon his return to Skopje, he founded the Medda
Religious Secondary School in Skopje, which educated several generations of
spiritual leaders. One of the most significant ones is Fettah Efendi, who among other
things was a poet as well. According to certain statements, Fettah Efendi left behind a
huge number of verses of spiritual poetry, ranked on the high level of many prominent
Turkish poets of the time such as Mehmet Akif Ersoy. From the remaining religious
activists – students of this school - we shall mention Ataullah Efendi’s son –
Nimetullah Kurtish, Kemal Efendi, and others who also wrote religious poetry.
According to Osman Sheikh, during Ottoman rule, Ohrid was considered one
of the most important areas of the spiritual world. Several educated religious activists
from Ohrid were sent to the remaining parts of Macedonia (especially in the western
part) to strengthen the religious circles in these regions. Some of the most significant
religious activists who lived in these regions at the end of the 19th and the beginning
of the 20th century were the haf’zs Osman, Murat and Emrullah. They were highly
educated in the theological institutions in Istanbul. They have left behind a large
number of books and several copies of Koran manuscripts (from the interview with
Sheikh Osman, 4.05.2004).
During the past 4 – 5 centuries, the quality and quantity of religious music
forms note a significant decline. Some of the above-mentioned forms existing in the
religious service ceremonies of the past (and still existing in Turkey) are no longer
found in the services of the Macedonian mosques. At the same time, a certain
simplification of the interpretation of the existing music forms is evident.
The repertoire of the religious service includes the following forms: ezan,
some types of sala, temdzhid, munadzhaat, tilavet, kamet, tesbihat, mihrabije, tekbir,
ilahi and mevlid.

Ezan:
Most of the interpretations of the ezan in the Macedonian mosques, according
to statements of competent persons, do not fully satisfy the music criteria for this
religious music form. Namely, the ezan, performed five times a day, is sung in
different makams, since each period of the day has a different effect on the human
soul.
The information we have proves that in most of the mosques in Macedonia,
only part of the traditional makams are performed during the ezan. In Skopje, several
muezins use the Saba makam during the morning ezan, and the Segyah makam during
the evening ezan. According to the haf’zs, the remaining ezans are performed
“freely”, or usually in the Huzzam makam. Having in mind that most of the people
singing the ezan lack music education, the makams they use are generally defined by
ear (from the interview with the haf’zs Idriz and Abdurrahim, 1.06.2004).

During the past several years, some parts of western Macedonia (Tetovo and
Gostivar) have been trying to improve the quality of the ezan performance. This
initiative was inspired by the Imam Abaz Yahyai, an educated theologian, who
teaches the religious persons involved in this practice how to perform their function.
He uses all the specific makams during all the daily performances with great
precision. Thus, he raises the criteria and promotes the correct performance of the
ezan in the mosques of the region (from the interview with A.Yahyai, 31.05.2004).
According to the research, the manner of performance of religious forms in the
mosques of the Ohrid-Struga region depends on the education of the spiritual leaders.
As noted by the dervish Osman, religious leader in the service of the Zejnel Abedin
Pasha mosque (he has recently been named Sheikh of the Halvetic teke in Ohrid),
some of the prescribed makams are partially used during the performance of the ezan
in these mosques. Thus, the morning ezan is sung in the Saba makam, whereas the
noon, afternoon (originally in the Hidzhaz makam) and the night ezan are performed
in the Rast makam (from the interview with the Sheikh, 5.06.2004 – Ohrid).
Sheikh Ilhan, who is a religious leader (haf'z) in the mosque and in the
Halvetic teke in Struga, states that the Struga mosques do not employ different
makams during the ezan performance. As the haf’z notes, this state is an outcome of
the insufficient knowledge of the music aspects of the music forms (from the
interview with the Sheikh Ilhan, 5.06.2004, Ohrid).
The situation is identical in the eastern parts of Macedonia, where spiritual life
is less intensive in comparison to the other parts of the Republic (from the interview
with Sejdali Ibrahim, hodzha in the Radovish village of Topolnica, 7.06.2004).
Since the ezan is interpreted in a free rhythm and with improvisation, each
performance is authentic and individual. Thus, a large range of interpretations exist –
from the simplest to a skilled, ornamented vocal form of the ezan. Haf’z Abdurrahim
from Skopje is considered as one of the best ezan interpreters in Macedonia.
Sala:
The use of sala as an accompaniment form of the ezan notes a steady decline.
This is a common situation not only for the Islamic religious institutions in these
regions, but also in other countries (ex.Turkey).
From the many types of sala, the following still exist in Macedonia: Salat-u
Ummije, the funeral sala and the Friday sala.
In the present times, in Skopje, Salat-u Ummije, as one of the most popular
forms, is sung as a part of the Mevlid form, which is usually performed in the houses.
According to the information received from the Imam Abaz Yahyai from
Tetovo, this form is also used in the western parts of Macedonia. Apart from using it
with the Mevlid form, Salat-u Ummije is performed every night, during the night
prayers of the Ramazan fasting month.
 In Ohrid and Struga, this form – known as “Salavat” is mostly used in the
tekes, and more infrequently in the mosques. It is sung daily with the afternoon
prayer. The Salavat, which is subsequently performed for 12 times, is opened by the
spiritual leader, who is joined by the other believers.
In eastern Macedonia, this form is known as “Salavat-i Sherif” and is
performed after the night service during the holy month of Ramadan.
The funeral Sala no longer exists in Skopje, but is noted in the smaller towns
and some rural areas such as the villages in western and eastern Macedonia (Debar,
Radovish region). In the Ohrid-Struga region, this form is usually performed during
the noon or afternoon prayer, announcing the name of the deceased and the hour of
the funeral.
The Friday Sala also does not exist in Skopje, but it does in Ohrid, in Struga,
as well as in the mosques in eastern Macedonia. This form is performed each Friday,
half an hour before the great prayer. The Friday Sala in the Zeynel Abedin Pasha
mosque in Ohrid is sung in the Saba makam. Nevertheless, another type of Sala is
evident in the service which does not exist in the other towns. This is the Ramadan
sala, performed every night during the Ramadan fasting month (from the interview
with the Sheikh Osman, 4.06.2004).
In Macedonia, The Morning sala was performed during the Islamic religious
ceremonies until the 1950s, and is no longer in use today.

Temdzhid and munadzhaat:

This form was used in Macedonia until the middle of the past century, and is
rarely used in religious services today. As opposed to its past meaning, here the
temdzhid was used in a different context. This form was sung on the mosque minaret
in order to announce the death of a dweller from the wider neighbourhood. At the
same time, the hour of the funeral was announced in order to create a longer
procession. In fact, the performance of the temdzhid together with the ezan stated that
the posthumous ceremony was to be conducted during the following prayer. Thus, the
temdzhid is still present in the spiritual tradition of eastern Macedonia (Radovish and
the neighboring villages).
In the Ohrid and Struga mosques, the temdzhid is only used in the religious
rituals in the tekes, but not in the services of the mosques. As opposed to that, the
form munadzhaat exists in the mosques (from the interview with Sheikh Osman and
Haf’iz Ilhan, 4.06.2004).

Tilavet:
According to Haf’z Abdurrahim from Skopje, who has been a winner of the
international contests for performing the Koran several times, there are precise rules
for interpreting this form. In fact, in order to keep the attention on the text (which is
extremely significant in this form), the melodic line should neither be too flat, nor too
ornamented. Apart from that, depending on the text content, a correct choice of
makam is necessary. Greater freedom is allowed in the parts with a more optimistic
content (where heaven is concerned, for instance). The people who have memorized
the Koran are called haf’zs.

As far as the performance of this form in these regions is concerned, according

to Haf’z Abdurrahim, performers using the necessary music rules of the makams are
rare. The chanting of the Koran is mostly free, with the haf’zs integrating individual
elements, creating personal interpretations (from the interview with the Haf’z
Abdurrahim, 24.05.2004, Skopje).
Kamet:
This form exists in the services of the religious institutions throughout
Macedonia. It is employed in the inside of the mosques by the muezzin. In fact, the
kamet plays the role of a bridge connecting the two parts of the prayer: sunnet and
farz.
Tesbihat:
The tesbihat is performed at the end of the prayer by the muezzin in all parts
of Macedonia. The muezzin chants the words three times for the rest of the believers
to chant 33 times: Subhanallah, Elhamdy lillah and Allahy Ekber.

Mihrabije:
Mihrabije is performed after the tesbihat. Earlier, this form was performed
daily during all five prayers. Today this form in most mosques in Macedonia (such as
in Skopje and Ohrid) is performed twice per week – each Sunday and each Thursday
during the afternoon and night prayers.
In Struga, this form is performed on Sundays and Thursdays during the
afternoon or after the evening prayer (from the interview with Haf’z Ilhan,
4.06.2004).
According to Imam Abaz, in the religious institutions in Tetovo and Gostivar,
mihrabije is used daily after the morning and night prayer (from the interview with the
Imam Abaz, 31.05.2004).
 However, in the religious rituals in eastern Macedonia, this form no longer
exists (from the interview with Sejdali Ibrahim, Hodzha in the village Topolnica –
Radovish, 7.06.2004).

Tekbir:
In the Macedonian mosques, the tekbir is used during the great spiritual
holiday of Bairam.
Apart from its religious use, the tekbir is also used during separate secular
rituals. Thus, this form is performed during circumcisions or the first wedding night.

Ilahi:
Having in mind that the ilahija is the most common religious form, it is used in
all religious services and holidays.
In everyday practice, depending on the people attending the service in the
mosques, the ilahis are performed in Turkish, Albanian or Bosnian. The religious
services in eastern Macedonia are an exception, since ilahis are performed only in
Turkish.
During the official religious ceremonies organized by the Islamic Religious
Community of Macedonia marking the great religious holidays, because of the multi-
ethnic population of believers, the entire service is carried out in three languages:
Turkish, Albanian and Bosnian.
Apart from the traditional repertoire inherited from the Ottoman rule, the
spiritual repertoire of Skopje integrates several new ilahis written by local authors.
The text of one of them (“Hurshidi melek”) is by Fettah Efendi, whereas the
remaining 3-4 ilahis are considered anonymous. Unfortunately there is no information
about the authors of this music.

Miradzhie:
In Skopje, miradzhie is a form used during the spiritual holiday “Mirach
gecesi” (Night of Mirach). Depending on the ethnicity of those present, miradzhije is
performed either in Turkish or Albanian.
Having in mind that this form is considered as one of the most complex and
longest music forms, its performance requires adequate knowledge of music. With the
shortage of educated spiritual leaders in the mosques of Macedonia, the use of this
form is a true rarity.

Mevlid:
Even though the mevlid was one of the most popular spiritual forms, its use
within the religious services in Macedonia has noted an evident decline. This has
especially been the case in the mosques conducting the religious ceremonies.
The mevlid is still present in the religious customs carried out in the homes of
the believers. The most usual reasons for organizing the singing of this form are :
death of members of the family (the mevlid is then sung on the 7th, 40th, or 52nd day
after the death), circumcision, marriage, birth, moving into a new home, and so on.
According to Haf’zs Idriz and Abdurrahim, in the religious circles of
Macedonia, apart from Turkish, the mevlid is also performed in Albanian (from the
interview with the haf’zs, 20 and 24.05.2004).
In the past, the mevlid was performed according to the rules. All four
performance groups (ashirhan, tevshihan, mevlidhan and duahan) took part without
exception. All the required makams were also used. Today, such performances of the
mevlid in the mosques of Skopje, Ohrid and Struga are extremely rare. The entire
music ceremony is performed by only one or two people.
As opposed to this, western Macedonia (Tetovo, Gostivar) notes a large
increase in the number of performances of the mevlid. Proper interpretation and
employment of all performance groups is also taken account of.

Conclusion:
Our research concerning the music characteristics of religious music in the
mosques of Macedonia lead us to the following conclusions:
1. In the period following the retreat of the Ottomans, until the middle of the 20th
century, religious services in these regions noted the use of almost all spiritual music
forms. They were performed according to all rules and conventions set in the time of
the Ottoman rule. Spiritual life was promoted by educated theologians, who studied in
institutions in Istanbul, Cairo, etc.
2. Apart from the moderate decline of some music forms, nowadays, the spiritual
ceremonies in the religious institutions incorporate a large number of forms
constituting the repertoire of spiritual music.
3. In the contemporary trends of the spiritual repertoire, there is a tendency to simplify
the music aspects of the preserved music forms. This especially concerns the correct
use of the makams. The reasons for such developments in the spiritual repertoire are
the following:
- drastic decline in the numbers of educated religious leaders as a direct
result of the massive migration of the Turkish population into Turkey
- the insufficient interest (or opportunity) of the contemporary religious
structures in gaining a higher level of education
- inadequate policies of the Islamic Religious Community of Macedonia
for use of the knowlidge of the educated persons.
4. There are several regional variants in the interpretation of the spiritual music forms
which usually depend on the music knowledge of the religious leaders.
5. The intensity of the spiritual life throughout the State varies according to the
population. The regions with a more dense Islamic population note a more developed
spiritual life (western Macedonia).
6. In the spiritual traditions of Ohrid and Struga, as well as in other cities from the
eastern regions (Radovish, Strumica, etc), there is a connection between the teke and
mosque religious traditions.
7. In the spiritual realms of the present services in the mosques in Macedonia, the
Albanian language is used more frequently. The number of mosques employing only
the Turkish language has declined. Because of the mixed ethnicity of the population
attending the religious services, in most of the mosques in Macedonia the service is
carried out by combining the two languages. The official spiritual services on behalf
of the great holidays are carried out in three languages: Turkish, Albanian and
Bosnian.

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