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A Turkish Tune
The Turkish music scene shows a rich heritage, with elements of Central Asian folk, Arabic, Persian classical, ancient Greco-Roman and modern European and American popular music incorporated into its culture, an inescapable element of any holiday to Turkey. Two main areas of music have developed over time: Turkish classical (similar in style to Greco-Roman) and Turkish folk music (showing similarities to Central Asian). Turkish Influence on Western Classical Music If you learn just one thing about the local music on your Turkey holiday, it is likely to be something about military marching bands. Turkey developed the first marching band in history, a type of Ottoman Janissary band, called Mehter. Joseph Haydn was inspired by this, and composed his ‘Military Symphony’ and some of his operas to include Turkish instruments. Perhaps it was a holiday in Turkey that inspired Beethoven to include Turkish instruments in his 9th symphony. And Mozart found inspiration in Turkey’s musical genre too, writing ‘Ronda alla Turca’ for his Sonata in A major and incorporating Turkish themes into many of his operas. Bela Bartok embarked on a musical working holiday to Turkey, where he collected folk songs as he heard them played by the locals and wrote them down in order to preserve them for centuries to come. European classical composers were inspired by the music of Turkey, and were particularly fascinated by its emphasis on brass and percussion instruments. After a Turkey holiday where you can experience first hand a performance of traditional Turkish music, you will be able to hear its influence on these western classical works. Western Influence on Turkish Classical Music While Turkey’s influence on the music of the west is evident, the reverse is apparent too. On a Turkey holiday, you should look out for signs of Western influence on Turkey’s classical music. Western influence is evident as early as the 19th century, with the Europeanisation of the Ottoman Band Army. Sultan Muhmud II invited Giuseppe Donizetti to be his Master of Music in 1827. This naturally influenced all the music produced under Donizetti’s leadership, with obvious Western characteristics present in his music. Nearly a century later, a new school for the training of western instruments was founded, and the Istanbul Oriental Music School was renamed the Istanbul Conservatory in 1926. It is worth paying this institution a visit while on a Turkey holiday, as it is a perfect illustration of the West’s influence on Turkish musical development. Talented young Turkish music students were sent abroad to receive western musical training, the famous Turkish Five (Ulvi Erking, Ahmet Saygan, Neul Akses and Hasan Alnar) being a notable example. Traditional Turkish Folk Music and Instruments Folk songs usually focus on aspects of daily living, and are accounts of life events as well as folklore. They are almost always accompanied by traditional folk dancing, with different dances to suit different occasions and regions. At Aegean weddings for example, guests dance the Zeybek, while in other Rumeli regions more upbeat dances are performed. On your Turkey holiday you will be able to hear the different musical characteristics of the different regions, with decidedly lively songs in the Black Sea area compared to the lamenting tunes of the south. The instruments used range from bow instruments such as the kemense to wind instruments such as the zurna and daval. But the instrument that dominates Turkish folk music is the saz (also called the baglama), and is the instrument you are most likely to encounter on a holiday in Turkey. The saz is played by travelling musicians know as ozan, or by specific religious groups. Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com Jane Wilkinson is head of Marketing for Essential Sun. This travel company offers a range of fantastic holidays to Turkey and sun holidays in other destinations including Croatia, Spain, Cyprus and Tenerife. Their trained advisors can offer you advice on finding your ideal holiday at an unbeatable price. |
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