Music of Turkey

The roots of traditional music in Turkey span across centuries to a time when theSeljuk Turksmigrated toAnatoliaandPersiain the 11th century and contains elements of both Turkic and pre-Turkic influences. Much of its modern popular music can trace its roots to the emergence in the early 1930s drive forWesternization.

With the assimilation of immigrants from various regions the diversity of musical genres and musical instrumentation also expanded. Turkey has also seen documented folk music and recorded popular music produced in the ethnic styles ofGreek,Armenian,Albanian,Polish,AzeriandJewishcommunities, among others.Many Turkish cities and towns have vibrant local music scenes which, in turn, support a number of regional musical styles. Despite this, however, western-style pop music lost popularity to arabesque in the late 1970s and 1980s, with even its greatest proponents,Ajda PekkanandSezen Aksu,falling in status. It became popular again by the beginning of the 1990s, as a result of an opening economy and society. With the support of Aksu, the resurging popularity of pop music gave rise to several international Turkish pop stars such asTarkanandSertab Erener.The late 1990s also saw an emergence of underground music producing alternativeTurkish rock,electronica,hip-hop,rapanddance musicin opposition to the mainstream corporatepopandarabesquegenres, which many believe have become too commercial.

Classical music

Front façade ofAtatürk Cultural Center.The main opera building inIstanbul

Main article:Turkish classical music

Ottoman court music has a large and varied system of modes or scales known asmakams,and other rules of composition. A number of notation systems were used for transcribing classical music, the most dominant being theHamparsumnotation in use until the gradual introduction of western notation.

A specific sequence of classical Turkish musical forms becomes afasıl,a suite consisting of an instrumental prelude (peṣrev), an instrumental postlude (saz semaisi), and in between, the main section of vocal compositions which begins with and is punctuated by instrumental improvisationstaksim.A full fasıl concert would include four different instrumental forms and three vocal forms, including a light classical song,şarkı.A strictly classical fasıl (in the early 19th-century style) remains in the samemakamthroughout, from the introductory taksim and usually ending in a dance tune oroyun havası.However shorterşarkıcompositions, 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 songwriterHaci Arif Beybeing especially popular.

Composers and Performers

Other famous proponents of this genre include SufiDede Efendi,Prince Cantemir,Baba Hamparsum,Kemani Tatyos Efendi,SultanSelim IIIand SultanSuleyman the Magnificent.The most popular modern Turkish classical singer isMünir Nurettin Selçuk,who was the first to establish a lead singer position. Other performers includeBülent Ersoy,Zeki Müren,Müzeyyen SenarandZekai Tunca.

Musical instruments

Traditional instruments in Turkish classical music today includetambur-generally use astanbur- long-necked plucked lute,neyend-blown flute,kemençebowed fiddle,oudplucked short-necked unfretted lute,kanunplucked zither, violin, and inMevlevimusic,küdümdrum and a harp.

Ottoman harem music: Belly dance

Female musical players. Ottoman miniature painting, 18th century.

Further information:Belly dance

From the makams of the royal courts to the melodies of the royalharems,a type of dance music emerged that was different from theoyun havasıof fasıl music. In theOttoman Empire,the harem was that part of a house set apart for the women of the family. It was a place in which non-family males were not allowed.Eunuchsguarded the sultan's harems, which were quite large, including several hundred women who were wives and concubines. There, female dancers and musicians entertained the women living in the harem.Belly dancewas performed by women for women. This female dancer, known as arakkase,which is the Arabic word for "female dancer", hardly ever appeared in public.

This type of harem music was taken out of the sultan's private living quarters and to the public by male street entertainers and hired dancers of the Ottoman Empire, the malerakkas.These dancers performed publicly for wedding celebrations, feasts, festivals, and in the presence of the sultans.

Modern oriental dance in Turkey is derived from this tradition of the Ottoman rakkas. Some mistakenly believe that Turkish oriental dancing is known asÇiftetellidue to the fact that this style of music has been incorporated into oriental dancing byGreeks,illustrated by the fact that the Greek belly dance is sometimes mistakenly calledTsifteteli.However,Çiftetelliis now a form of folk music, with names of songs that describe their local origins, whereas rakkas, as the name suggests, is from Arabic which means "male dancer".Dancers are also known for their adept use of finger cymbals as instruments, also known aszils.

Romani influences

Further information:Romani music

Romaniare known throughout Turkey for their musicianship. Their urban music brought echoes of classical Turkish music to the public via themeyhaneor taverna. This type offasılmusic (a style, not to be confused with the fasıl form of classical Turkish music) with food and alcoholic beverages is often associated with theunderclassof Turkish society, though it also can be found in more respectable establishments in modern times.

Roma have also influenced the fasıl itself. Played in music halls, the dance music (oyun havası) required at the end of each fasıl has been incorporated with Ottomanrakkasor belly dancing motifs. The rhythmic ostinato accompanying the instrumental improvisation (ritimli taksim) for the bellydance parallels that of the classicalgazel,a vocal improvisation in free rhythm with rhythmic accompaniment. Popular musical instruments in this kind of fasıl are theclarinet,violin,kanun,anddarbuka.ClarinetistMustafa Kandıralıis a well-known fasil musician.

Military music

Main article:Ottoman military band

Surname-i Vebbi (fol. 172a), showing military band.

The Janissary bands orMehter Takımıare considered to be the oldest type of military marching band in the world.Individual instrumentalists were mentioned in theOrhun inscriptions,which are believed to be the oldest written sources of Turkish history, dating from the 8th century. However, they were not definitively mentioned as bands until the 13th century. The rest of Europe borrowed the notion of military marching bands from Turkey from the 16th century onwards.

Turkish influence on Western classical music

Main article:Turkish music (style)

Musical relations between the Turks and the rest of Europe can be traced back many centuries,and the first type of musical Orientalism was theTurkish Style.Europeanclassicalcomposers in the 18th century were fascinated by Turkish music, particularly the strong role given to thebrassandpercussion instrumentsinJanissarybands.

Joseph Haydnwrote hisMilitary Symphonyto include Turkish instruments, as well as some of his operas. Turkish instruments were included inLudwig van Beethoven'sSymphony Number 9,and he composed a "Turkish March" for hisIncidental Music to The Ruins of Athens, Op. 113.Wolfgang Amadeus Mozartwrote the "Ronda alla turca" in hisSonata in A majorand also used Turkish themes in his operas, such as theChorus of Janissariesfrom hisDie Entführung aus dem Serail(1782). This Turkish influence introduced thecymbals,bass drum,andbellsinto the symphony orchestra, where they remain.JazzmusicianDave Brubeckwrote his "Blue Rondo á la Turk" as a tribute to Mozart and Turkish music.

Western Influence on Turkish classical music

CSO Ada Ankaraserves as Presidential Symphony Orchestra Concert Hall in the capital

While the European military bands of the 18th century introduced the percussion instruments of the Ottoman janissary bands, a reciprocal influence emerged in the 19th century in the form of the Europeanisation of the Ottoman army band. In 1827,Giuseppe Donizetti,the elder brother of the renowned Italian opera composerGaetano Donizetti,was invited to become Master of Music to SultanMahmud II.A successor of Donizetti was the German musicianPaul Lange,formerly music lecturer at theAmerican College for Girlsand at theGerman High School,who took over the position of Master of the Sultan's Music after the Young Turk Revolution in 1908 and kept it until his death in 1920. A son of Paul Lange was the Istanbul-born American conductorHans Lange.The Ottoman composerLeyla Saz(1850–1936) provides an account of musical training in the Imperial Palace in her memoirs. As the daughter of the Palace surgeon, she grew up in the Imperial harem where girls were also given music lessons in both Turkish and Western styles.

After thedecline of the Ottoman Empireand the creation of a Turkish republic, the transfer of the former Imperial Orchestra orMızıka-ı Hümayunfrom Istanbul to the new capital of the stateAnkara,and renaming it as the Orchestra of the Presidency of the Republic,Riyaset-i Cumhur Orkestrası,signaled a Westernization of Turkish music. The name would later be changed to thePresidential Symphony OrchestraorCumhurbaşkanlığı Senfoni Orkestrası.

Further inroads came with the founding of a new school for the training of Western-style music instructors in 1924, renaming the Istanbul Oriental Music School as theIstanbul Conservatoryin 1926, and sending talented young musicians abroad for further music education. These students include well-known Turkish composers such asCemal Reşit Rey,Ulvi Cemal Erkin,Ahmet Adnan Saygun,Necil Kazım AksesandHasan Ferit Alnar,who became known asthe Turkish Five.The founding of the Ankara State Conservatory with the aid of the German composer and music theoristPaul Hindemithin 1936 showed that Turkey in terms of music wanted to be like the West.

However, on the order of the founder of the republic,Atatürk,following his philosophy to take from the West but to remain Turkish in essence, a wide-scale classification and archiving of samples of Turkish folk music from aroundAnatoliawas launched in 1924 and continued until 1953 to collect around 10,000 folk songs. Hungarian composerBéla Bartókvisited Ankara and south-eastern Turkey in 1936 within the context of these works.

By 1976, Turkish classical music had undergone a renaissance and a state musical conservatory in Istanbul was founded to give classical musicians the same support as folk musicians. Modern-day advocates of Western classical music in Turkey includeFazıl Say,İdil Biret,Suna Kan,theÖnder Sistersand thePekinel sisters.

Early Years of The Republic

After theTurkish War of Independenceended in 1923, and the borders were drawn, there was a social and political revolution under the leadership ofMustafa Kemal Atatürk.This revolution opted to Westernize the way of living in Turkey. By 1929, all public and commercial communications were made in theLatin Alpha bet,completely taking the writtenOttoman Turkish languageout of circulation. A new constitution was written, one that was modeled after the French. This new constitution was designed to make the newRepublic of Turkeyinto a secular, modern, nation-state. Every aspect of the revolution, from major policy changes to clothing reforms, was made in accordance with theKemalist Ideology.All affairs were carried out followed by a chain of military command for the purpose of reaching the level of Western civilization. Both religious and Turkish classical music was impacted by this top to bottom revolution.

On November 1, 1934Atatürkmade a speech in theGrand National Assembly of Turkey.Alaturca musicwas banned on radios, public places as well as private properties.Here is the excerpt from the speech, concerning Turkish music, "Folks, we all know how sensitive we, the Turkish, are towards the matters of our cultural legacy…. I am aware what kind of progress that my people want to see within fine arts delivered by the new generation of artists, and musicians. If you ask me, what would be most efficient and quick to tackle first within the fine arts is Turkish Music. The music we are made to listen to these days is far from being a point of pride for Turkish people. We must all know this. We must take our great nation's idioms, stories, experiences and compose them, but only complying to the general rules of music. I wish that the Ministry of Cultural Affairs take this matter seriously, and work alongside the law-makers of our country."

Right after this speech, on November 2, 1934, The Department of Publishing and Press banned Alaturca music, knowing what Mustafa Kemal meant when he said "… but only complying to the general rules of music…" was that the only acceptable type of music available to the public will be music following the principles ofwestern tonal music.The Turkish composers, who were educated abroad in the beginning of the century and came back to Turkey, were assigned to teach classical Turkish musicians the western way of writing and playing music. The Presidential Symphony Orchestra, established back in 1924 started giving weekly free performances in schools specifying in Music Education. New instruments like pianos, trumpets, and saxophones were bought for cultural centers in villages, not just in Istanbul, but in many places likeBursa,Çorum,Gümüşhane,andSamsun.

Along with the radical ideology change, and the sudden application of these new ideas came an obvious tear in the fabric of the society. People who couldn't listen to Turkish music on Turkish Radio sought out the next best thing and started listening to the Arabic Radio. There are records of Turkish people calling intoEgyptian,Crimean,andHaifanradio stations requesting Turkish songs they were used to listening to, since The Middle East already consumed and re-created a lot of Turkish Music since the rise of theOttoman Empirein the middle of the millennium. Turkish people started listening to other nations' version of Turkish songs. This cleared the way for theArabesque musicto become hugely popular in the 70s. Today, there are still prolific and popular Arabesque musicians in Turkey. The ban in the early years of the Republic is exactly why Arabesque Music became a cultural phenomenon.

Folk music

Main article:Turkish folk music

Kemençeis a popular folk music instrument on Turkey'sBlack Seacoast

Folk music orTürkügenerally deals with subjects surrounding daily life in less grandiose terms than the love and emotion usually contained in its traditional counterpart, Ottoman court music.

Most songs recount stories of real-life events andTurkish folklore,or have developed through song contests between troubadour poets.Corresponding to their origins, folk songs are usually played at weddings, funerals and special festivals.

Regional folk music generally accompanies folk dances, which vary significantly across regions. For example, at marriage ceremonies in the Aegean guests will dance theZeybek,while in otherRumeliregions the upbeat dance musicÇiftetelliis usually played, and in the southeastern regions of Turkey theHalayis the customary form of local wedding music and dance.GreeksfromThraceandCyprusthat have adopted çiftetelli music sometimes use it synonymously to meanOriental dance,which indicates a misunderstanding of its roots. Çiftetelli is a folk dance, differing from a solo performance dance of a hired entertainer.

The regional mood also affects the subject of the folk songs, e.g. folk songs from theBlack Seaare lively in general and express the customs of the region. Songs about betrayal have an air of defiance about them instead of sadness, whereas the further south travelled in Turkey the more the melodies resemble alament.

As this genre is viewed as a music of the people, musicians in socialist movements began to adapt folk music with contemporary sounds and arrangements in the form ofprotest music.

In the 70s and 80s, modern bards following the aşık tradition such asAşik VeyselandMahsuni Şerifmoved away from spiritual invocations to socio-politically active lyrics.

Other contemporary progenitors took their lead such asZülfü Livaneli,known for his mid-80s innovation of combining poetNazım Hikmet's radical poems with folk music and rural melodies, and is well regarded by left-wing supporters in politics.

In more recent times, saz orchestras, accompanied with many other traditional instruments and a merger with arabesque melodies have kept modern folk songs popular in Turkey.

Folk instruments

Bağlama

Folk instruments range from string groups asbağlama,bow instruments such as thekemençe(a type of stave fiddle), and percussion and wind, including thezurna,neyanddavul.Regional variations place importance on different instruments, e.g. thedarbukainRumeliand thekemençearound theEastern Black Searegion. The folklore of Turkey is extremely diverse. Nevertheless, Turkish folk music is dominantly marked by a single musical instrument calledsazorbağlama,a type of long-neckedlute.Traditionally, saz is played solely by traveling musicians known asozanor religiousAlevitroubadours calledaşık.

Due to the cultural crossbreeding prevalent during the Ottoman Empire, the bağlama has influenced various cultures in the Eastern Mediterranean, e.g. the Greekbaglamas.In Turkish bağlamak means 'to tie' as a reference to the tied, movable frets of the instrument. Like many other plucked lutes, it can be played with a plectrum (i.e., pick), with a fingerpicking style, or strummed with the backs of fingernails. Thezurnaanddavulduo is also popular in rural areas, and played atweddingsand other local celebrations.

Folk literature

Further information:Turkish folk literature

A large body of folk songs are derived from minstrels or bard-poets calledozanin Turkish. They have been developing Turkish folk literature since the beginning of 11th century. The musical instrument used by these bard-poets is thesazorbağlama.They are often taught by other senior minstrels, learning expert idioms, procedures, and methods in the performance of the art.These lessons often take place at minstrel meetings and thecoffeehousesthey frequent. Those bard-poets who become experts oralaylıthen take apprentices for themselves and continue the tradition.

A minstrel's creative output usually takes two major forms. One, in musical rhyming contests with other bards, where the competition ends with the defeat of the minstrel who cannot find an appropriate quatrain to the rhyme and two, storytelling.These folk stories are extracted from real life, folklore, dreams and legends.One of the most well-known followings are those bards that put the titleaşıkin front of their names.

Arabesque

Main article:Arabesque music

Arabic music had been banned in Turkey in 1948, but starting in the 1970s immigration from predominantly southeastern rural areas to big cities and particularly to Istanbul gave rise to a new cultural synthesis. This changed the musical makeup of Istanbul. The old tavernas and music halls of fasıl music were to shut down in place of a new type of music.These new urban residents brought their own taste of music, which due to their locality was largely middle eastern. Musicologists derogatively termed this genre as arabesque due to the high-pitched wailing that is synonymous with Arabic singing.

Its mainstream popularity rose so much in the 1980s that it even threatened the existence of Turkish pop, with rising stars such asMüslüm Gürsesandİbrahim Tatlıses.The genre has underbeat forms that include Ottoman forms ofbelly-dancing musicknown asfantazifrom singers likeGülben Ergenand with performers likeSerdar Ortaçwho added Anglo-Americanrock and rollto arabesque music.

It is not really accurate to group Arabesk with folk music. It owes little to folk music, and would be more accurately described as form of popular music based on the makam scales found in Ottoman and Turkish classical music. Though Arabesk was accused of having been derived from Arabic music, the scales (makam) used identify it as music, that, though influenced by both Arabic and Western music, is much more Turkish in origin.

Religious music

Islamic Recitation

"Islamic Recitation," a term associated with mainstream religion in Turkey, includes theazan(call-to-prayer),Kur'an-ı Kerim(Koran recitation),Mevlit(Ascension Poem), andilahi(hymns usually sung in a group, often outside a mosque). On musical grounds, mosque music in large urban areas often resembles classical Turkish music in its learned use of makam and poetry, e.g., a Mevlit sung at Sultan Ahmet mosque in Istanbul. Dervish/Sufi music is rarely associated with a mosque.Kâni Karacawas a leading performer of mosque music in recent times.

Alevi influences: The Aşık (Ashik) traditions

It is suggested that about a fifth of the Turkish population areAlevis,whose folk music is performed by a type of travelling bard orozancalledaşık,who travels with thesazorbaglama,an iconic image of Turkish folk music.These songs, which hail from the central northeastern area, are about mystical revelations, invocations to AlevisaintsandMuhammad's son-in-law,Ali,whom they hold in high esteem. In Turkish aşık literally means 'in love'. Whoever follows this tradition has theAşıkassignation put before their names, because it is suggested that music becomes an essential facet of their being, for example as inAşık Veysel.

Middle Anatolia is home to thebozlak,a type of declamatory, partially improvised music by the bards.Neşet Ertaşhas so far been the most prominent contemporary voice of Middle Anatolian music, singing songs of a large spectrum, including works of premodernTurkomanaşıks likeKaracaoğlanandDadaloğluand the modern aşıks like his father, the lateMuharrem Ertaş.Around the city ofSivas,aşık music has a more spiritual bent, afeaturing ritualized song contests, although modern bards have brought it into the political arena.

Sufi influences: The Mevlevi traditions

Followers of theMevleviOrder orwhirling dervishesare a religioussufisect unique to Turkey but well known outside of its boundaries.

Dervishesof the Mevlevi sect simply dance asemaby turning continuously to music that consists of long, complex compositions calledayin.These pieces are both preceded and followed by songs using lyrics by the founder and poetMevlana Jelaleddin Rumi.With the musical instrument known as theneyat the forefront of this music, internationally well-known musicians include Necdet Yasar, Niyazi Sayin,Kudsi ErgünerandÖmer Faruk Tekbilek.

Regional folk styles

Minorities and indigenous peoples have added and enhanced Turkish folk styles, while they have adopted Turkish folk traditions and instruments. Folk songs are identifiable and distinguished by regions.

Aegean and Rumeli regions

Rumelia(orTrakya) refers to the region of Turkey which is part ofSoutheast Europe(the provinces ofEdirne,Kırklareli,Tekirdağ,the northern part ofÇanakkale Provinceand the western part ofIstanbul Province). Folk songs from this region share similarities with Balkan, Albanian and Greek folk musics, especially from the ethnic minorities and natives ofThrace.Cypriotfolk music also shares folk tunes with this region, e.g. the Çiftetelli dance. These types of folk songs also share close similarities with Ottoman court music, suggesting that the distinction between court and folk music was not always so clear.However, folk songs from Istanbul may have been closely influenced by its locality, which would include Ottoman rakkas and court music.

Cities likeİzmirshare similar motifs, such as thezeybek dance.

Black Sea and Caspian Sea regions

Central Asian Turkic peoples from theCaspian Seaand areas have had a huge influence in the purest forms of Turkish folk music, most notably from theAzerisandTurkmen.

Pontic Greekson the eastern shore of theBlack SeaorKaradenizregions have their own distinctGreekstyle of folk music, motifs from which were used with great success byHelena Paparizou.The diaspora of Greek speaking Pontic people from that region introduced Pontic music to Greece after 1924 population exchange between Turkey and Greece. The region's dance style uses unique techniques like odd shoulder tremors and knee bends. Folk dances include the gerasari, trygona, kots,omal,serra,kotsariandtik.

Southeastern regions

Southeastern regions carry influences fromTurkmen music,Zaza motifsandArmenian music.These usually include epic laments.

Kanto (Cantare music)

Main article:Kanto (music)

Italiantheater and opera have had a profound effect onTurkish culturein the past century. Like the terminology of seamanship, the terminology of music and theater is derived from Italian. In the argot of the improvisational theater of Istanbul the stage was called "sahano",the backstage was referred to as"koyuntu",backdrops depicting countryside were" bosko ", the applause was" furi "and the songs sung between the acts and plays were called" kanto ".

The improvised pieces were stage adaptations of theKaragöz(shadow puppet) andOrtaoyunu(traditional form of Turkish theatre performed in the open) traditions, although in a much more simplified form. The themes explored in these traditional theater arts as well as their stock characterizations and stereotypes were used as the framework for the new extemporaneous performances of the tuluat (improvised) theater.

As with their Italian counterparts, the Turkish troupes employed songs and music before the show and between the acts to pique people's interest and draw in customers.

Kanto: songs sung between the acts as solos or duets, based on traditional eastern makam (modes) but performed on western instruments.

Kanto: "first the introduction, then the lyrics, shake your shoulders to a violin, solo, cock your head and shimmy in oriental dance style, leap around like a partridge, then slowly disappear behind the curtain."

Kanto: the irreplaceable unifying feature of ali Turkish tuluat theater. We can divide kanto into two periods. The division, particularly in terms of musical structure, is very clear between the early kanto and the kanto of the Post-Republic period. It is further possible to identify two styles within the early period. Galata and Direklerarası (both neighbourhoods of Old Istanbul).

Kanto first took root in the musical theaters of Galata, a part of town frequented by sailors, rowdies and roustabouts. Ahmed Rasim Bey paints a vivid picture of the Galata theaters in his 1922 memoir entitledFuhş-i Atik(Prostitution in the Old Days):

Everyone thought Peruz was the most flirtatious, most skillful and the most provocative. The seats closest to the stage were always crammed full... They said of Peruz, 'she is a trollop who has ensnared the heart of many a young man and has made herself the enemy of many. 'Her songs would hardly be finished when chairs, flowers, bouquets and beribboned letters. Come flying from the boxseats. It seemed the building would be shaken to the ground.

Direklerarası was a little off the beaten track and in comparison to Galata was a more refined center of entertainment. Direklerarası was said to be quite lively at night during the month of Ramadan (Ramazan in Turkish) and certainly once its attraction was its family atmosphere. It was here that the troupes of Kel Hasan and Abdi Efendi and later that of Neshid enjoyed a great popularity. It was under the influence of these masters that kanto experienced its golden years.

The troupes orchestra would be made up of such instruments as thetrumpet,trombone,violin,trap drumandcymbals.The orchestra would start to play popular songs of the day and marches in front of the theatre about an hour before the show to drum up interest. This intermission or Antrak music ended up with the well-known Izmir March, a sign that the show time was approaching. The play began as the musicians went in and took their places at the side of the stage.

The kanto singers of the period were also composers. Set to extraordinarily simple melodies which were the fashion of the day, the lyrics relied heavily of tensions between men and women as well as reflecting topical events. The compositions were in such fundamentalmakamsas Rast, Hüzzam, Hicaz, Hüseyni and Nihavent. Kanto songs are remembered both by the names of their interpreters and by their creators, artists such as Peruz, Shamran, Kamelya, Eleni. Küçük and Büyük Amelya, Mari Ferha and Virjin. That kanto brought an erotic element to the stage performance was an important aspect and one that should not be overlooked or separated out.

Art and cultural life gained new dimensions with the changes brought about by the 1923 formation of the Turkish Republic. It was a period of rapid transformation and its effects were widespread. Turkish women had finally won the freedom to appear on the stage, breaking the monopoly previously held byRûm(Istanbul Greek) andArmenianwomen who performed in musical and non-musical theatre. Institutions likeDarulbedayi(Istanbul City Theatre) andDarulelhan(Istanbul Conservatory of Music) had long been turning out trained artists.

Western lifestyles and Western-style art put pressure on the traditional Turkish formats and these were swept off to the side. The operetta, the tango, then later theCharlestonand thefoxtrotovershadowed kanto. Kanto's popularity began to fade, the city's centers of entertainment shifted, and the theaters of Galata and Direklerarası were closed down. Turkish female artists were unreceptive to kanto's inherent ribairy and chose to keep their distance from it.

Around 1935, there was a revival of interest in the kanto form. Although rather far from its fundamental principles, a new type of kanto was once again popular.

It is important to point out that kanto had now moved from the stage to the recording studio. While the subjects dealt with in the lyrics were still the same old quarrels between men and women, mixed in with satirical takes on fashion and current events, the songs were being written with the78 rpmphonographin mind. So much so that every record label hired their own kanto composers—and rather famous ones at that. With Columbia at the fore, record labels commissioned kanto fromKaptanzade Ali Rıza Bey,Refik Fersan,Dramalı Hasan,Sadettin Kaynak,Cümbüş MehmetandMildan Niyazi Bey.The makams were the same but the instrumentation had changed. Kanto were now accompanied by cümbüş (a fretlees banjo like instrument) the ud (a fretless) lute, and calpara (castenets).Foxtrot,Charlestonandrumbarhythms dominated. The tunes were being written and sung more tor listening than tor dancing. Female soloists includeMakbule Enver,Mahmure, and Neriman;Beşiktaşlı Kemal Senmanwas the most sought after male singer for duets.

Among the topics explored by the new kantocu (singer or composer of kanto) perhaps the most frequent subject of satire was the new role of women brought about by the formation of the Republic. Songs like Sarhoş Kızlar (Drunken Girls) or Şoför Kadınlar (Women Drivers) were sung seemingly in revenge for all the suffering they had endured at the hands of men in the past. Other topical songs include Daktilo (The Typewriter) which brought to mind the newly formed Secretaires 7 Society. Songs such as Bereli Kız (The Girl with the Beret) and Kadın Asker Olursa (If Women Were Soldiers) were full of mockery and ridicule.

The early period kanto were largely nourished by Istanbul culture. It was much the same in the Post-Republican period. The city's large and diverse population provided both the characters and the events that were the mainstay of kanto. Kanto was heavily influenced by musical theatre. Roman (gypsy) music and culture, which was itself the subject of satire, left its mark on kanto form. Another major influence wasRum music.The importance of the Istanbul Rum, who were so fond of entertainment and of singing and playing, must not be underestimated. It is a natural and inevitable result of cultural exchange. As it was, almost all the kanto singers were eitherRumor Armenian, artists likePepron,Karakas,Haim,SamranandPeruzwho performed during the period following 1903.

Eventually kanto became more of a definition, a generalized genre than a musical term. Any tune that was outside of the day's musical conventions, anything light that appealed to current trends and tastes, was labeled kanto. Any music played with different instruments that was free rhythmic or somehow novel was labeled kanto; it was the product of the middie-class, urban culture of Istanbul.

Kanto has been viewed as a forerunner of today's pop culture.

Popular music

External videos
Turkish ice cream man song

Popular music is distinguished from the traditional genres as those styles that entered the Turkish musicality after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, either due to attempts of national modernization from 1924 onwards, the opening of the republic to Western musical influences or modern fusions and innovations from artists themselves.

Mainstream pop

TarkaninViennawith fans fromHungary

Turkish pop music had its humble beginnings in the late 1950s with Turkish cover versions of a wide range of imported popular styles, includingrock and roll,tango,andjazz.As more styles emerged, they were also adopted, such aship hop,heavy metalandreggae.

The self-named "superstar" of the "arrangement" (aranjman) era of the 70s wasAjda PekkanandAydzhan Bekirwho also debuted, along withEnrico Macias,atOlympia,Paris,whileMFÖ(Mazhar, Fuat, Özkan) was the celebrated group of the pop scene with an outstanding dexterity in their use of Turkish prosody and their success of amalgamating Western and Turkish cultural ingredients and perspectives. Also one of the most renowned Turkish pop stars of the last decades is probablySezen Aksu.She contributed considerably to the unique Turkish pop sound of this period, allowing it gain ground from its humble beginnings in the early 50s and 60s to the popular genre it is today. She was also one of the strongest advocates for Turkey to enter theEurovision Song Contest.Her one-time vocalist and later protégéSertab Erenerwon the contest in 2003.

MFÖ(Mazhar, Fuat, Özkan)

The biggest male pop stars in Turkey are arguablyTarkan,Mustafa SandalandKenan Doğulu.Tarkan achieved chart success inEuropeandLatin Americawith his single "Şımarık",also composed by Sezen Aksu, which has been covered by numerous artists.Mustafa Sandal has also enjoyed chart success in Europe with his 2005 single "İsyankar",which peaked at number 4 and wentgold.

Turkish hip hop

Main article:Turkish hip hop

Turkish hip hopororientalhip hopis a creation of the Turkishmigrant workercommunity in Germany, which some suggest was a suitable outlet for a young generation disillusioned with Germany's treatment of its migrant class.In 1995, the Turkish-German community produced a majorhip hopcrew namedCartelwhich caused controversy in Turkey andGermanyfor its revolutionary lyrics. Hip hop now enjoys wide popularity among the younger generation in Turkey.Ceza,Dr.Fuchs(formerly "Nefret" ) andSagopa Kajmer,Sansar Salvo,Pit10,Şehinşah,Hayki,Saian,Allâmeare popular figures of contemporary rap music in Turkey.

Anatolian rock

Main article:Anatolian rock

The Turkish rock scene began in the mid- to late 1960s, when popularUnited StatesandUnited Kingdombands became well-known. Soon, a distinctively Turkish fusion of rock and folk emerged; this was called Anatolian rock, a term which nowadays may be generically ascribed to most of Turkish rock.Barış Manço,Cem KaracaandErkin Korayare the best known performers;MoğollarandKurtalan Ekspresare the best known groups of older classical Anatolian rock music.

Islamic anasheed

Islamicanasheed are also very popular among some of the Turkish people. The most popular artist in Turkey is the British Azeri,Sami Yusuf,a concert inIstanbuldrew an audience of over 200,000, his biggest concert so far around the world.He is one of the most notable singers of anasheed, and can speak in many different languages, which includesTurkish.To date he has performed at sell out concerts in over 30 countries across the world from Istanbul to Casablanca, United States to Germany. Some albums selling more than a million copies in comparison to western music. In Jan 2009 Sami travelled to Turkey where he was invited by Emine Erdoğan, wife of the Turkish Prime MinisterRecep Tayyip Erdoğan,to attend a rally in support of peace inGaza.Another popular Turkish singer is Feridun Özdemir, who mainly sings of God and true faith. His records are most successful in the anasheed genre.

Heavy metal and industrial

Heavy metal and industrial groups from Turkey include Pentagram (known asMezarkabuloutside Turkey) and Almora.Individual musicians in these genres include Ogün Sanlısoy andHayko Cepkin.

Underground black metal and death metal

Underground black metal and death metal bands known from Turkey areWitchtrap,Ehrimen, Satanized, Godslaying Hellblast, Burial Invocation,Deggial,Decaying Purity.

Turkish Trance

See also:Trance Music

Tranceis a rare musical genre inTurkeybut it also has specific listeners. This genre gained when the first Turkish trance music composed byMurtaza Khojamiand the song named forYalnızlık Düşüncelerwith mixed criticism.

Pop-rock and rock

As a singular phenomenon amidst popular currents since the mid-1970s,Bülent Ortaçgilappeared as an urban songwriter/musician with a distinct musical quality, and became a role model for aspiring young musicians.He was the only Turkish musician for whom a tribute album was compiled that included several prominent performers from a wide gamut of different genres.

Other recent rock bands with a more Western sound who have enjoyed mainstream success includemaNga,DumanandMor ve Ötesi.Şebnem Ferah,Özlem TekinandTeomanare examples of individual rock artists with substantial fan bases. Turkey also boasts numerous large-scalerock festivalsand events. Annual rock festivals in Turkey include Barışarock, H2000 Music Festival,Rock'n Coke,andRockIstanbul.

Underground and club music

There are many clubs across Turkey, especially across its Aegean region. The alternative music scene however is derived mostly from Istanbul's thriving underground club scene that seesDJsmerging the past with the present, using traditional motifs with new age sounds and electronic music.Mercan Dedeis one of Turkey's most successful DJs, mi xing trance with historical and mysticSufisongs. Another worldwide recognized name from the underground music scene of Turkey isMert Yücel.Yücel was responsible for the firsthouse musicalbum to be released in Turkey. He also had worldwide acclaimed and respected releases on US and UK dance labels.He is one of the key names defining the underground house sound emerging from Istanbul.

Musical influence of Syrian refugees and other immigrants

The influx of immigrants and refugees fromAfghanistan,Syria,Iraq,Pakistan,Central Asian,andAfrican countrieshas affected the Turkish musical landscape, particularly inIstanbul.Bands such as Country for Syria, and Saktat explicitly blend the music of different refugee communities in Istanbul to create a mix of Turkish, Arab, Greek, Persian, and Western influences.Buskinghas played an important role in the development of this style.

Music industry

Further information:Music industry

The Turkish music industry includes a number of fields, ranging from record companies to radio stations and community and state orchestras. Most of themajor record companiesare based in Istanbul's region ofUnkapanıand they are represented by theTurkish Phonographic Industry Society(MÜ-YAP).The major record companies produce material by artists that have signed to one of theirrecord labels,abrand nameoften associated with a particular genre orrecord producer.Record companies may also promote and market their artists, through advertising, public performances and concerts, and television appearances.

In recent years, the music industry has been embroiled in turmoil over the rise of the Internet downloading ofcopyrightedmusic and general piracy; many musicians and MÜ-YAP have sought to punish fans who illegally download copyrighted music.On 13 June 2006 it was reported that MÜ-YAP and The Orchard, the world's leading distributor and marketer of independent music, had reached an agreement on digital global distribution, representing approximately 80% of the Turkish music market.

There is not a substantial singles market in Turkey.It is album orientated, although popular singers such asYonca EvcimikandTarkanhave released singles with success.Most music charts not related to album sales, measure popularity by music video feedback and radio airplay.

Turkish radio stations often broadcast popular music. Each music station has aformat,or a category of songs to be played; these are generally similar to but not the same as ordinary generic classification. With the introduction of commercial radio and television in the early 1990s ending themonopolyof theTurkish Radio and Television Corporation(TRT), a multitude of radio and TV stations were opened bynewspapermedia moguls.These media chains sponsor award ceremonies such as theKral TVawards for music, but most accredited music awards are based on sales given out by industry societies such as MÜ-YAP and the Magazine Journalists Society (MJS).

Though major record companies dominate the Turkish industry, anindependent music industry(indie music) does exist. Indie music is mostly based around local record labels with limited, if any, retail distribution outside a small region. Artists sometimes record for an indie label and gain enough acclaim to be signed to a major label; others choose to remain at an indie label for their entire careers. Indie music may be in styles generally similar to mainstream music, but is often inaccessible, unusual or otherwise unappealing to many people. Indie musicians often release some or all of their songs over the Internet for fans and others to download and listen to.

Perhaps the most successful Turkish name associated with indie music outside of Turkey isAhmet ErtegunofAtlantic Records.His promotion of some of the most famousR&Band soul artists inNorth Americaand his contribution to the Americanmusic industryhas earned a place inRock and Roll Hall of Fame,together with his brotherNesuhi.

Music education

Further information:Music education

Music has a place ineducation in Turkey,and is a part of most or all school systems in the country. High schools generally offer classes in singing, mostly choral, and instrumentation in the form of a largeschool bandor social clubs and communities for Turkish classical or folk music, known ascemiyets.Music may also be a part of theatrical productions put on by a school's drama department. Many public and private schools have sponsored music clubs and groups, most commonly including themarching bandthat performsMehtermarches at school festivals. However, class time given to music in schools is restricted, and a large proportion of Turkish children and adults seem to have limited musical ability, e.g. they are unable to join a melody singing at the same pitch.

Higher education in the field of music in Turkey is mostly based around largeuniversities,connected to state musicacademiesandconservatories.A conservatory is usually a department of a university, not a separate institution. While many students join conservatories at the usual university entrance age, some conservatories also include a 'Lise' (Lycee), in effect a specialist music school for children aged 14 to 18 years. Conservatories often have amusicologydepartment, and do research on many styles of music especially the Turkish traditional genres, while also keeping a database of sounds in their sound libraries.

Holidays and festivals

Children's folklore ensemble from Turkey during a festival.

Further information:Festivals in Republic of TurkeyandHolidays in Turkey

Music is an important part of several Turkish holidays and festivals, especially playing a major part in the springtime celebration ofNewrozand religious festivities such asRamadan.New year is a traditional time for the belly dancer and weddings are celebrated with upbeat tunes, while funerals are mourned with musical laments. Patriotic songs like the national anthem, "The Independence March",are a major part of public holiday celebrations such asNational Independence & International Children's Daycelebrations on 23 April and 30 August Victory Day celebrations, a holiday that marksTurkish independence.Music also plays a role at many regional festivals that aren't celebrated nationwide, for example a music and dance parade and festival inZonguldak.

Istanbul,Ankaraandİzmirare also home to numerousmusic festivalswhich showcase styles ranging from the blues and jazz to indie rock and heavy metal. Some music festivals are strictly local in scope, including few or no performers with a national reputation, and are generally operated by local promoters. Recently large soft drink companies have operated their own music festivals, such asRock'n CokeandFantaparties, which draw huge crowds.

Notable people

• Emre Araci
• Wojciech Bobowski
• Mercan Dede
• Ahmet Ertegun
• Nesuhi Ertegun
• Oruç Güvenç
• Gülçin Yahya Kaçar
• Arif Mardin
• Erkan Oğur
• Cem Tuncer
• Baba Zula

See also

• Jazz in Turkey,2013 documentary film
• List of Turkish composers
• List of Turkish musicians
• List of music festivals in Turkey
• List of Turks in world culture
• Turkey in the Eurovision Song Contest
• Türkvizyon Song Contest 2013

Further reading

• Bartók, Béla & Suchoff, Benjamin (1976).Turkish Folk Music from Asia Minor (The New York Bartok Archive Studies in Musicology, No. 7).Princeton University Press.ISBN0-691-09120-X.
• Bates, Eliot (2011).Music in Turkey: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture (Global Music Series).Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0-195-39414-6.
• Head, Matthew (2000).Orientalism, Masquerade and Mozart's Turkish Music (Royal Musical Association Monographs S.).Ashgate.ISBN0-306-76248-X.
• Jäger, Ralf Martin (1996).Türkische Kunstmusik und ihre handschriftlichen Quellen aus dem 19. Jahrhundert (Schriften zur Musikwissenschaft aus Münster 7).Wagner: Eisenach.ISBN3-88979-072-0.
• Karakayali, Nedim (2010). "Two Assemblages of Cultural Transmission: Musicians, Political Actors and Educational Techniques in the Ottoman Empire and Western Europe". Journal of Historical Sociology, 23 (3): 343-371.{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help)
• Popescu-Judetz, Eugenia (1999).Prince Dimitrie Cantemir: Theorist and Composer of Turkish music.Pan Books.ISBN975-7652-82-2.
• Signell, Karl (1977).Makam: Modal practice in Turkish Art Music.Asian Music Publications.ISBN0-306-76248-X.
• Stokes, Martin (2010).The Republic of Love: Cultural Intimacy in Turkish Popular Music.University of Chicago Press.ISBN978-0-226-77505-0.
• Tietze, Andreas & Yahalom, Joseph (1995).Ottoman Melodies - Hebrew Hymns: A 16th Century Cross-Cultural Adventure.Akademiai Kiado, Bibliotheca Orientalis Hungarica.ISBN963-05-6864-0.
• "Whose Song is it?".Tarkan Deluxe.RetrievedNovember 9,2004.
• "Yunus Emre: Sufi and Mystic".Tarkan Deluxe.RetrievedDecember 18,2004.
• "Turkish Music".Turkish Embassy.Archived fromthe originalon February 14, 2007.RetrievedApril 16,2006.
• DURU, Dr. Riza,Chronology of Turkish Music Theoreticians.April 9, 2021.

External links

• :Turkish music performed by Hungarian musicians, Budapest.
• Turkish music publications by Karl Signell.
• Turkish music performed by Hungarian musicians, Budapest.
• Turkish Music Quarterlyprint journal contents.
• BBC Radio 3 Audio (60 minutes): Selim Sesler, troubadour songs and an Alevi ceremony.Accessed November 25, 2010.
• BBC Radio 3 Audio (60 minutes): Aynur, Erkan Ogur, Kirike and Rembetiko.Accessed November 25, 2010.
• (in French)Audio clips: Traditional music of Turkey.Musée d'ethnographie de Genève.Accessed November 25, 2010.
• Turkish Music PortalAll about Turkish Music
• Music of Turkey
• Crossing The Bridge: Sounds from Istanbul
• Turkish Music and Voice Library
• Musicat theUysal-Walker Archive of Turkish Oral Narrative
• Ney Making House Web Site
• Turkish Clarinet Music
• Golden Horn Records
• Turkish Musical Instruments Shop
• Insomnia Radio: Turkiye (Turkish Indie Music Available in English & Turkish)
• Turkey Music Listings
• Lifting the Boundaries: Muzaffer Efendi and the Transmission of Sufism to the West by Gregory Blann
• Field music of the Ottoman Court and Europe
• Mevlit"Merhaba bahrı"excerpt sung by Kâni Karaca
• Kanto
• Feza NeverdInteresting instrumental music composed by Mehmet Gencler
• Comprehensive Turkish Music Video Archive
• Anthology of Turkish Piano Music, Vol. Ion SheetMusicPlus
• Anthology of Turkish Piano Music, Vol. IIon SheetMusicPlus
• Anthology of Turkish Piano Music, Vol. IIIon SheetMusicPlus
• Rock Music Turkey
• Turkish Top 20