ottoman military band (mehter)
TRANSCRIPT
History
● Often called janissary music● The mehter first started playing for the
Ottoman Sultan (13th century)● Military marching band● Served to spread news from the state
as well● Classical european composers were
inspired by mehters (Alla Turca compositions)
In The Battlefield
● Would play to instill courage in the soldiers
● The music would accompany the men into battle
● The music was also meant to intimidate the enemy
● The stealing of the mether was a sign of military defeat
Today
● Oldest military band ● Ceremonial● Reminder of Turkey’s past ● Today’s mehters play newer
compositions● Mehter Troop: the band of the Turkish
armed forceso performs a the Military Museum (Istanbul)
Members
çorbacıbaşı: Leader of the band
(üsküf - headdress)
Flag bearer; Standard bearers
Çevgan players
Members
Kaba zurna players Boru players
● Six layered (altı katlı)
● Seven layered (yedi katlı)
● Nine layered (dokuz katlı)
Characteristics
● Shrill sounds ● Stand in a crescent shape formation● Classical Turkish music (peşrev, semai,
nakış, cengiharbi, murabba and kalenderi.)
● Turkish Folk Music● The Mehterhane write the melodies
and lyrics
Musical Examples
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOHnzo6nOQg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlleTMH8TtMhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcOfib-2r9I
Works Citedhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottoman_military_band http://www.theottomans.org/english/campaigns_army/mehter.asp http://www.kultur.gov.tr/EN,35169/janissary-mehter-music.html http://www.turkishculture.org/music/military-mehter-86.htm