Turkish Tradition-Masterpieces Of Turkish Musical Culture

Music in today's northwest Turkey can be divided into three main divisions: traditional folk music, Turkish classical music and western-influenced music, whether religious or not. The selections in this collection are all non-religious and they cover the first two of these main divisions. Musicologists still argue as to the exact origins of today's Turkish folk music, Suffice it to say that the richness of Turkey's cultural heritage owes much to its unique location, which many tribes and civilisations have occupied and passed through. Certainly the music here would have struck a chord with the courts of the Seljuklu Empire (11th-13th centuries) and the early period Ottoman Empire (14th-16th centuries). Ottoman Turkish music and its intricate structure has long been a revelation to foreigners and Turks alike. Learning and teaching music in the Ottoman Empire was done through memorizing and constant practising guided by a master, which means that little sheet music exists. As a result, the music here has a direct link to a distant and mysterious past that few others can offer.