TRADITIONAL MUSIC
AND DANCE IN
TURKEY
Ada Olcen
Contents:
1. Self Presentation
2. Traditional Music and Dance in Turkey
3. Well-Known Turkish Singers
4. References
SELF PRESENTATION
Hello,my name is Ada Ölçen. I am sixteen years old, I am
from Turkey.
I love all kinds of music but I’m really fond of indie rock.
My favourite band is Iron Maiden and my favorite singer is
Lana Del Rey.
My hobbies are reading books,watching movies,listening to
music,learning new languages and swimming. I am keen on
art history too, art has an important role in my life.
TRADITIONAL MUSIC IN
TURKEY
Turkish music history, which examines the relationship of Turks
with music from the time when the Turks first emerged onto the
world scene to the present day, is not a science that one can
undertake in detail. If history is considered to begin with writing,
the interval during which the Turks have expressed themselves in
writing covers only the last 1,500 years. Unfortunately, we don’t
have any sources relating to Turkish civilization of earlier periods.
Consequently, both Turkish history, as well as our data on Turkish
culture, is extremely limited.
the Earliest Music
Before the invention of writing, Turkish
people read peoms called “koşuk” and play
kopuz,whichis a kind of musical instrument.
After the invention of writing and
acceptance of Islam, music had changed
structural, instrumentally and thematically.
Music was generally about Islam and there
was a kind of music called “islamic music”
Music in the Ottoman Empire
In the Ottoman Empire, the military had a band.
Ottoman military bands are known as “Mehter
Takımı” and their song’s name is “Mehter Marşı”
Ottoman military bands are thought to be the oldest
variety of military marching bands in the world.
Music in the Republic of Turkey
In 1923, Turkey opened a new page in its history with the declaration of the Turkish
Republic. Continuing with this new regime, the nation underwent radical changes, ranging
from its form of administration to its educational system.
The fine arts and performing arts, including music, naturally took their places in this
development. The desire was to adapt music - one of the important branches of the arts - to
world trends, and introduce Turkish musicians to the long-rooted European tradition of a
conservatory education, and thus launch an entirely new period in Turkey.
Consequently in 1924, with the passing of the Tevhid-i Tedrisat Kanunu(Educational
Law), the Musiki Muallim Mektebi (Music Teachers' College) was founded. This was the
country's first school for music teachers, which brought up the first generation of
Folk Songs in Turkey
There are seven regions in Turkey and each has their
own songs and dances.
In the Aegean, there is a song called “harmandali” and
a dance which is known as “zeybek”
Zeybek: Colorfully dressed male dancers, called
Efe,symbolize courage and heroism. Zeybek is
rendered by one person or two or by a group of people.
Zeybek:
Horon: This typical Black Sea dance is performed by groups dressed in
black. The dancers link arms and quiver to the vibrations of the
kemence, a primitive type of violin. Horon can be rendered with many
folk songs.
Halay: Halay is a part of Turkish dance and is performed to a large
extent in the Eastern, Southeastern and Central Anatolia and it is one of
the most striking dance. It has a rich figure structure of simplicity is the
symbol of creation and originality of the folk. You may experience all
the measures and rhythmic elements of the Turkish folk music in the
halay melodies. There are many songs for halay too.
Bar: Bar is a form of folk dance from eastern Turkey.
The dance is performed by groups in the open. Turkish
folk music are applied with extremely different and
interesting structures in this dance.
Kılıç Kalkan: Kilic Kalkan represents the Ottoman
conquest of Bursa. It is performed by men only,
dressed in early Ottoman battle dress, who dance to the
sound of clashing swords and shields without music.
Well-Known Folk Singers
Aşık Veysel is a famous folk singer. When he was 7 years
old,he became blind because of a disease. Although he
was blind, he wrote folk songs and played the baglama.
These are some of his most popular songs:
-Kara Toprak
-Güzelligin On Para Etmez
-Uzun İnce Bir Yoldayım
Asik Mahsuni Serif: He is very famous too. These
are some of his most popular folk songs:
-Zalimin Zulmu Varsa
-Dumanli Dumanli Oy Bizim Eller
Neset Ertas:He is one of the well-known folk
singers. These are some of his most popular songs:
-Yalan Dunya
-Gonul Dagi
These are other well-known Turkish singers:
Baris Manco,Cem Karaca,Selda Bagcan, Sezen
Aksu, Erkin Koray, Zeki Muren, Bulent Ortacgil,
Ajda Pekkan, Tarkan…
References:
www.wikipedia.com
www.turkishmusicportal.org
www.tansagturkakademi.com
www.propertyturkey.com
Thanks for reading
