Ottoman classical music

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Ottoman classical music (Klâsik Türk Mûsikîsi, Sanat Mûsikîsi) developed in Istanbul and major Ottoman towns from Skopje to Cairo, from Tabriz to Morocco through the palace, mosques, and sufi lodges of the Ottoman Empire. ^[1] Above all a vocal music, Ottoman music traditionally accompanies a solo singer with a small instrumental ensemble. In recent times instruments might include tanbur lute, ney flute, kemençe fiddle, keman Western violin, kanun zither, or other instruments. Sometimes described as monophonic music, the variety of ornamentation and variation in the ensemble requires the more accurate term heterophonic.

Overview

Ottoman music has a large and varied system of modes or scales known as makams, and other rules of composition. There are more than 600 makams that have been used so far. Out of these, at least 119 makams are formally defined, but today only around 20 makams are widely used. In the sufi teaching, each makam represents and conveys a particular psychological and spiritual state. Sometimes, in certain makams, Ottomans would use different instrumental and vocal musical pieces in order to cure certain medical and psychological conditions.

A number of notation systems were used for transcribing classical music, the most dominant being the Hamparsum notation in use until the gradual introduction of western notation. Turkish classical music is taught in conservatories and social clubs, the most respected of which is Istanbul's Üsküdar Musiki Cemiyeti.

A specific sequence of classical Turkish musical forms become a fasıl, a suite an instrumental prelude (peşrev), an instrumental postlude (saz semaisi), and in between, the main section of vocal compositions which begins with and is punctuated by instrumental improvisations taksim.^[2] A full fasıl concert would include four different instrumental forms and three vocal forms, including a light classical song, şarkı. A strictly classical fasıl remains in the same makam throughout, from the introductory taksim to the end, which is usually a dance tune or oyun havası.^[3] However shorter şarkı compositions, precursors to modern day songs, are a part of this tradition, many of them extremely old, dating back to the 14th century; many are newer, with late 19th century songwriter Haci Arif Bey being especially popular.

Musical instruments

Traditional instruments in Ottoman classical music today include tanbur long-necked plucked lute, ney end-blown flute, kemençe bowed fiddle, oud plucked short-necked unfretted lute, kanun plucked zither, violin, and in Mevlevi music, kudüm drum. Older instruments still in use include lavta.

Forms

Ottoman classical music comprises many vocal and instrumental forms, among which are the suites called fasıl. A fasıl typically includes many instrumental and/or vocal movements, including taksim, peşrev, şarkı, beste, and kar, among others.

Genres

Ottoman music has various genres including the spiritual, improvised ("gazel", "kaside", "durak", etc.) and fasil music. The latter is more secular.

Composers and Performers

Other famous proponents of this genre include Dede Efendi, Prince Cantemir, Baba Hamparsum, Kemani Tatyos Efendi, Sultan Selim III and Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent. The most popular modern Turkish classical singer is Münir Nurettin Selçuk, who was the first to establish a lead singer position. Other performers include Bekir Sıdkı Sezgin, Alaeddin Yavaşça, Müzeyyen Senar and Zekai Tunca.

Other Composers

• Sultan Abdülazîz (1830-1876)
• Kara Ismail Ağa (1674-1724)
• Nikoğos Ağa (1836-1885)
• Sadik Ağa (1757-1815)
• Sadullah Ağa (1730-1807)
• Tanbûrî Numan Ağa (1750-1834)
• Zeki Mehmet Ağa (1776-1846)
• Refik Talat Alpman (1894-1947)
• Hüseyin Sadettin Arel (1880-1955)
• Giriftzen Asim (1852-1929)
• Lemi Atli (1869-1945)
• Reşat Aysu (1910-1999)
• Aleko Bacanos (1888-1950)
• Yorgo Bacanos (1900-1977)
• Hacı Arif Bey (1831-1885)
• Ismail Hakki Bey (1865-1927)
• Kaptanzade Ali Riza Bey (1883-1934)
• Neyzen Salim Bey (1829-1884)
• Rahmi Bey (1864-1924)
• Rifat Bey (1820-1888)
• Şevki Bey (1860-1891)
• Tanbûrî Cemil Bey (1871-1916)
• Tanbûrî Osman Bey (1816-1885)
• Ûdi Nevres Bey (1873-1937)
• Cevdet Çağla (1900-1988)
• Tanbûrî Mustafa Çavuş (1700-1770)
• Nayi Osman Dede (1652-1730)
• Neyzen Aziz Dede (1840-1905)
• Neyzen Emin Dede (1883-1945)
• Zekaî Dede (1816-1885)
• İsmail Dede Efendi (1778-1846)
• Kanuni Artaki Candan Efendi (1885-1948)
• Kemani Riza Efendi (1780-1852)
• Kemani Tatyos Efendi (1855-1913)
• Misirli Udi Ibrahim Efendi (1872-1933)
• Neyzen Dede Salih Efendi (1818-1888)
• Tab-i Mustafa Efendi (1705-1770)
• Rakim Elkutlu (1869-1948)
• Subhi Ezgi (1869-1962)
• Refik Fersan (1893-1965)
• Gazi Giray Han (1554-1607)
• Şerif Içli (1899-1956)
• Tanbûrî Isak (1745-1814)
• Buhurizade Itrî (1640-1711)
• Dilhayat Kalfa (1710-1780)
• Dimitri Kantemir (1673-1723)
• Sadettin Kaynak (1895-1961)
• Fahri Kopuz (1882-1968)
• Seyfettin Osmanoğlu (1874-1926)
• Suphi Ziya Özbekkan (1887-1966)
• Yusuf Paşa (1840-1895)
• Selahattin Pinar (1902-1960)
• Nuri Halil Poyraz (1885-1950)
• Hâfız Post (1630-1694)
• Sultan Selim III (1761-1808)
• Kemal Niyazi Seyhun (1885-1960)
• Bekir Sıdkı Sezgin (1936-1996)
• Bimen Şen (1873-1943)
• Cinuçen Tanrıkorur (1938-2000)
• Rauf Yekta (1871-1935)

Notes

1. ^ Feldman, Walter. Music of the Ottoman Court. 1996. ISBN 3-86135-641-4
2. ^ "The Ottoman Music". Tanrıkorur, Cinuçen (Abridged and translated by Dr. Savaş Ş. Barkçin). http://www.turkmusikisi.com/osmanli_musikisi/the_ottoman_music.htm. Retrieved June 26, 2000.  Tanrıkorur argues that the perceived differences between the traditional music genres stemmed from the cultural clash between the East and the West that emerged during the Tanzîmat Era (1839-1908).
3. ^ "The Fasil". Ottoman Souvenir. http://www.ottomansouvenir.com/Music/Ottoman_and_Anatolian_Folk_Songs.htm. Retrieved April 15, 2004. 

External links

• Neyzen, the most complete collection of Ottoman sheet music, available for free online. The long list of Turkish words on the screen are names of individual 'makam'. Each makam has its own quality and repertoire, click on any of these to get a list of the sheet music available to view and download.
• TurkMusikisi, the premier Turkish-language website dedicated to Ottoman music. Highly recommended, regardless of Turkish ability.
• Secular classical music: selection from gazel improvisation sung by Safiye Ayla mp3, 829 kB, 0:00:53 duration
• Mosque music: selection from "Merhaba bahrı" (Mevlit) sung by Kâni Karaca mp3, 1.3 MB, 0:01:28 duration
• Mevlevi music: selection from 4th selam, Beyati Mevlevi Âyini mp3, 793 kB, 0:00:50
• Kalan Music, a major producer of new recordings and reissues of Turkish classical, mosque, and Sufi music
• The Turkish Music Portal is the most comprehensive website about Turkish music on the Internet. It explores the history, reviews the instruments of Turkish classical and folk music, and meets the composers and performers of all types of Turkish music. It is available in four languages: Turkish, English, French and German.
• Turkish New Musics You can find New Turkish musics
• Turkish New Musics You can find New Turkish musics