ABSTRACT
In Chapter 5, I examined the ways in which musical reviews and musical criticisms were employed to evaluate the concerts performed and the recordings made by Münir Nurettin Selçuk. I showed how musical commentators discussed and debated the musical materials and the musical practices adopted by Selçuk to represent different conceptions of Turkish culture, one that was ‘occidental’ and the other that was ‘oriental’. In particular, I showed how critics focused on issues surrounding music and language to promote or to deprecate the artist. However, these issues were not always the principal foci of critical attention. Indeed, the choice of repertoire and the style of presentation were also widely debated. While Selçuk did not always participate in this discussion, he collected relevant reviews and associated reports in his archive. Not only do these sources provide an insight into his reception by contemporary audiences, they also present an opportunity to understand his choice of repertoire and his selection of venue.
