Classical Kemence

About

Discover the Classical Kemence (Klasik Kemençe), the small pear-shaped bowed instrument known for its concentrated, expressive voice in Turkish makam music. This collection features the handmade professional MCK-140, built with a palm-wood bowl and supplied with a bow, rosin and padded soft case. What is a Classical Kemence? The Classical Kemence is a compact, fretless bowed lute traditionally associated with the urban art-music culture of Istanbul and Turkish classical music. It is also called armudî kemençe , meaning pear-shaped kemence, because of its distinctive body outline. The instrument is commonly described as three-stringed. Its strings are stopped with the side of the fingernail rather than pressed fully onto a fingerboard in the manner of a violin. This technique supports subtle slides, ornaments and the fine pitch control required in makam performance. History and cultural context Pear-shaped bowed lutes circulated across the Eastern Mediterranean and Ottoman cultural world, and the Classical Kemence reflects this shared regional history. By the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, virtuosi such as Tanburi Cemil Bey helped establish its prominent solo voice in Ottoman and Turkish classical repertory. The instrument should not be reduced to a single national or social origin story. Its history is better understood through the connected Greek, Ottoman, Istanbul and Eastern Mediterranean communities that played, built and developed related bowed instruments. Today the Klasik Kemençe is a respected voice in Turkish makam ensembles and solo performance. Special Classical Kemence MCK-140 The current collection contains one dedicated instrument: the Special Classical Kemence MCK-140 . It is handmade in Turkey as a professional model and is listed at $1,899 . Instrument: Classical Kemence / Klasik Kemençe Bowl wood: palm wood Construction: handmade professional model Included: bow, rosin and padded soft case (gig bag) Current price: $1,899 The product