Arabesque Music

Another type of music in Turkey is the Arabesque Music!

Arabesque or Arabesk is a genre termed so by Turkish musicologists for Arabic-style music created in Turkey. The so-called ‘arabesque’ music in Turkey has been the most popular musical genre since late 1960s. Although melodies and rhythms are predominantly Arabic-pop influenced, it also draws ideas from other aspects of Middle Eastern music including Bağlama music, Turkish forms of oriental dance and Ottoman classical music.

BAGLAMA
Bağlama is a stringed musical instrument shared by various cultures in the Eastern Mediterranean, Near East, and Central Asia. It is sometimes referred to as the saz. The term saz is mainly used to refer to a family of plucked string instruments, long-necked lutes used in Ottoman classical music, Turkish folk music, Kurdish music.

No wonder I found the word saz to be quite familiar. They're both the same!!



The most commonly used string folk instrument in Turkey, the baglama has seven strings divided into courses of two, two and three.

The different types of Baglama Family:
It can be tuned in various ways and takes different names according to region and size: Bağlama, Divan Sazı, Bozuk, Çöğür, Kopuz Irızva, Cura, Tambura, etc. The cura is the smallest member of the bağlama family: larger than the cura is the tambura, tuned an octave lower. The Divan sazı, the largest instrument in the family, is tuned one octave lower still.

The bağlama is believed to be a synthesis of historical musical instruments in Central Asia and pre-Turkish Anatolia. Bağlama literally translates as "something that is tied up", probably a reference to the tied-on frets of the instrument.

Smallest and Largest Baglama




CONTINUE: ARABESQUE MUSIC
A very small percentage of Arabesk is exclusively instrumental. As the year goes by, the sound grew more dancey and upbeat.

Founder of this genre: Orhan Gencebay


One of the most prolific and commercially successful is İbrahim Tatlıses.


İbrahim Tatlıses is a singer of mixed Arab and Kurdish background born in the town of Şanlıurfa in Turkey.

Why is he the most profilic artist in Turkey's history?
He broke all sales records in Turkey in 1978 and continues to turn out popular music to this day. Thus, he made a major change to Turkey's music industry. His music basically focused on traditional folk music played on indigenous instruments. Tatlises, with no doubt is great singer and he can easily high pitch his vocal from three to five musical scales. He has maintained popularity in the Arabesk scene in recent years through remixing his tracks into dance friendly club tracks.

These are some of his marvelous works!
I found this one below interesting as the beginning reminds me of a particular malay song which I couldn't recall the title.


A more upbeat music. Quite traditional yet has an essence of modernity (does that word even exist?)


Creative use of instruments! Very hindi though but folky (hahaha folky!)




Another artist that is popular with Arabesque Music:
Bülent Ersoy

She has a very controversy history in which she undergo an operation for a sex change! But its not something that I would want to elabourate on, so I'll just leave you with her works. This shemale is very famous for arabesque music. And to me, her music is much more better than Tatlises as he/she works are more purer to arabesque and not so much on modern and pop.







Conclusion: After listening to various songs/music by different artist, I can say that arabesque music tends to use ALOT of string instruments! And its usually heavy and very hindi-ish.

Upcoming research

My brother is gonna use this com. So i'm gonna briefly explain what I'm goin to further research on, even if Miss Tina were to ask me to stop and execute, I WONT! Coz Im in my paranoid research moments where I would go around researching non-stop!

After I cover Kurdish and Turkish music, I will cover Arabic/Arabesque, Arabic Andalusian. AFter covering part of middle eastern music, I will proceed to Celtic music (irish music in Scotland), Asian music and if I have time, African music.

African music has an interesting history as it consists of mixtures of musics form all parts of the world. Asian music for some reason Miss Tina said need to research, so ok lor. And I like Celtic music which has a very fascinating history of harpies and fairies!

BYE!!!

Turkish Music_part 4

This might be a wordy entry, but its very useful to me, so Miss Tina, bear with it!!
MORE AND MORE INTERESTING FACTS REGARDING TURKISH MUSIC CULTURE

First and foremost, the basic history as to why some of Turkish music has an influence of other regions. The term to take note here is CULTURAL EXCHANGE.

The Turks have lived in Anatolia and Thrace for nearly 2000 years. Along with the musical culture they brought with them from Asia, they have participated in cultural exchange with the local people in these regions. Consequently Turkish folk music in Anatolia displays a special structure comprised of several independent musical regions.

How these people actually create music?

it takes as its subjects all the natural and social events experienced by the people. The variety in its musical structure, instruments used, those who perform the music, and their social positions, are direct reflections of the people's lives.

The next paragraph might be wordy, but they are extremely useful and interesting to me!

Turkish folk music is fed by two main sources: türkü singers (those who create local music via anonymous songs) and âsiks. Türkü singers sing the songs that are performed in all sorts of celebrations, special rituals, certain religious gatherings and funerals throughout Anatolia. As they sing them over and over, they add different words, and create new songs with new names. The musical patterns as well as the lyrics they use are anonymous. Asiks on the other hand, are people who mostly create music with their own lyrics or the lyrics of other asiks. As they are outside the local music culture and sing and play in their own unique styles, the personal quality of their music is more obvious.

INFORMATION ON TURKISH LYRICS

As in Turkish music in general, Turkish folk music is based chiefly on lyrics. Turkish folk music is the musical expression of folk literature, which addresses events experienced by all sections of society with both a secular and religious approach. In Turkish society, where the word is considered sacred, it is natural that the meanings of lyrics should take on a sacred character.

This website gives a whole lot of information regarding the MUSICAL STRUCTURE, in which U have read it, but im afraid by summarizing, I might lose out important things. So I'll just leave it as it be.

http://www.turkishmusicportal.org/page.php?id=40

MINSTRELS IN TURKISH MUSIC
Remember minstrels in kurdish music? Now here they are in Turkish music!

The Asiks (minstrels) are one of the most distinguished and brilliant communities of performers encountered within the realm of Turkish culture. Generally coming up singing lyrics and poetry to the accompaniment of the saz, the asiks are artists that give voice to all of the social events of the societies in which they exist, and write footnotes to history.

In general terms, we can divide the asiks into two main groups: Itinerant asiks and local asiks.

There is also Asiks culture. I'm not sure whether to expand on it or not.

OK THATS THE END OF MY TURKISH RESEARCH!

Turkish Music_part 3

Here are some of the Turkish music that I have found on youtube. NOTE: they are not just randomly picked but carefully selected!

TRADITIONAL TURKISH MUSIC/SONG
I like this one. Very nice and turkish-ish








From the Ottomon period. I should find more of these.


FOUND! (might be abit Iranian (irish sound) though


This is just a violin instrumental music. Nice!


This is a more pop and modern song of the Turkish, combined with different instruments. Doesn't really sound like pure Turkish Music, or even Turkish music at all!


This is a better modern Turkish pop song.


Combined with piano and abit of upbeat. Modern but still very turkish.


A very upbeat and poppish kind of turkish music which has an essence of persian music. Not bad. I like!


psssst
http://exoticmusicshop.com/sf-articles-of-Authentic_Turkish_Instruments-tp-1.htm

Im saving that website here as it contains a whole lot of infos regarding turkish musical instruments. wakakakakkaa. nothing to laugh about, but yeah.

Turkish Music_part 2

MORE ON TURKISH MUSIC ORIGINS
Turkish classical music refers quite specifically to the music cultivated by the Ottoman Empire. That empire included substantial territory which had been under Byzantine or Arabic control, and the substratum of traditional music in Turkey was conditioned by that history. Moreover, the music of the Arab Empires had already been strongly conditioned by Persian culture. The Ottoman Empire eventually became very cosmopolitan.

Conclusion: So, in short, Turkish music has an influence on Persian culture?

Turkish music has a large & varied system of modes, overlapping the Arabic system of maqam.

MAQAM
Arabic maqām is the system of melodic modes used in traditional Arabic music, which is mainly melodic. The word maqam in Arabic means place, location or rank. The Arabic maqam is a melody type. Each maqam is built on a scale, and carries a tradition that defines its habitual phrases, important notes, melodic development and modulation. Arabic maqams are based on a musical scale of 7 notes that repeats at the octave. Some maqams have 2 or more alternative scales (e.g. Rast, Nahawand and Hijaz)

Conclusion: So maqam can be considered a scale like a chromatic scale that our modern days used in concert bands. Hmmmm...not something that I want to further elabourate on.

Ok now lets go into the different types of instruments. First of all, one of the more significant musical instrument in Turkish, the NEY.



In the Sufi tradition, the reed flute ney is the most important instrument. The ney is used in one or more forms throughout the region, and whereas the Iranian technique features alternation between two positions (including the more shrill sound of holding the mouthpiece with the teeth), Turkish technique relies only on the airier sound achieved by positioning the instrument against the bottom of the lower lip. The ney is specifically connected to Ottoman court music through the ceremonies of the Mevlevis (whirling dervishes), which were supported by many Ottoman rulers.

FYI, SUFI is derived from SUFISM which is an inner mythical of Islam.

One of the best player of the Turkish Ney is Kudsi Erguner, a Turkish musician. More information on this musician can be found here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kudsi_Erguner

Now here is a picture of him. Awww doesnt he look cuuutteee!


This is one of his work from one of his many albums which featured mainly Islamic songs which is praises to God.


MORE INFORMATION ON NEY
An end-blown flute that figures prominently in Persian, Turkish and Arabic music. In some of these musical traditions, it is the only wind instrument used. It is a very ancient instrument, with depictions of ney players appearing in wall paintings in the Egyptian pyramids and actual neys being found in the excavations at Ur. This indicates that the ney has been played continuously for 4,500–5,000 years, making it one of the oldest musical instruments still in use. It is a forerunner of the modern flute.

An interesting fact indeed!

Lets take a look at how a NEY is being played.




The ney consists of a piece of hollow cane or reed with five or six finger holes and one thumb hole. However, modern neys may be made of metal or plastic tubing instead.

There are also other types of flutes: Kargı Düdük (a long reed flute) and Tsuur (an end blown flute that is found in western Mongolia). But I'm not gonna concentrate on these two.

I found this very very very useful websites that provides all one need on the insights of a Turkish Music.
http://www.turkishmusicportal.org/index.php

Turkish Music

After a long research on Kurdish music, lets move on to another part of the middle eastern music, which is Turkish Music.

TURKISH MUSIC (STYLE)
Turkish Music is not really music of Turkey, but rather a musical style that was occasionally used by the European composers of the Classical music era. This music was modeled — though often only distantly — on the music of Turkish military bands, specifically the Janissary bands.

JANISSARY
The Janissaries (meaning, new soldier) comprised infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan's household troops and bodyguards. The force was created by the Sultan Murad I from Muslim sons in the 14th century.

Janissaries Officers


The Janissary corps were significant in a number of ways. The Janissaries wore uniforms, were paid in cash as regular soldiers, and marched to distinctive music, the mehter, similar to a modern marching band.

The military march music of the Janissaries is characteristic because of its powerful, often shrill sound combining davul (bass drum), zurna (a loud oboe), naffir (trumpet), bells, triangle, and cymbals (zil), among others. Janissary music influenced European classical musicians like Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven, both of whom composed marches in the Turkish style (Mozart's Piano Sonata in A major.

CONTINUE: TURKISH MUSIC (STYLE)
"Turkish" music is always lively in tempo, and is almost always a kind of march. ----> something to take note of.
When "Turkish" music was scored for orchestra, it normally used extra percussion instruments not otherwise found in orchestras of the Classical period: typically, the bass drum, the triangle, and cymbals. Often there is also a piccolo, whose penetrating tone adds to the outdoor atmosphere. ---> a feel/mood for Turkish music

Turkish music is one of the world's great undiscovered artistic treasures. WHY? Most traditional Turkish music is based on quarter-tone modes or scales which makes the music sound strange and many notes sound flat to Western ears familiar with half-tone scales. They aren't really flat, they're quarter-tones (the tone between two half-tones). Once you're used to them, they sound fine, and give an entirely different color to the music.

All three of the great Classical era composers, Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, wrote at least some "Turkish" music. (INTERESTING FACT). For more information on this, go to
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_music_(style)

Another interesting fact.
Eventually it became possible to write music with bass drum, triangle, and cymbals without necessarily evoking a Turkish atmosphere, and in the later 19th century symphonic composers made free use of these instruments. Thus in the long run the Turkish instruments are a gift to Western classical music from the Turkish military-music tradition.

Kurdish Music

HERE ARE SOME OF THE TRADITIONAL KURDISH MUSIC