The study presented in this thesis explores how the decorative musical devices of Turkish makam music can inform electronic music composition. This is motivated by the contrast between the central importance and virtuosity of ornamentation within Turkish makam tradition, and the scarcity of relevant musicological research, analytical studies, and compositional investigations devoted to this aspect. Entitled Decoration as Material, this research investigates how ornamentation and pitch structures inherent in Turkish makam tradition can serve as foundational material for composition. This includes the development of original ornamentation analysis models based on Tanburi Cemil Bey’s (1871-1916) taksim-s (improvisations), analysis methods of makam pitch structures, and the translation of these analytical findings into electronic music processes. The analyses reveal that ornamentation in Cemil Bey’s taksim-s consists of interconnected and combined phrases, which this study conceptualises as “distinct envelopes”.

The submission comprises a portfolio of electronic compositions supported by a collection of theoretical writings. It is structured in two main parts: theory and practice. The theoretical component (Part I: Theory) presents a contextual background review, an ornamentation taxonomy of Tanburi Cemil Bey’s kemençe taksim-s, a pitch structure analysis, and a study of electronic composition models derived from these analyses. The practical component (Part II: Practice) consists of a portfolio of original compositional works accompanied by a written commentary. This component is informed by the theoretical findings in Part I and explores potential models for the adaptation of makam structures and ornamentation within electronic compositional processes.