Professor Owen Wright (School of Oriental and African Studies) - How French is frenkçin?

Frenkçin is one of the rhythmic cycles of Turkish classical music, being used on occasion in the Mevlevi repertoire. Its name clearly suggests a European link of some sort, and the most frequently cited account situates its origin within the world of cultural diplomacy, as a creative reworking of rhythmic elements in a piece performed by French musicians at the court of Süleyman the Magnificent.

Owen Wright teaches at the School of Oriental and African Studies. His main research interest is the history of music in the Islamic Middle East.

This event has been recorded and is now available as a podcast at the following URL:
http://backdoorbroadcasting.net/2010/02/owen-wright-how-french-is-frenkcin/