From Rumi to the Whirling Dervishes

music, Poetry, and Mysticism in the Ottoman Empire

Feldman, Walter

Illuminates the connection of music, poetry, mystical praxis and social history underlying the ceremony of the Mevlevi Dervishes
Explores the musical tradition linked to the Mevlevi (‘Whirling’) Dervishes and the spiritual legacy of Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, one of Islam’s greatest mystical poets
Provides an accessible introduction to the relationship between music and performative elements of Sufi practice codified in the Mevlevi ceremony of sema, illustrated with rare colour images
Presents the biographies of the principal Mevlevi musicians, showing both their creation of the music of the ayin and their key role in the development of Ottoman court music
Includes numerous original translations of Turkish verse by major Mevlevi poets
Presents music examples with explanation, both in the book and freely available on the Aga Khan Music Programme website
Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, whose life and mystical poetry provided the inspiration for the Mevlevi Sufi order, is one of the world’s best-known poets, yet the centuries-long musical tradition cultivated by the Mevleviye remains much less known. In this deeply researched book, renowned scholar Walter Feldman traces the historical development of Mevlevi music and brings to light the remarkable musical and mystical aesthetics of the Mevlevi ayin – the instrumental and vocal accompaniment to the sublime ceremony of the ‘Whirling’ Dervishes.