TURKEY Rythmes et Mélodies de Turquie – Le Club Français du Disque 92

TURKEY – TURQUIE
Rythmes et Mélodies de Turquie – Le Club Français du Disque 92, recorded by Blaise Calame, 1957 (10 in, 33 RPM)

"In Turkey, popular music has long been overlooked and neglected compared with art music. It is actually one of the most interesting aspects of Turkish cultural life, now found solely in the countryside and remote mountainous regions. It is in these least accessible regions that one finds the most authentic examples of a musical art which occupies a special place in Middle-Eastern music," wrote violin player Blaise Calame in the 1957 French liner notes.

« Pendant longtemps la musique populaire a été sous-estimée en Turquie et négligée au profit de la musique savante. Elle représente pourtant un des aspects les plus intéressants de la vie culturelle, développée dans les campagnes et les nombreuses contrées montagneuses et retirées de la Turquie. C'est même dans les régions les moins accessibles que l'on trouve les spécimens les plus authentiques d'un art musical qui occupe une place à part dans la musique du Proche-Orient, » affirme le violoniste Blaise Calame dans le livret accompagnant ce disque écrit en 1957.

A1 – Horon. An intense fast-paced Black Sea fishermen’s dance performed on a three-stringed kemençe violin near Rize, in the Eastern Black Sea region.

A2 – Dag Havasi / Mountain Air. A funeral oration from the mountainous region of Kars, in Eastern Anatolia, performed on the ancient double-reed mey, which, at the time, was still being played in certain mountainous areas.

A3 – Süpürgesi Yoncadan. Dance from the Bolu region, in Central Anatolia; the saz player sings a love song entitled The Clover Broom.

A4 – Avsar Beyleri / The Lords of the Avsar (name of a people from ancient Turkey). Dance from the Burdur region, in southern Anatolia, performed on the saz.

A5 – Köçeri. Dance from Erzurum, in Eastern Anatolia, played on the quircky oboe-like zurna.

B1 – Sinsin. Dance around a fire from Kayseri, Central Anatolia. The orchestra composed includes two saz, a cura saz, a meydan sazi, and the darbuka drum.

B2 – Koroglu. Epic folk song from the region of Kars and Erzurum. An asik (wandering minstrel) plays the meydan saz and sings about the bravery of Koroglu, a legendary 16th-century hero and bard.

B3 – Hemsin Horonu. Three dances from the mountainous region south of Rize, in the Eastern Black Sea region, performed around a tulum bagpipe player.

B4 – Kol Basti / The Police Have Come. A dance from the western coast of the Black Sea, performed on the saz lute and darbuka drum. The song refers to a former regime which banned popular entertainment. As the police approach, the music is subdued until they leave.

B5 – Halay. A dance from Diyar Bakir, "the land of copper," in Eastern Anatolia, played on the double-reed mey and darbuka drum.

Map showing where the album's musics were recorded

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Our other Turkish music posts:

Nuit Précieuse au Serail – ARION 30 U 097 here
Musique de Turquie – ALPHA 5018 here

Photographs below are from The Illustrated Guide to Islam: History, Philosophy, Traditions, Teachings, Art and Architecture by Raana Bokhari, Lorenz Books, 2012, and Musique de Turquie - Les Traditions Musicales by Ursula Reinhard, Buchet-Chastel, 1997:

Miniature Ottoman astrological zodiac chart, which illustrates mankind's divine predestination, 1583:

Epic-story singer Kir Ismail, aka Ismail the Grey, playing the cura saz, 
Haruniye, Adana Province:

Halil Can (1905-1973) playing the ney flute:

Davul drum player:

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