Download Jewish Composers - Türk Musevi Cemaati

Jewish Composers,
Islands and Moonlit Nights Songs Concert
The Ayangil Turkish Music Orchestra and Chorus Soloists
Director: Prof. Dr. Rûhi Ayangil
Tuesday, July 7 2009, 9:00PM
Büyükada Anadolu Klübü
Songs composed by local Jewish composers will be performed in the first half.
After a short intermission Island, Moonlight and Sea themed songs will be
performed.
English explanations will be given by Prof. Ayangil.
A Brief explanation about TURKISH “MAKAM” MUSIC
Unlike “tonal music aspects”, “makam” music shelters vary characteristic features in
it, such as “perde”s (literally nondeterministic sound-bands), “usûl”s (literally unique
and complex rhythmic structures) and many different forms.
“Makam” music also has been shared as a deterministic and a common music cultural
value among the Arabic, Persian and Turkish civilization until nowadays beginning
from its occurrence. As a result of the evaluation of the “makam” music in the hands
of Turkish composers, many new “makam”s were created which they classified as
“terkîb”s constantly enriched the “makam” corpus. Each “makam” has its own unique
structure and they are also called with their special names as similar as “perde”s also
have, to make a difference from each other, such as “Sultânîyegâh”, “Ferahfezâ”,
“Hicaz”, “Vecd-i dil”, and so on. Because to be able to create beautiful and original
“nağme”s (literally melodies) by using several “usûl”s is the only aim of each
composer in “makam” music area, they added both “instrumental” and “verbal” well
embroidered examples into the repertoire which performed in various mediums from
“the palaces of the Sultans” to the Mosque’s and “Tekke”s under the appearance of
“religious” and “profane” music through the ages.
Like every “makam” shared nations, Turks also were developed and used several
musical instruments to perform their music. While the “kanun” had more widely
performing possibilities in the music of the other nations, the “tanbur” (long-necked
lute), and the “kemençe” (little fiddle) were only used by Turks beside it. On the other
hand the “ud”, the “ney”, the “keman”, the “santur”, the “daire”, the “def”, and the
“halile” are some other musical instruments have also being widely performed in
Turkish music today.
TÜRK YAHUDİ CEMAATİ VE YAHUDİ KÜLTÜRÜNÜ TANITMA PROJESİ
Introducing Jewish Culture and the Jewish Community of Turkey
Tünel, Yemenici Sok. No:21, Beyoğlu 34430 ISTANBUL
T: (212) 293 87 94 - F: (212) 244 19 80 [email protected] - www.musevicemaati.com
Jewish Composers,
Islands and Moonlit Nights Songs Concert
RUHİ AYANGİL
Born in Istanbul in 1953. Graduate of Istanbul University Faculty of LAW.
Started playing kanun at the age of 10. Attanded, Advanced Turkish Music
Conservatory, and Istanbul State Conservatory . His concervatory training is in the
field of vocal harmony. Studied piano, harmony and composition under Cemal Reşid
Rey. He built his kanun playing technique upon the style of his mentor H.F. Alnar.
1976-1986-Lecturer, Istanbul University State Turkish Music Conservatory.
1973-1981, directed the (Robert College) Boğaziçi University Chorus.Performed in
Holland, Russia and Poland. Lectured at the same university on Comperative Music
Theory and History.
1980, he performed Alnar’s Kanun Concerto for the first time with conductor Hikmet
Şimşek, and repeated his performances 31 times with different conductors.Recorded
this concerto with Oredea Philarmonic Orchestra-Hungary.
1983, he founded the Ayangil Turkish Music Orchestra and Chorus.
1988, awarded as the “Artist of the Year-Turkey” Title presented by the Turkish
Writers Association. USA-JASEES TYOP awarded him with the prize "Cultural
Achievement for Turkey"
for the recording “Uyan Ey Gözlerim”,casette, which
presents twelve 400-year-old hymns, compiled by Ali Ufki.
1989-1992, gave instrumental Kanun concerts in Rhodes, London, Frankfurt,
Brussels, Seville and Moscow .
1993-1994 he gave seminars in Manchester and London on Kanun & the
Development Stages of Turkish Music.
1980-1996 Participated all the international Istanbul Festivals.Conducted Ayangil
Turkish Music Orchestra and chorus, and performed the world premieres of the
polyphonic Turkish Music compositions, composed for this music group by
contemporary Turkish Composers.
1992 - ATMOC Participated International Helsinki Festival
Currently he is lecturing and the dean of Istanbul Yıldız Technical University, Arts
and Design Faculty.
Conducted numerous classical and modern Turkish Makam Music concerts all over
the world including, Europe, USA; Asia, Africa. He has been awarded several times
for his research into the roots of Turkish music and its evolution. He is a teacher,
composer, conductor and a Kanun player.
TÜRK YAHUDİ CEMAATİ VE YAHUDİ KÜLTÜRÜNÜ TANITMA PROJESİ
Introducing Jewish Culture and the Jewish Community of Turkey
Tünel, Yemenici Sok. No:21, Beyoğlu 34430 ISTANBUL
T: (212) 293 87 94 - F: (212) 244 19 80 [email protected] - www.musevicemaati.com
“Master of the Sultan / Tanbûrî Isak”
Among our composers of Jewish descent, the most renowned - without doubt; is
Tanbûrî İsak. Isak Fresco Romano lived in Ortaköy, yet being the tutor of tanbour to
the ruler of the era, the emperor Sultan III. Selîm Hân, he spent most of his time in
the palace (the Enderûn), and besides III. Selîm, was teacher to other composers and
musicians of the time; like Tanbûrî Oskiyam, and Tanbûrî Zeki Mehmed Ağa, he also
attended court sessions, and highly respected by his pupil III. Selîm, he enjoyed his
compliments and beneficence.
We are quoting from the musicolog Dr. Subhi Ezgi’s writing, a few anecdotes which
reflect both Tanbûrî İsak’s force in music and the respect he received from “his pupil,
the padishah of the world”:
“…İsak, being a competent composer of instrumental and vocal pieces is a violin and
tanbour player. His tanbour playing is very much orderly based on principles and
he performs both instrumental and vocal melodies beautifully, and simulates a
person singing. Playing the tanbour with such order and principle is peculiar to
İsak… İsak taught tanbour to III. Sultan Selim, Zeki Mehmed Ağa, Oskiyam and
others. It is recounted by his pupil Oskiyam, to his own pupil and also my tanbour
master Halim Efendi that upon his entrance to imperial court, Sultan Selim always
stood up in reverence and once, witnessing from behind a curtain, İsak’s being
scolded and pushed by an offensive harem agha, for once being late to a playing
session, III. Selim scolded the agha in the presence of İsak, saying: (- I can find
thousands of servants like you but not any one like İsak”. İsak made Sultan Selim
listen to his Isfahan overture which he had composed and was in return awarded a
tanbour tank full of money of miscellaneous currency, as a gift from the padishah…”
Being a distinguished composer himself, III. Selîm Hân’s such conduct towards
Tanbûrî İsak; sets up a concise example of how; as a ruler of a state of the world, and
being the pupil of his master - who is a great composer; he was filled with so much
respect, deep affection and admiration for him, - something from which a lesson
should be taken even today.
As may be observed in the Tanbûrî İsak example, all other composers of Jewish
descent realized the strong foundation/building of the collective universal sound of
the people, throughout the centuries, by putting their efforts into the music
performed in the dervish lodges to the palace and the mosques to the synagogues.
Bibliography:
Dr. S. Ezgi, M.Rona, İ.M.K.İnal, S.N.Ergin, Y.Öztuna, A.Galanti, B.Aksoy/
SONY, L.Dilmen/ KALAN.
TÜRK YAHUDİ CEMAATİ VE YAHUDİ KÜLTÜRÜNÜ TANITMA PROJESİ
Introducing Jewish Culture and the Jewish Community of Turkey
Tünel, Yemenici Sok. No:21, Beyoğlu 34430 ISTANBUL
T: (212) 293 87 94 - F: (212) 244 19 80 [email protected] - www.musevicemaati.com