Ottoman military band

Ottoman military bands are thought to be the oldest variety of military marching band in the world. Though they are often known by the Persian-derived word mahtar (مهتر ; mehter in Ottoman Turkish) in the West, that word, properly speaking, refers only to a single musician in the band. In Ottoman, the band was generally known as mehterân (مهتران, from the Persian plural mahtarān), though those bands used in the retinue of a vizier or prince were generally known as mehterhane (مهترخانه, meaning roughly, "a gathering of mehters", from Persian "house of the mahtar"). In modern Turkish, the band as a whole is often termed mehter takımı ("group of mehters").

History

An Ottoman mehterân

It is believed that individual instrumentalists may have been mentioned in the 8th century Orkhon inscriptions, the oldest written sources of the people who would eventually become the modern Turks. Such military bands as the mehters, however, were not definitively mentioned until the 13th century. It is believed that the first "mehter" was sent to Osman Gazi by the Seljuk Sultan Alaeddin III as a present along with a letter that salutes the newly formed state. From then on every day after the afternoon prayer; "mehter" played for the Ottoman ruler. The notion of a military marching band, such as those in use even today, began to be borrowed from the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. The sound associated with the mehterân also exercised an influence on European classical music, with composers such as Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven all writing compositions inspired by or designed to imitate the music of the mehters. In 1826, the music of the mehters fell into disfavor following Sultan Mahmud II's massacre of the Janissary corps, who had formed the core of the bands. Subsequent to this, in the mid and late 19th century, the genre went into decline along with the Ottoman Empire. In 1911, as the empire was beginning to collapse, the director of Istanbul's military museum attempted a somewhat successful revival of the tradition, and by 1953—so as to celebrate the 500-year anniversary of the Fall of Constantinople to the forces of Sultan Mehmed II—the tradition had been fully restored as a band of the Turkish Armed Forces. Today, the music of the mehters is largely ceremonial and considered by many Turks as a stirring example of heroism and a reminder of Turkey's imperial past. Today, Mehter Troop (Mehter Bölüğü) is a band of the Turkish Armed Forces and it performs at the Military Museum (Askeri Müze) in Istanbul.

Structure

The standard instruments employed by a mehterân are the kös (a large bass drum resembling the timpani), the nakare (a small kettledrum), the davul (a frame drum), the zil (cymbals), the kaba zurna (a bass variety of the zurna), the boru (a kind of trumpet), and the cevgen (a kind of stick bearing small concealed bells). The different varieties of bands are classed according to the number of instruments and musicians employed: either six-layered (altı katlı), seven-layered (yedi katlı), or nine-layered (dokuz katlı). The costumes worn by the mehterân, despite wide variance in color and style, are always very colourful, often including high ribbed hats which are flared at the top and long robes wrapped in colourful silks.

Members

Ceremonial Members:

The çorbacıbaşı, leader of the mehter takımı, with horsetail as a sign of rank

Flag and standard bearers

Percussion Instruments:

The çevgan player

The kös player

Davul players

Zil and nakkare players

Wind Instruments:

Kaba zurna players

Boru players

Style

The sound of the Ottoman military band is characterized by an often shrill sound combining bass drums, horns (boru), bells, the triangle and cymbals (zil), among others. It is still played at state, military and tourist functions in modern Turkey by the Mehter Band and the troops that accompany. Mehterân usually play classical Turkish music such as peşrev, semai, nakış, cengiharbi, murabba and kalenderi. Most of the music played by mehterân is Turkish Folk Music with heroic themes from the Ottoman frontiers. Melodies and lyrics are written in Mehterhane (the house of Mehter). The oldest extant marches were written by Nefiri Behram, Emir-i Hac, Hasan Can and Gazi Giray II in the 16th century.

Well-known composers

Well-known compositions

"Ceddin Deden"

Though Mehter band played a variety of frontier marches, Ceddin deden is one of the best known

Lyrics Ceddin, deden, neslin, baban; x2 Hep kahraman Türk milleti. Orduların, pek çok zaman, vermiştiler dünyaya şan. x2
Türk milleti!, Türk milleti!; x2 Aşk ile sev hürriyeti, Kahret vatan düşmanını, çeksin o mel'un zilleti. x2
which can be translated in English as:
(Seek) Your ancestors, your grandfathers, your generation, your father x2 The Turkish nation has always been valiant. Your armies, many times, have been renowned throughout the world. x2
Turkish nation!, (O) Turkish nation!; x2 love (your) freedom passionately, Overwhelm the enemies of your motherland, and thus shall those cursed ones suffer abjection. x2

"Yine de Şahlanıyor Aman"

Lyrics Yinede şahlanıyor aman Kolbaşının yandım da kır atı Görünüyor yandım aman Bize serhad yolları. Davullar çalınsın aman Aman da ceng-i cengide harbiyi Görünüyor yandım aman Bize sefer yolları. Gâhi sefer olur aman Aman da sefer seferde eyleriz Hazan erişince aman Bahar güzel severiz. Gülyüzlü yari de aman Aman da hile ile de severiz Sefersiz olamaz aman Aman er evlaları.

See also

Military history of the Ottoman Empire Portal

• Ottoman classical music
• Ottoman imperial anthem
• Music of Turkey
• Turkish music (style)

References

• Mehter: Marche of Ottoman Empire's army
• Ottoman military band and Europe
• TheOttomans.org entry on the Mehterhane
• Mehter marşlari (sound recording), Istanbul: Sera, 2001?, OCLC 50813631

External links