Did you know that Turkey has one of the biggest music industry of the world? Mainly for the domestic market. ***
We can categorize the types of music heard through the years of Anatolia’s long history into 5 groups:
- Turkish Folk Music ( Türkü )
- Modern Turkish Classical Music,
- Popular Music
- Heavy metal, Anatolian heavy metal
- Arabesque
Folk music or Türkü generally deals with subjects surrounding daily life in less grandiose terms than the love and emotion usually contained in its traditional counterpart, Ottoman court music.
*** In the 70s and 80s, modern bards following the aşık tradition such as Aşik Veysel and Mahsuni Şerif moved away from spiritual invocations to socio-politically active lyrics. ***
Aşık Veysel Mahsuni Şerif
"Cemilem" from another famous Folk Music Singer, Sümer EZGÜ.
2- Modern Turkish Classical Music
*** Ottoman court music has a large and varied system of modes or scales known as makams, and other rules of composition. A number of notation systems were used for transcribing classical music, the most dominant being the Hamparsum notation in use until the gradual introduction of western notation. ***
Turkish classical music is taught in conservatories and social clubs, the most respected of which is Istanbul's Üsküdar Musiki Cemiyeti. Some of famous performers are Bülent Ersoy, Zeki Müren and Müzeyyen Senar.
“Elbet Birgün Buluşacağız” ( We will meet someday ) -ZEKİ MÜRENTurkish classical music is taught in conservatories and social clubs, the most respected of which is Istanbul's Üsküdar Musiki Cemiyeti. Some of famous performers are Bülent Ersoy, Zeki Müren and Müzeyyen Senar.
3- Turkish Pop Music
Popular music is distinguished from the traditional genres as those styles that entered the Turkish music after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. *** (either due to attempts of national modernization from 1924 onwards, the opening of the republic to Western musical influences or modern fusions and innovations from artists themselves.) ***
Some of famous pop singers are; Tarkan, Sezen Aksu, Ajda Pekkan, Sertab Erener.
4- Heavy Metal, Anatolian Heavy Metal
*** Groups like Pentagram ( known as Mezarkabul outside Turkey ), Catafalque, Knight Errant and Almora. Individuals as Ogün Sanlısoy and Hayko Cepkin. ***
Other recent rock bands with a more western sound include Manga, Duman and Mor ve Ötesi who enjoy large mainstream success. Şebnem Ferah, Özlem Tekin and Teoman are examples of individual rock artists with substantial fan-bases.
*** Turkey also boasts numerous large-scale rock festivals and events. Annually held rock festivals include Barışarock, H2000 Music Festival, Rock'n Coke, and RockIstanbul. ***
5- Arabesque
Arabesque or Arabesk (Turkish: Arabesk) is a genre termed so by Turkish musicologists for Arabic-style music created in Turkey. *** The genre was particularly popular in Turkey in the decades from the 1960s through 1990s. ***
Some of famous arabesque singers are Ferdi Tayfur and Orhan Gencebay.
