From Rumi to the Whirling Dervishes

Illuminates the connection of music, poetry, mystical praxis and social history underlying the ceremony of the Mevlevi DervishesExplores the musical tradition linked to the Mevlevi ('Whirling') Dervishes and the spiritual legacy of Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, one of Islam's greatest mystical poetsProvides an accessible introduction to the relationship between music and performative elements of Sufi practice codified in the Mevlevi ceremony of sema, illustrated with rare colour imagesPresents the biographies of the principal Mevlevi musicians, showing both their creation of the music of the ayin and their key role in the development of Ottoman court musicIncludes numerous original translations of Turkish verse by major Mevlevi poetsPresents music examples with explanation, both in the book and freely available on the Aga Khan Music Programme websiteMevlana Jalaluddin Rumi, whose life and mystical poetry provided the inspiration for the Mevlevi Sufi order, is one of the world's best-known poets, yet the centuries-long musical tradition cultivated by the Mevleviye remains much less known. In this deeply researched book, renowned scholar Walter Feldman traces the historical development of Mevlevi music and brings to light the remarkable musical and mystical aesthetics of the Mevlevi ayin the instrumental and vocal accompaniment to the sublime ceremony of the 'Whirling' Dervishes."