Kanun

Turkish

English

Muhittin Kemal was born in Karlsruhe, Germany, and at age five, began studying classical Turkish music with composer and lutenist Ismet Alpaslan. He soon took up violin and participated in Alpaslan’s chorus. In 1992, he began to study the kanun, first with Eyüp Firat, then under Göksel Baktagir. In 2007, he came to Crete as Baktagir’s student, later joining the teaching staff. In 2008, he co-founded the Oriental Music Academy in Mannheim, Germany, participating as a lecturer on the educational foundations of kanun playing, makam theory of Turkish music and vocals. In 2012, Muhittin began studying Musicology at the Goethe University Frankfurt. Since 2015, he has taught at the World Music Institute of the Pop Academy Mannheim and is working on his book 'Introduction to Turkish Makam Theory'.