Classical Orchestra Musicians’ Metaphorical Perceptions of the Color Black in Their Concert Attire

Abstract

This study aimed to determine classical orchestra musicians’ perceptions of the color black in concert attire via metaphors. The purposive sample comprised 90 musicians from State Symphony Orchestras under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye. Qualitative interviews collected data via a two-part form capturing demographics and an open-ended prompt: “Dressing black in my concerts is like… because…” The study revealed that performers produced 39 metaphors, led by seriousness, simplicity, respect, nobility, wholeness and tradition. Categorized by explanatory reasons, the highest proportion emerged in the “Not overshadowing the music” category. Other categories included “Importance Given to the Profession,” “Aesthetic Appearance,” “Wholeness and Unity,” and “Type and Style of Attire.” Overall, “seriousness” constituted the dominant metaphor. Category distribution by gender revealed that male artists primarily associated the color black with the”Importance Given to the Profession” category, while female artists predominantly viewed it in terms of “Not Overshadowing the Music”, higher proportions were identified among female artists in the “Aesthetic Appearance” and “Wholeness and Unity” categories, whereas male artists exhibited higher rates in “Type and Style of Attire.” Overall, no statistically significant association was found between metaphor categories and gender regarding dressing black.