DOI: 10.31811/ojomus.1936062 ISSN: 2536-4421

The archival journey of a musical cultural memory document: The case of the Edirne March and the “from archive to stage” model

Bahadır Çokamay, Evrim Kaşıkçı
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This study aims to examine how a historically significant march functions not solely as a musical composition, but as an archival document and a carrier of cultural memory within the context of its production, circulation, preservation, and re-performance processes. The primary focus of the research is the Edirne’ye Girer İken (Edirne) March, featuring lyrics by Mehmet Sıtkı Bey (İskeçeli Sıtkı Bey) and music by Muallim Kâzım Bey, composed to commemorate the liberation of Edirne and dated to 1922 on the basis of historical indicators. Accordingly, the march is positioned beyond a mere artistic composition as a historical document, an archival artifact, and a transmitter of musical memory.The process, which began with the emergence of its original Ottoman-script printed score at an auction in 2009, encompasses the re-emergence of the march—having remained out of cultural circulation for an extended period—through private collecting, archiving, and artistic performance practices. The study analyzes this ‘from archive to stage’ trajectory within an archival framework and identifies structural challenges related to the discovery, cataloging, preservation, performance, recording, and accessibility of music documents with cultural memory potential.Designed as a case study, the research employs literature review and musical analysis. The Ottoman-printed score is evaluated in terms of provenance, material features, and publication context, alongside a critical discussion of cataloging practices within institutional archives. The march is further analyzed with respect to form, harmony, modal/tonal structure, rhythm, and text–music relationships, situating it within the march aesthetics of the early Republican period.The study ultimately proposes an interdisciplinary methodological framework for reintegrating neglected musical documents into contemporary cultural circulation.

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