Music and musical terms in Bobovius’ <i>Serai Enderum</i> (1665, MS Harley 3409)

Abstract This paper examines Bobovius’ Serai Enderum (British Library, MS Harley 3409), with a focus on its insights into seventeenth-century Ottoman music. While the manuscript primarily describes the inner workings of the sultan’s palace in Constantinople, it can serve as a source for understanding Ottoman musical culture. Although Bobovius, a former court musician (Ali Ufkī), did not extensively detail music in his account, his use of terminology and facts related to musical education and performance provide valuable information. This study explores MS Harley 3409 as both a musicological and a linguistic resource, highlighting Bobovius’ role as a “multilingual terminologist” who translated Ottoman Turkish musical terms (and concepts) into Italian for European readers. By presenting a glossary of musical terms excerpted from Serai Enderum and comparing them with contemporary dictionaries (Meniński 1680, Molino 1641) and musicological information, this research demonstrates the potential of linguistic analysis to enrich the historiography of Turkish music.