View source for Music of Turkey

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{Infobox candidate
| name                = Music of Turkey
| image               = Bursa Bölge Devlet Senfoni Orkestrası.jpg
| caption             = [[Bursa State Symphony Orchestra]] in 2009
}}
{{Music of Turkey sidebar}}
{{Culture of Turkey}}
The roots of traditional music in Turkey span across centuries to a time when the [[Seljuk Turks]] migrated to [[Anatolia]] and [[Persia]] in the 11th century and contains elements of both Turkic and pre-Turkic influences. Much of its modern popular music can trace its roots to the emergence in the early 1930s drive for [[Westernization]]. [[Ashik|Âşık]], [[Aytysh|atışma]], singing culture, wedding dance continued way of having fun with family and friends as before. Due to industry music and music in daily life aren't same. Turkish people including new generations have nostalgia music culture.<ref>https://m.haberturk.com/yazarlar/murat-bardakci/225117-ataturkun-alaturka-musiki-yasagi</ref><ref>https://www.ktb.gov.tr/TR-96530/turk-musikisinin-yasaklanmasi.html</ref><ref>https://www.gazeteduvar.com.tr/sanatcilar-radyocular-yazarlar-yanitliyor-90lara-neden-nur-yagdi-haber-1537900</ref><ref>https://www.kulturportali.gov.tr/portal/asiklikgelenegi</ref><ref name="soundsofanatolia">{{cite book|author=Stokes, Martin|title=Sounds of Anatolia|publisher=Penguin Books|year=2000|isbn=1-85828-636-0}}, pp 396-410.</ref>

Many Turkish cities and towns have vibrant local music scenes which, in turn, support a number of regional musical styles. Until the 1960s, Turkish music scene was dominated by two genres,  [[Turkish classical music]] and [[Turkish folk music]]  with some staple figures like [[Aşık Veysel]], [[Emel Sayın]], [[Zeki Müren]], [[Şevval Sam]], [[Bülent Ersoy]]. The 70s came with [[Anatolian rock]] and [[groove music]] based pop music, iterated by the likes of [[Cem Karaca]] and [[Barış Manço]]. However, western-style pop music lost popularity to arabesque in the late 1980s, with even its greatest proponents, [[Ajda Pekkan]] and [[Sezen Aksu]], falling in status. It became popular again by the beginning of the 1990s, as a result of an opening economy and society. With the support of Aksu, the resurging popularity of pop music gave rise to several international Turkish pop stars such as [[Tarkan (singer)|Tarkan]] and [[Sertab Erener]]. The late 1990s also saw an emergence of underground music producing [[alternative rock]], [[electronica]], [[Turkish hip hop|hip-hop]], [[Hip hop music|rap]] and [[dance music]] in opposition, leaded by the figures such as [[Şebnem Ferah]], [[Mercan Dede]] and [[Ceza]], to the mainstream corporate [[pop music|pop]] and [[Arabesque music|arabesque]] genres, which many believe have become too commercial.<ref name="musicscene">{{cite web|url=https://tarkandeluxe.blogspot.com/2006/02/istanbul-music-scene.html|title=Istanbul Music Scene|work=Yildirim, Ali. Tarkan DeLuxe|access-date=May 16, 2005}}</ref><ref>https://www.antalyahakkinda.com/haber/23810718/turk-sanat-muziginin-efsane-ismi-emel-sayin-kimdir-aslen-nereli-kac-evlilik-yapti</ref><ref>https://www.kulturportali.gov.tr/portal/2023--sik-veysel-yili-</ref>

The 2010s gave rise to [[indie music]] groups which were collectively named as "Üçüncü Yeniler" (Third New). With poetic, witty or emotional lyrics, groups' names are deliberately meaningless or employs [[figure of speech]] such as in the case of [[Nükleer Başlıklı Kız]] (a pun to Turkish translation of the [[Red Riding Hood]]).<ref>https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/yazarlar/orkun-un/ucuncu-yeniler-bizleri-mahvettiler-41761501</ref> Also, The nostalgia of the 80s and 90s pawed the way for artists like [[Gaye Su Akyol]] and [[Altın Gün]] to fuze groove vibes into modern music.<ref>https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/yazarlar/metin-celal/ucuncu-yenilerin-basarisi-1036351</ref> The 2020s brought in [[electronic dance music]] and [[drill music]] into mainstream, where they mostly top the charts.<ref>https://www.billboard.com/charts/turkey-songs-hotw/</ref>

== Classical music ==
{{Main|Turkish classical music}}
[[File:Süleymanname ottoman ensemble (1530).JPG|thumb|Ottoman orchestra of [[Suleiman the Magnificent]]]]
{{listen
 | filename     = KatibimUskudaraGiderIken-SafiyeAyla.ogg

 | title        = " Katibim (Üsküdar'a Gider iken)"

 | description  = An example of Turkish classical music.

 | format       = [[Ogg]]
}}
Ottoman court music has a large and varied system of modes or scales known as [[Turkish makam|makam]]s, and other rules of composition. A number of notation systems were used for transcribing classical music, the most dominant being the [[Hamparsum Limonciyan|Hamparsum]] notation in use until the gradual introduction of western notation.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Karabaşoğlu|first=Cemal|date=2015-02-12|title=Tradition of Notation in the History of Turkish Music|journal=Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences|series=International Conference on New Horizons in Education, INTE 2014, 25–27 June 2014, Paris, France|volume=174|pages=3832–3837|doi=10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.01.1121|doi-access=free}}</ref>

A specific sequence of classical Turkish musical forms becomes a ''fasıl'', a suite consisting of an instrumental prelude (''peṣrev''), an instrumental postlude (''saz semaisi''), and in between, the main section of vocal compositions which begins with and is punctuated by instrumental improvisations, called [[Taqsim|taksim]].<ref name="ottomu">{{cite web|url=http://www.turkmusikisi.com/osmanli_musikisi/the_ottoman_music.htm|title=The Ottoman Music|work=Tanrıkorur, Cinuçen (Abridged and translated by Savaş Ş. Barkçin)|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061215165158/http://www.turkmusikisi.com/osmanli_musikisi/the_ottoman_music.htm|archive-date=December 15, 2006}} [[Çinuçen Tanrıkorur|Tanrıkorur]] argues that the perceived differences between the traditional music genres stemmed from the cultural clash between the East and the West that emerged during the Tanzîmat Era (1839-1908).</ref> A full fasıl concert would include four different instrumental forms and three vocal forms, including a light classical song, ''şarkı''. A strictly classical fasıl (in the early 19th-century style) remains in the same [[Turkish makam|makam]] throughout, from the introductory taksim and usually ending in a dance tune or ''oyun havası''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ottomansouvenir.com/Music/Ottoman_and_Anatolian_Folk_Songs.htm|title=The Fasil|work=Ottoman Souvenir|access-date=April 15, 2004}}</ref> However shorter ''şarkı'' compositions, precursors to modern day songs, are a part of this tradition, many of them extremely old, dating back to the 14th century; many are newer, with late 19th century songwriter [[Haci Arif Bey]] being especially popular.

;Composers and Performers

Other famous proponents of this genre include Sufi [[Dede Efendi]], [[Dimitrie Cantemir|Prince Cantemir]], [[Hamparsum Limonciyan|Baba Hamparsum]], [[Kemani Tatyos Ekserciyan|Kemani Tatyos Efendi]], Sultan [[Selim III]] and Sultan [[Suleyman the Magnificent]]. The most popular modern Turkish classical singer is [[Münir Nurettin Selçuk]], who was the first to establish a lead singer position. Other performers include [[Bülent Ersoy]], [[Zeki Müren]], [[Müzeyyen Senar]], [[Zekai Tunca]], [[:tr:Arif Sami Toker|Arif Sami Toker]] and [[Emel Sayın]].<ref>https://www.antalyahakkinda.com/haber/23810718/turk-sanat-muziginin-efsane-ismi-emel-sayin-kimdir-aslen-nereli-kac-evlilik-yapti</ref>

=== Ottoman harem music ===
{{further|Belly dance}}
[[File:Surname_17b.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|Female musical players. Ottoman miniature painting, 18th century.]]

From the makams of the royal courts to the melodies of the royal [[harem]]s, a type of dance music emerged that was different from the ''oyun havası'' of fasıl music. In the [[Ottoman Empire]], the harem was that part of a house set apart for the women of the family. It was a place in which non-family males were not allowed. [[Eunuch (court official)|Eunuchs]] guarded the sultan's harems, which were quite large, including several hundred women who were wives and concubines. There, female dancers and musicians entertained the women living in the harem. [[Belly dance]] was performed by women for women. This female dancer, known as a ''rakkase'', which is the Arabic word for "female dancer", hardly ever appeared in public.<ref name="rakkas">{{cite web|url=http://www.jasminjahal.com/articles/02_02_male_belly_d.html|title=Male belly dance in Turkey|work=Jahal, Jasmin|access-date=February 2, 2002}}</ref> Although [[çengi]]s did. As well as [[köçek]]s.

This type of harem music was taken out of the sultan's private living quarters and to the public by male street entertainers and hired dancers of the Ottoman Empire, the male ''rakkas''. These dancers performed publicly for wedding celebrations, feasts, festivals, and in the presence of the sultans.<ref name="rakkas"/>

Modern oriental dance in Turkey is derived from this tradition of the Ottoman rakkas. Some mistakenly believe that Turkish oriental dancing is known as [[Chiftetelli|Çiftetelli]] due to the fact that this style of music has been incorporated into oriental dancing by [[Greeks]], illustrated by the fact that the Greek belly dance is sometimes mistakenly called [[Tsifteteli]]. However, [[Çiftetelli]] is now a form of folk music, with names of songs that describe their local origins, whereas rakkas, as the name suggests, is from Arabic which means "male dancer".<ref name="rakkas"/> Dancers are also known for their adept use of finger cymbals as instruments, also known as [[zill|zils]].

=== Romani influences ===
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:gypsy musicians.png|thumb|200px|19th century print of Romani musicians]] -->
{{further|Romani music}}

[[Romani people|Romani]] are known throughout Turkey for their musicianship. Their urban music brought echoes of classical Turkish music to the public via the ''meyhane'' or taverna. This type of ''fasıl'' music (a style, not to be confused with the fasıl form of classical Turkish music) with food and alcoholic beverages is often associated with the [[underclass]] of Turkish society, though it also can be found in more respectable establishments in modern times.<ref name="soundsofanatolia"/>

Roma have also influenced the fasıl itself. Played in music halls, the dance music (''oyun havası'') required at the end of each fasıl has been incorporated with Ottoman ''rakkas'' or belly dancing motifs. The rhythmic ostinato accompanying the instrumental improvisation (''ritimli taksim'') for the bellydance parallels that of the classical ''gazel'', a vocal improvisation in free rhythm with rhythmic accompaniment. Popular musical instruments in this kind of fasıl are the [[clarinet]], [[violin]], [[Qanun (instrument)|kanun]], and [[darbuka]]. Clarinetist [[Mustafa Kandıralı]] is a well-known fasil musician.

=== Military music ===
{{Main|Ottoman military band}}
[[File:Surname-ı Vehbi (fol. 172a).jpg|thumb|upright|Surname-i Vebbi (fol. 172a), showing military band.]]

The Janissary bands or ''[[Mehter]]'' are considered to be the oldest type of military marching band in the world.<ref name="military">{{cite web|url=http://www.militarymusic.com/200302.htm#anchor5|title=Ottoman Military Music|work=MilitaryMusic.com|access-date=February 11, 2003 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20030222130546/http://www.militarymusic.com/200302.htm#anchor5 <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = February 22, 2003}}</ref> Individual instrumentalists were mentioned in the [[Orhun inscriptions]], which are believed to be the oldest written sources of Turkish history, dating from the 8th century. However, they were not definitively mentioned as bands until the 13th century. The rest of Europe borrowed the notion of military marching bands from Turkey from the 16th century onwards.

=== Turkish influence on Western classical music ===
{{Main|Turkish music (style)}}

Musical relations between the Turks and the rest of Europe can be traced back many centuries,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicaltimes.co.uk/archive/0203/arac.html|title=A Levantine life: Giuseppe Donizetti at the Ottoman court|work=Araci, Emre. The Musical Times|access-date=October 3, 2002|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051220163724/http://www.musicaltimes.co.uk/archive/0203/arac.html|archive-date=December 20, 2005}} Famous opera composer Gaetano [[Donizetti]]'s brother, [[Giuseppe Donizetti]], was invited to become Master of Music to Sultan [[Mahmud II]] in 1827.</ref> and the first type of musical Orientalism was the [[Turkish music (style)|Turkish Style]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Bellman, Jonathan|title=The Style Hongrois in the Music of Western Europe|publisher=Northeastern University Press|year=1993|isbn=1-55553-169-5}} pp.13-14; see also pp.31-2. According to Jonathan Bellman, it was "evolved from a sort of battle music played by Turkish military bands outside the walls of Vienna during the siege of that city in 1683."</ref> European [[classical music era|classical]] composers in the 18th century were fascinated by Turkish music, particularly the strong role given to the [[brass instrument|brass]] and [[percussion instrument]]s in [[Janissary]] bands.

[[Joseph Haydn]] wrote his ''Military Symphony'' to include Turkish instruments, as well as some of his operas. Turkish instruments were included in [[Ludwig van Beethoven]]'s ''[[Symphony No. 9 (Beethoven)|Symphony Number 9]]'', and he composed a "Turkish March" for his ''[[The Ruins of Athens|Incidental Music to The Ruins of Athens, Op. 113]]''. [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]] wrote the "Ronda alla turca" in his ''[[Piano Sonata, K. 331 (Mozart)|Sonata in A major]]'' and also used Turkish themes in his operas, such as the ''Chorus of Janissaries'' from his [[Die Entführung aus dem Serail]] (1782). This Turkish influence introduced the [[cymbal]]s, [[bass drum]], and [[bell (instrument)|bells]] into the symphony orchestra, where they remain. [[Jazz]] musician [[Dave Brubeck]] wrote his "Blue Rondo á la Turk" as a tribute to Mozart and Turkish music. {{Citation needed|date=February 2011}}

=== Western Influence on Turkish classical music ===
[[File:2024.11.23-ANTALYA SENFONİ-KONSER-ÖNSEÇİM2 copy.jpg|thumb|[[Antalya State Symphony Orchestra]] in 2018]]

While the European military bands of the 18th century introduced the percussion instruments of the Ottoman janissary bands, a reciprocal influence emerged in the 19th century in the form of the Europeanisation of the Ottoman army band. In 1827, [[Giuseppe Donizetti]], the elder brother of the renowned Italian opera composer [[Gaetano Donizetti]], was invited to become Master of Music to Sultan [[Mahmud II]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trin.cam.ac.uk/empires/prognotes.htm|title=BETWEEN EMPIRES 'Orientalism' Before 1600|work=Araci, Emre. Trinity College Chapel, Cambridge|access-date=July 15, 2001|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010720130859/http://www.trin.cam.ac.uk/empires/prognotes.htm|archive-date=July 20, 2001}}</ref> A successor of Donizetti was the German musician [[Paul Lange (musician)|Paul Lange]], formerly music lecturer at the [[American College for Girls]] and at the [[German High School Istanbul|German High School]], who took over the position of Master of the Sultan's Music after the Young Turk Revolution in 1908 and kept it until his death in 1920. A son of Paul Lange was the Istanbul-born American conductor [[Hans Lange (conductor)|Hans Lange]]. The Ottoman composer [[Leyla Saz]] (1850–1936) provides an account of musical training in the Imperial Palace in her memoirs. As the daughter of the Palace surgeon, she grew up in the Imperial harem where girls were also given music lessons in both Turkish and Western styles.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Woodard |first1=Kathryn |title=Music in the Imperial Harem and the Life of Ottoman Composer Leyla Saz |url=http://www.soniccrossroads.com/research |website=Sonic Crossroads}}</ref>

After the [[decline of the Ottoman Empire]] and the creation of a Turkish republic, the transfer of the former Imperial Orchestra or ''Mızıka-ı Hümayun'' from Istanbul to the new capital of the state [[Ankara]], and renaming it as the Orchestra of the Presidency of the Republic, ''Riyaset-i Cumhur Orkestrası'', signaled a Westernization of Turkish music. The name would later be changed to the [[Presidential Symphony Orchestra]] or ''Cumhurbaşkanlığı Senfoni Orkestrası''.<ref name="soundsofanatolia"/>

Further inroads came with the founding of a new school for the training of Western-style music instructors in 1924, renaming the Istanbul Oriental Music School as the [[Istanbul Conservatory]] in 1926, and sending talented young musicians abroad for further music education. These students include well-known Turkish composers such as [[Cemal Reşit Rey]], [[Ulvi Cemal Erkin]], [[Ahmet Adnan Saygun]], [[Necil Kazım Akses]] and [[Hasan Ferit Alnar]], who became known as [[the Turkish Five]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Woodard |first1=Kathryn |title=Music Mediating Politics in Turkey: The Case of Ahmed Adnan Saygun |journal=[[Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East]] |date=2007 |volume=27 |issue=3 |pages=552–562 |doi=10.1215/1089201x-2007-032 |s2cid=143740608 |url=http://www.soniccrossroads.com/research|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The founding of the Ankara State Conservatory with the aid of the German composer and music theorist [[Paul Hindemith]] in 1936 showed that Turkey in terms of music wanted to be like the West.<ref name="soundsofanatolia"/>

However, on the order of the founder of the republic, [[Atatürk]], following his philosophy to take from the West but to remain Turkish in essence, a wide-scale classification and archiving of samples of Turkish folk music from around [[Anatolia]] was launched in 1924 and continued until 1953 to collect around 10,000 folk songs. Hungarian composer [[Béla Bartók]] visited Ankara and south-eastern Turkey in 1936 within the context of these works.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Bartok, Bela |author2=Suchoff, Benjamin |name-list-style=amp |title=Turkish Folk Music from Asia Minor (The New York Bartok Archive Studies in Musicology, No. 7) |publisher=Princeton University Press |year=1976 |isbn=0-691-09120-X |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/turkishfolkmusic0000bart }}, p 50</ref>

By 1976, Turkish classical music had undergone a renaissance and a state musical conservatory in Istanbul was founded to give classical musicians the same support as folk musicians. Modern-day advocates of Western classical music in Turkey include [[Fazıl Say]], [[İdil Biret]], [[Suna Kan]], the [[Önder Sisters]] and the [[Pekinel sisters]].

== Early Years of The Republic ==
[[File:Musiki Muallim Mektebi (Music Teachers’ School, later Ankara State Conservatory, 1930s).jpg|thumb|Students in ''Musiki Muallim Mektebi'' (Music Teachers’ School, later [[Ankara State Conservatory]], 1930s) with [[Osman Zeki Üngör]]]]
After the [[Turkish War of Independence]] ended in 1923, and the borders were drawn, there was a social and political revolution under the leadership of [[Mustafa Kemal Atatürk]]. This revolution opted to Westernize the way of living in Turkey. By 1929, all public and commercial communications were made in the [[Latin alphabet]], completely taking the written [[Ottoman Turkish language]] out of circulation. A new constitution was written, one that was modeled after the French. This new constitution was designed to make the new [[Republic of Turkey]] into a secular, modern, nation-state. Every aspect of the revolution, from major policy changes to clothing reforms, was made in accordance with the [[Kemalist Ideology]]. All affairs were carried out followed by a chain of military command for the purpose of reaching the level of Western civilization. Both religious and Turkish classical music was impacted by this top to bottom revolution.

On November 1, 1934 [[Atatürk]] made a speech in the [[Grand National Assembly of Turkey]]. [[Alaturca|Alaturca music]] was banned on radios, public places as well as private properties.<ref>USTA, Nazlı. "[http://www.researchgate.net/publication/287958457_Erken_Cumhuriyet_Donemi'nde_Turkiye'de_Muzigin_Donusumu_The_Transformation_of_Music_in_Early_Republican_Period_in_Turkey The Transformation Of Music In Early Republican Period In Turkey]." Researchgate.net, July 2010, .</ref> Here is the excerpt from the speech, concerning Turkish music, "Folks, we all know how sensitive we, the Turkish, are towards the matters of our cultural legacy…. I am aware what kind of progress that my people want to see within fine arts delivered by the new generation of artists, and musicians. If you ask me, what would be most efficient and quick to tackle first within the fine arts is Turkish Music. The music we are made to listen to these days is far from being a point of pride for Turkish people. We must all know this. We must take our great nation's idioms, stories, experiences and compose them, but only complying to the general rules of music. I wish that the Ministry of Cultural Affairs take this matter seriously, and work alongside the law-makers of our country."<ref name="TUNÇAY 2009, pp. 54">TUNÇAY, Çağlar. "Musical Implementations of Atatürk's Term." 9 Eylül Üniversitesi, Atatürk İlkeleri Ve İnkılap, 2009, pp. 54–95.</ref>

Right after this speech, on November 2, 1934, The Department of Publishing and Press banned Alaturca music, knowing what Mustafa Kemal meant when he said "… but only complying to the general rules of music…" was that the only acceptable type of music available to the public will be music following the principles of [[Tonal music|western tonal music]]. The Turkish composers, who were educated abroad in the beginning of the century and came back to Turkey, were assigned to teach classical Turkish musicians the western way of writing and playing music. The Presidential Symphony Orchestra, established back in 1924 started giving weekly free performances in schools specifying in Music Education. New instruments like pianos, trumpets, and saxophones were bought for cultural centers in villages, not just in Istanbul, but in many places like [[Bursa]], [[Çorum]], [[Gümüşhane]], and [[Samsun]].<ref name="TUNÇAY 2009, pp. 54"/>

Along with the radical ideology change, and the sudden application of these new ideas came an obvious tear in the fabric of the society. People who couldn't listen to Turkish music on Turkish Radio sought out the next best thing and started listening to the Arabic Radio. There are records of Turkish people calling into [[Egypt]]ian, [[Crimea]]n, and [[Haifa]]n radio stations requesting Turkish songs they were used to listening to, since The Middle East already consumed and re-created a lot of Turkish Music since the rise of the [[Ottoman Empire]] in the middle of the millennium.<ref>ADIGÜZEL, Adnan. "WESTERNIZATION OF TURKISH (CLASSIC) MUSIC FROM OTTOMAN EMPIRE TO TURKISH REPUBLIC AND PROHIBITED YEARS OF TURKISH MUSIC." Eskişehir Osmangazi Üniversitesi, Eskişehir Osmangazi Üniversitesi, İlahiyat Fakültesi, İslam Tarihi Ve Sanatları Bölümü, 0AD, pp. 4–10.</ref>
Turkish people started listening to other nations' version of Turkish songs. This cleared the way for the [[Arabesque music]] to become hugely popular in the 70s. Today, there are still prolific and popular Arabesque musicians in Turkey. The ban in the early years of the Republic is exactly why Arabesque Music became a cultural phenomenon.<ref>Karşıcı, Gülay. "MÜZİK TÜRLERİNE İDEOLOJİK YAKLAŞIM: 1970-1990 YILLARI ARASINDAKİ TRT SANSÜRÜ." CIU, Jan. 2010, pp. 170–177.</ref>

===Kanto (Cantare music)===
{{Main|Kanto (music)}}
[[File:Bodrum "İşte Benim Zeki Müren" Sergisi Konser Kostümü 2015.jpg|thumb|[[Zeki Müren]] is a figurehead among LBGT society. His music was also influenced by Kanto.]]
[[Italy|Italian]] theater and opera have had a profound effect on [[Turkish culture]] in the past century. Like the terminology of seamanship, the terminology of music and theater is derived from Italian. In the argot of the improvisational theater of Istanbul the stage was called "[[sahano]]", the backstage was referred to as "[[koyuntu]]", backdrops depicting countryside were "bosko", the applause was "furi" and the songs sung between the acts and plays were called "kanto".

As with their Italian counterparts, the Turkish troupes employed songs and music before the show and between the acts to pique people's interest and draw in customers. The troupes orchestra would be made up of such instruments as the [[trumpet]], [[trombone]], [[violin]], [[Drum kit|trap drum]] and [[cymbal]]s. The orchestra would start to play popular songs of the day and marches in front of the theatre about an hour before the show to drum up interest. This intermission or Antrak music ended up with the well-known Izmir March, a sign that the show time was approaching. The play began as the musicians went in and took their places at the side of the stage.
[[File:DarioMoreno-Harcourt-1952.jpg|thumb|[[Dario Moreno]]]]
Art and cultural life gained new dimensions with the changes brought about by the 1923 formation of the Turkish Republic. It was a period of rapid transformation and its effects were widespread. Turkish women had finally won the freedom to appear on the stage, breaking the monopoly previously held by [[Rûm]] (Istanbul Greek) and [[Armenian people|Armenian]] women who performed in musical and non-musical theatre. Institutions like [[Darulbedayi]] (Istanbul City Theatre) and [[Darulelhan]] (Istanbul Conservatory of Music) had long been turning out trained artists.

Eventually kanto became more of a definition, a generalized genre than a musical term. Any tune that was outside of the day's musical conventions, anything light that appealed to current trends and tastes, was labeled kanto. Any music played with different instruments that was free rhythmic or somehow novel was labeled kanto; it was the product of the middie-class, urban culture of Istanbul. Kanto has been viewed as a forerunner of today's pop culture.

== Folk music ==
{{Main|Turkish folk music}}
[[Image:Kemenche0.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Kemenche|Kemençe]] is a popular folk music instrument on Turkey's [[Black Sea]] coast]]
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.<ref name="ottomu"/>

Most songs recount stories of real-life events and [[Turkish folklore]], or have developed through song contests between troubadour poets.<ref name="minstrels">{{cite book|author=Erderner, Yildiray|title=The Song Contests of Turkish Minstrels: Improvised Poetry Sung to Traditional Music (Milman Parry Studies in Oral Tradition)|publisher=Garland Science|year=1995|isbn=0-8153-1239-3}}, p 36</ref> Corresponding to their origins, folk songs are usually played at weddings, funerals and special festivals.

Regional folk music generally accompanies folk dances, which vary significantly across regions. For example, at marriage ceremonies in the Aegean guests will dance the [[Zeybek dance|Zeybek]], while in other [[Rumelia|Rumeli]] regions the upbeat dance music [[Tsifteteli|Çiftetelli]] is usually played, and in the southeastern regions of Turkey the [[Turkish folklore dances|Halay]] is the customary form of local wedding music and dance.<ref name="soundsofanatolia"/> [[Greeks]] from [[Thrace]] and [[Cyprus]] that have adopted çiftetelli music sometimes use it synonymously to mean [[Belly dance|Oriental dance]], which indicates a misunderstanding of its roots. Çiftetelli is a folk dance, differing from a solo performance dance of a hired entertainer.

The regional mood also affects the subject of the folk songs, e.g. folk songs from the [[Black Sea]] are lively in general and express the customs of the region. Songs about betrayal have an air of defiance about them instead of sadness, whereas the further south travelled in Turkey the more the melodies resemble a [[lament]].<ref name="folkmusic">{{cite web|url=http://www.turkishculture.org/music/folk.html|title=Folk Music: Story of a Nation|work=Turkishculture.org|access-date=November 10, 2003 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20030810193354/http://www.turkishculture.org/music/folk.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = August 10, 2003}}</ref>

As this genre is viewed as a music of the people, musicians in socialist movements began to adapt folk music with contemporary sounds and arrangements in the form of [[Protest song|protest music]].

In the 70s and 80s, modern bards following the aşık tradition such as [[Asik Veysel|Aşik Veysel]] and [[Ashik Mahsuni Sherif|Mahsuni Şerif]] moved away from spiritual invocations to socio-politically active lyrics.

Other contemporary progenitors took their lead such as [[Zülfü Livaneli]], known for his mid-80s innovation of combining poet [[Nazım Hikmet]]'s radical poems with folk music and rural melodies, and is well regarded by left-wing supporters in politics.<ref name="soundsofanatolia"/>

In more recent times, saz orchestras, accompanied with many other traditional instruments and a merger with arabesque melodies have kept modern folk songs popular in Turkey.<ref name="soundsofanatolia"/>

=== Classical & Folk instruments ===
[[File:Strum sticks, Lark in the Morning (music shop).jpg|thumb|upright|Selection of [[Accordion]], [[Bağlama]], [[Cümbüş]] and [[Oud|Ud]]]]
Folk instruments range from string groups as [[baglama|bağlama]], bow instruments such as the [[kemenche|kemençe]] (a type of stave fiddle), and percussion and wind, including the [[zurna]], [[ney]] and [[davul]]. Regional variations place importance on different instruments, e.g. the [[darbuka]] in [[Thrace|Rumeli]] and the [[kemenche|kemençe]] around the [[Black Sea Region|Eastern Black Sea]] region. The folklore of Turkey is extremely diverse. Nevertheless, Turkish folk music is dominantly marked by a single musical instrument called [[baglama|saz]] or [[bağlama]], a type of long-necked [[lute]]. Traditionally, saz is played solely by traveling musicians known as ''ozan'' or religious [[Alevi]] troubadours called ''aşık''.<ref name="alevi">{{cite web|url=http://www.alevibektasi.org/xsufi_music.htm|title=Introduction to Sufi Music and Ritual in Turkey|work=Middle East Studies Association of North America|date=December 18, 1995|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070408125913/http://www.alevibektasi.org/xsufi_music.htm|archive-date=April 8, 2007}} The tradition of regional variations in the character of folk music prevails all around Anatolia and Thrace even today. The troubadour or minstrel (singer-poets) known as ''aşık'' contributed anonymously to this genre for ages.</ref>

Due to the cultural crossbreeding prevalent during the Ottoman Empire, the bağlama has influenced various cultures in the Eastern Mediterranean, e.g. the Greek [[baglama]]s. In Turkish bağlamak means 'to tie' as a reference to the tied, movable frets of the instrument. Like many other plucked lutes, it can be played with a plectrum (i.e., pick), with a fingerpicking style, or strummed with the backs of fingernails. The [[zurna]] and [[davul]] duo is also popular in rural areas, and played at [[wedding]]s and other local celebrations.

Instruments in Turkish classical music include [[tambur]], long-necked plucked lute, [[ney]] end-blown flute, [[oud]] plucked short-necked unfretted lute, [[qanun (instrument)|kanun]] plucked zither, [[violin]], and in [[Mevlevi]] music, [[küdüm]] drum and a [[harp]].

=== Folk literature ===
{{further|Turkish folk literature}}
[[File:Selda Bagcan (cropped).jpg|thumb|A mural of [[Selda Bağcan]], who fuses folk elements with [[Groove (music)|groove]] and [[protest music]]]]
A large body of folk songs are derived from minstrels or bard-poets called ''ozan'' in Turkish. They have been developing Turkish folk literature since the beginning of 11th century. The musical instrument used by these bard-poets is the [[bağlama|saz]] or [[bağlama]]. They are often taught by other senior minstrels, learning expert idioms, procedures, and methods in the performance of the art.<ref name="minstrellit">{{cite web|url=http://www.discoverturkey.com/english/kultursanat/ozan.html|title=Minstrel Literature|work=Turkish Ministry of Culture|access-date=March 28, 2005|url-status=dead|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20020914041359/http://www.discoverturkey.com/english/kultursanat/ozan.html|archive-date=September 14, 2002}}</ref> These lessons often take place at minstrel meetings and the [[coffeehouse]]s they frequent. Those bard-poets who become experts or ''alaylı'' then take apprentices for themselves and continue the tradition.<ref name="minstrellit"/>

A minstrel's creative output usually takes two major forms. One, in musical rhyming contests with other bards, where the competition ends with the defeat of the minstrel who cannot find an appropriate quatrain to the rhyme and two, storytelling.<ref name="minstrels"/> These folk stories are extracted from real life, folklore, dreams and legends.<ref name="minstrellit"/> One of the most well-known followings are those bards that put the title ''aşık'' in front of their names.

=== Arabesque ===
{{Main|Arabesque music}}
[[File:Yıldız Tilbe - Konser01 (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Yıldız Tilbe]], a prominent arabesque singer]]
Arabic music had been banned in Turkey in 1948, but starting in the 1970s immigration from predominantly southeastern rural areas to big cities and particularly to Istanbul gave rise to a new cultural synthesis. This changed the musical makeup of Istanbul. The old tavernas and music halls of fasıl music were to shut down in place of a new type of music.<ref name="soundsofanatolia"/> These new urban residents brought their own taste of music, which due to their locality was largely middle eastern. Musicologists derogatively termed this genre as arabesque due to the high-pitched wailing that is synonymous with Arabic singing.

After the [[1980 Turkish coup d'état|coup d'etat in 1980]], Arabesque music was seen by the government as having a negative effect on the Turkish people, so Arabesque artists were not featured on the national broadcast, [[Turkish Radio and Television Corporation|TRT]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Duvar |first=Gazete |date=2020-09-13 |title=Kısa Türkiye Tarihi: Karanlığın başladığı ‘80’li yıllar |url=https://www.gazeteduvar.com.tr/yazarlar/2020/09/13/kisa-turkiye-tarihi-karanligin-basladigi-80li-yillar |access-date=2025-05-05 |website=www.gazeteduvar.com.tr |language=tr-TR}}</ref> Even with this ban in place, its mainstream popularity rose so much in the 1980s that it even threatened the existence of Turkish pop, with rising stars such as [[Müslüm Gürses]] and [[İbrahim Tatlıses]].<ref name="soundsofanatolia"/> The genre has underbeat forms that include Ottoman forms of [[Belly Dance|belly-dancing music]] known as ''fantazi'' from singers like [[Gülben Ergen]] and with performers like [[Serdar Ortaç]] who added Anglo-American [[rock and roll]] to arabesque music.

It is not really accurate to group Arabesk with folk music. It owes little to folk music, and would be more accurately described as form of popular music based on the makam scales found in Ottoman and Turkish classical music. Though Arabesk was accused of having been derived from Arabic music, the scales (makam) used identify it as music, that, though influenced by both Arabic and Western music, is much more Turkish in origin.

=== Religious music ===
==== Islamic Recitation & Anasheed ====
"Islamic Recitation," a term associated with mainstream religion in Turkey, includes the ''azan'' (call-to-prayer), ''Kur'an-ı Kerim'' (Koran recitation), ''Mevlit'' (Ascension Poem), and ''ilahi'' (hymns usually sung in a group, often outside a mosque). On musical grounds, mosque music in large urban areas often resembles classical Turkish music in its learned use of makam and poetry, e.g., a Mevlit sung at Sultan Ahmet mosque in Istanbul. Dervish/Sufi music is rarely associated with a mosque. [[Kâni Karaca]] was a leading performer of mosque music in recent times.<ref name="mosque">See the audio selection from Mevlit at External links below</ref>

[[Islam]]ic anasheed was popular among some of the Turkish people in early 2000s. The most popular artist in Turkey is the British Azeri, [[Sami Yusuf]], a concert in [[Istanbul]] drew an audience of over 200,000, his biggest concert so far around the world.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/awakeningrecords/biography/index.htm|title=Awakening Music - YouTube|via=[[YouTube]]|access-date=9 June 2022}}</ref> He is one of the most notable singers of anasheed, and can speak in many different languages, which includes [[Turkish language|Turkish]].{{Citation needed|date=October 2008}} To date he has performed at sell out concerts in over 30 countries across the world from Istanbul to Casablanca, United States to Germany. Some albums selling more than a million copies in comparison to western music. In Jan 2009 Sami travelled to Turkey where he was invited by Emine Erdoğan, wife of the Turkish Prime Minister [[Recep Tayyip Erdoğan]], to attend a rally in support of peace in [[Gaza Strip|Gaza]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.samiyusufofficial.com/?p=195 | title=Sami in Turkey |website=Samiyusufofficial.com| access-date=2009-03-16}}</ref> Another popular Turkish singer is Feridun Özdemir, who mainly sings of God and true faith. His records are most successful in the anasheed genre.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-310/_nr-388/i.html |title=Qantara.de - Islamic Pop Music in Turkey - Combining Rock Music with an Islamic Message |access-date=2008-09-25 |archive-date=2008-04-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080403194121/http://www.qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-310/_nr-388/i.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==== Alevi influences: The Aşık (Ashik) traditions ====
[[File:Aşık Veysel Şatıroğlu - Bağlama Çalarken.jpg|thumb|[[Aşık Veysel]]]]
It is suggested that about a fifth of the Turkish population are ''Alevis'', whose folk music is performed by a type of travelling bard or ''ozan'' called ''aşık'', who travels with the [[baglama|saz]] or [[baglama]], an iconic image of Turkish folk music.<ref name="alevi"/> These songs, which hail from the central northeastern area, are about mystical revelations, invocations to Alevi [[saint]]s and [[Muhammad]]'s son-in-law, [[Ali ibn Abi Talib|Ali]], whom they hold in high esteem. In Turkish aşık literally means 'in love'. Whoever follows this tradition has the ''Aşık'' assignation put before their names, because it is suggested that music becomes an essential facet of their being, for example as in [[Aşık Veysel]].

Middle Anatolia is home to the [[bozlak]], a type of declamatory, partially improvised music by the bards. [[Neşet Ertaş]] has so far been the most prominent contemporary voice of Middle Anatolian music, singing songs of a large spectrum, including works of premodern [[Turkmen people|Turkoman]] aşıks like [[Karacaoğlan]] and [[Dadaloğlu]] and the modern aşıks like his father, the late [[Muharrem Ertaş]]. Around the city of [[Sivas]], aşık music has a more spiritual bent, afeaturing ritualized song contests, although modern bards have brought it into the political arena.<ref name="minstrels"/>

==== Sufi influences: The Mevlevi traditions ====
Followers of the [[Mevlevi]] Order or ''whirling dervishes'' are a religious ''sufi'' sect unique to Turkey but well known outside of its boundaries.

[[Dervish]]es of the Mevlevi sect simply dance a ''sema'' by turning continuously to music that consists of long, complex compositions called ''ayin''. These pieces are both preceded and followed by songs using lyrics by the founder and poet [[Mevlana|Mevlana Jelaleddin Rumi]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mevlana.net/sema.htm|title=The Sema|work=Mevlana.Net Owned by Mevlana's family|access-date=January 11, 2005|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050124085451/http://www.mevlana.net/sema.htm|archive-date=January 24, 2005}} The sema dance is very ritualistic and full of symbolism.</ref> With the musical instrument known as the [[ney]] at the forefront of this music, internationally well-known musicians include Necdet Yasar, Niyazi Sayin, [[Kudsi Erguner|Kudsi Ergüner]] and [[Ömer Faruk Tekbilek]].

=== Regional folk styles ===
[[File:Silifke Taşeli cultural centre in 2015 2402.jpg|thumb|A folk ensemble from [[Silifke]]]]
Minorities and indigenous peoples have added and enhanced Turkish folk styles, while they have adopted Turkish folk traditions and instruments. Folk songs are identifiable and distinguished by regions.

==== Aegean and Rumeli regions ====
Folk songs from Istanbul may have been closely influenced by its locality, which would include Ottoman rakkas and court music. Cities like [[İzmir]] share similar motifs, such as the [[zeybek dance]].{{citation needed|date=July 2025}}

==== Black Sea and Caucasus regions ====
Central Asian Turkic peoples from the [[Caspian Sea]] and areas have had a huge influence in the purest forms of Turkish folk music, most notably from the [[Azeris]] and [[Karapapakh]].

[[Pontic Greeks]] on the eastern shore of the [[Black Sea]] or ''Karadeniz'' regions have their own distinct [[Music of Greece|Greek]] style of folk music, motifs from which were used with great success by [[Elena Paparizou|Helena Paparizou]].<ref name="pontic">{{cite web|url=http://www.scimitarmusic.com/pontos/music.html|title=Pontic Music Page|work=Cline, Leigh|access-date=February 2, 2006}}</ref> The diaspora of Greek speaking Pontic people from that region introduced Pontic music to Greece after 1924 population exchange between Turkey and Greece. The region's dance style uses unique techniques like odd shoulder tremors and knee bends. Folk dances include the gerasari, trygona, kots, [[omal]], [[serra (dance)|serra]], [[kotsari]] and [[tik (dance)|tik]].<ref name="pontic"/>

==== Southeastern regions ====
Southeastern regions carry influences from [[Turkmen people|Turkmen music]], [[Zaza people|Zaza motifs]] and [[Armenian music]]. These usually include epic laments.

== Popular music ==
Popular music is distinguished from the traditional genres as those styles that entered the Turkish musicality 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.<ref name="soundsofanatolia"/>

=== Mainstream pop ===
[[File:Tarkan Vienna2006 3.JPG|thumb|left|[[Tarkan (singer)|Tarkan]] in [[Vienna]] with fans from [[Hungary]]]]
Turkish pop music had its humble beginnings in the late 1950s with Turkish cover versions of a wide range of imported popular styles, including [[rock and roll]], [[tango music|tango]], and [[jazz]]. As more styles emerged, they were also adopted, such as [[hip hop music|hip hop]], [[heavy metal music|heavy metal]] and [[reggae]].
[[File:Sertab Erener 02.jpg|thumb|[[Sertab Erener]], 2003 [[Eurovision]] winner, with [[Demir Demirkan]]]]
The self-named "superstar" of the "arrangement" (aranjman) era of the 70s was [[Ajda Pekkan]] and [[Aydzhan Bekir]] who also debuted, along with [[Enrico Macias]], at [[Paris Olympia|Olympia]], [[Paris]], while [[MFÖ]] (Mazhar, Fuat, Özkan) was the celebrated group of the pop scene with an outstanding dexterity in their use of Turkish prosody and their success of amalgamating Western and Turkish cultural ingredients and perspectives. Also one of the most renowned Turkish pop stars of the last decades is probably [[Sezen Aksu]]. She contributed considerably to the unique Turkish pop sound of this period, allowing it gain ground from its humble beginnings in the early 50s and 60s to the popular genre it is today. She was also one of the strongest advocates for Turkey to enter the [[Eurovision Song Contest]]. Her one-time vocalist and later protégé [[Sertab Erener]] won the contest in 2003.

The biggest male pop stars in Turkey are arguably [[Tarkan (singer)|Tarkan]], [[Mustafa Sandal]], [[Cem Adrian]], [[Emre Altuğ]] and [[Kenan Doğulu]]. Tarkan achieved chart success in [[Europe]] and [[Latin America]] with his single "[[Şımarık]]", also composed by Sezen Aksu, which has been covered by numerous artists.<ref>Such as [[Holly Valance]] with the "[[Kiss Kiss (Stella Soleil song)|Kiss Kiss]]" song.</ref> Mustafa Sandal has also enjoyed chart success in Europe with his 2005 single "[[İsyankar]]", which peaked at number 4 and went [[Gold disc|gold]]. Female stars include [[Hande Yener]], [[Nil Karaibrahimgil]] and [[Hadise]], who participated in [[Eurovision]] and enjoyed international recognition, especially in Europe.

=== Turkish hip hop ===
{{Main|Turkish hip hop}}
[[File:Ezhel - 15. Radyo Boğaziçi Ödülleri (3).jpg|thumb|[[Ezhel]]]]
[[Turkish hip hop]] or ''[[oriental]] [[Hip hop music|hip hop]]'' is a creation of the Turkish [[migrant worker]] community in Germany, which some suggest was a suitable outlet for a young generation disillusioned with Germany's treatment of its migrant class.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-478/_nr-340/_p-1/i.html?PHPSESSID=586932399788bbaf8|title=Migrant Workers in Germany - "The Lowest of the Low"|work=Qantara.de|access-date=October 10, 2005}}</ref> In 1995, the Turkish-German community produced a major [[hip hop music|hip hop]] crew named [[Cartel (hip hop crew)|Cartel]] which caused controversy in Turkey and [[Germany]] for its revolutionary lyrics. Hip hop now enjoys wide popularity among the younger generation in Turkey. [[Ceza]], [[Dr. Fuchs]] (formerly "Nefret"), [[Fuat Ergin]] and [[Sagopa Kajmer]] were spearheads of the genre. [[Sansar Salvo]], Pit10, [[Şehinşah]], [[Hayki]], [[Saian (rapper)|Saian]], [[Allâme]] are popular figures of second wave contemporary rap music in Turkey. New generation or 'Drill' include [[Ezhel]], [[UZI]], [[Ben Fero]] and [[LVBEL C5]].

=== Anatolian rock ===
{{Main|Anatolian rock}}
The Turkish rock scene began in the early 1960s, when popular [[United States]] and [[United Kingdom]] bands became well known. Soon, a distinctively Turkish fusion of rock and folk emerged; this was called Anatolian rock, a term which nowadays may not be generically ascribed to most of Turkish rock.<ref name="soundsofanatolia"/> [[Barış Manço]], [[Cem Karaca]] and [[Erkin Koray]] are the best known performers; [[Moğollar]] and [[Kurtalan Ekspres]] are the best known groups of older classical Anatolian rock music.<ref>https://www.karar.com/anadolu-rock-nedir-1604760</ref>

===Heavy metal and industrial===
Heavy metal and industrial groups from Turkey include Pentagram (known as [[Mezarkabul]] outside Turkey) and Almora.<ref>[[:tr:Almora]]</ref> Individual musicians in these genres include Ogün Sanlısoy and [[Hayko Cepkin]].

===Underground black metal and death metal===
Underground black metal and death metal bands known from Turkey are [[Witchtrap]], Ehrimen, Satanized, Godslaying Hellblast, Burial Invocation, [[Deggial]], Decaying Purity.

=== Pop-rock and rock ===
[[File:Mor ve Ötesi - Bilkent - 8.5.15a.jpg|thumb|[[Mor ve Ötesi]]]]
As a singular phenomenon amidst popular currents since the mid-1970s, [[Bülent Ortaçgil]] appeared as an urban songwriter/musician with a distinct musical quality, and became a role model for aspiring young musicians.{{Citation needed|date=November 2010}} He was the only Turkish musician for whom a tribute album was compiled that included several prominent performers from a wide gamut of different genres.

Other recent rock bands with a more Western sound who have enjoyed mainstream success include [[maNga (band)|maNga]], [[Duman (band)|Duman]] and [[Mor ve Ötesi]]. [[Şebnem Ferah]], [[Özlem Tekin]] and [[Teoman (singer)|Teoman]] are examples of individual rock artists with substantial fan bases. Turkey also boasts numerous large-scale [[rock festival]]s and events. Annual rock festivals in Turkey include Barışarock, H2000 Music Festival, [[Rock'n Coke]], and RockIstanbul.

=== Turkish Trance ===
{{see also|Trance Music}}
[[Trance music|Trance]] is a rare musical genre in [[Turkey]] but it also has specific listeners. This genre gained when the first Turkish trance music composed by [[Murtaza Khojami]] and the song named for ''Yalnızlık Düşünceler''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.soundcloud.com/murtaza-khojami/yalnizlik-dusunceler-turkish-trance|title = Günün albümü: Trance müziğe 'Yalnızlık Düşünceler|website=Soundcloud.com}}</ref> with mixed criticism. Contemporary figures include [[Oceanvs Orientalis]] and [[Hey! Douglas]]

=== Turkish Jazz ===
This is a list of notable Turkish Jazz musician.
*[[Ayten Alpman]]
*[[Atilla Engin]]
*[[Fatih Erkoç]]
*[[Aydın Esen]]
*[[:de:Hayati Kafe|Hayati Kafe]]
*[[Ferit Odman]]
*[[İlham Gencer]]
*[[Muvaffak "Maffy" Falay]]
*[[Okay Temiz]]
*[[Timuçin Şahin]]

=== Underground and club music ===
There are many clubs across Turkey, especially across its Aegean region. The alternative music scene however is derived mostly from Istanbul's thriving underground club scene that sees [[DJ]]s merging the past with the present, using traditional motifs with new age sounds and electronic music. [[Mercan Dede]] is one of Turkey's most successful DJs, mixing trance with historical and mystic [[Sufi]] songs. Another worldwide recognized name from the underground music scene of Turkey is [[Mert Yücel]]. Yücel was responsible for the first [[house music]] album to be released in Turkey. He also had worldwide acclaimed and respected releases on US and UK dance labels.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/cumartesi/4750843.asp?gid=66|title = Yurtdışında 16 albüm|website=Hurriyet.com.tr}}</ref> He is one of the key names defining the underground house sound emerging from Istanbul.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aksam.com.tr/arsiv/aksam/2005/05/21/cumartesi/cumartesi1.html |title=Aksam Gazetesi - Cumartesi - 'Herkes kendine DJ demesin' |access-date=2008-04-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071112085636/http://www.aksam.com.tr/arsiv/aksam/2005/05/21/cumartesi/cumartesi1.html |archive-date=2007-11-12 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/artist/Mert+Yucel|title=Mert Yucel|website=[[Discogs]]}}</ref> Contemporary figures include [[Mahmut Orhan]], [[Burak Yeter]], [[Ummet Ozcan]] and [[808.oguz]]

=== Musical influence of immigrants ===
The influx of immigrants and refugees from [[Balkans]], [[Central Asia]]n, [[Greater Middle East]], and [[Africa|African countries]] has affected the Turkish musical landscape, particularly in [[Istanbul]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/Default.aspx?pageID=238&nID=95845&NewsCatID=383|title=Refugee musicians play in Turkey's camps - MUSIC|website=Hürriyet Daily News {{!}} LEADING NEWS SOURCE FOR TURKEY AND THE REGION|access-date=2017-02-09}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/this-syrian-composer-is-now-a-refugee-writing-music-on-the-street/|title=This Syrian Composer Is Now a Refugee Writing Music on the Street - VICE|website=Vice|date=27 November 2015 |language=en-us|access-date=2017-02-09}}</ref> Bands such as Country for Syria, and Saktat explicitly blend the music of different refugee communities in Istanbul to create a mix of Turkish, Arab, Greek, Persian, and Western influences.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://english.alarabiya.net/life-style/entertainment/2016/11/21/Country-music-for-Syria-Band-highlights-refugee-issue-|title='Country for Syria' band uses music to highlight refugee woes|date=21 November 2016|website=English.alarabiya.net|access-date=9 June 2022}}</ref> [[Street performance|Busking]] has played an important role in the development of this style.<ref>{{Citation|title=Meet the migrant musicians bringing new sounds to Istanbul|work=BBC News|date=2016-05-21|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36349026|language=en-GB|access-date=2017-02-09}}</ref>

== Music industry ==
{{further|Music industry}}
[[File:Nilüfer ile Sezen Aksu 2012.jpg|thumb|[[Nilüfer (singer)|Nilüfer]] and [[Sezen Aksu]], an influential figure in the industry]]
The Turkish music industry includes a number of fields, ranging from record companies to radio stations and community and state orchestras. Most of the [[major label|major record companies]] are based in Istanbul's region of ''Unkapanı'' and they are represented by the ''Turkish Phonographic Industry Society'' (MÜ-YAP).<ref name="muyap">{{cite web|url=http://www.muyap.org/|title=Turkish Phonographic Industry Society|work=MÜ-YAP |access-date=April 10, 2005}} They are part of the IFPI National group. The first long-term punishment for piracy distribution had been handed out in 2006.</ref> The major record companies produce material by artists that have signed to one of their [[record label]]s, a [[brand name]] often associated with a particular genre or [[record producer]]. Record companies may also promote and market their artists, through advertising, public performances and concerts, and television appearances.

In recent years, the music industry has been embroiled in turmoil over the rise of the Internet downloading of [[copyright]]ed music and general piracy; many musicians and MÜ-YAP have sought to punish fans who illegally download copyrighted music.<ref name="muyap"/> On 13 June 2006 it was reported that MÜ-YAP and The Orchard, the world's leading distributor and marketer of independent music, had reached an agreement on digital global distribution, representing approximately 80% of the Turkish music market.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news/index_mail.shtml?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/06-12-2006/0004378915&EDATE=|title=The Orchard Signs Global Distribution and Marketing Agreement With MU-YAP|work=PR Newswire |access-date=June 13, 2006}}</ref>

Until 2010s, There wasn't a substantial singles market in Turkey.<ref name="soundsofanatolia"/> It is album orientated, although popular singers such as [[Yonca Evcimik]] and [[Tarkan (singer)|Tarkan]] have released singles with success.<ref>See information on his domestic singles "[[Kuzu Kuzu]]" and "[[Hüp]]".</ref> Most music charts not related to album sales, measure popularity by music video feedback and radio airplay.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.powerturk.com|title=Powerturk Charts|work=Powerturk TV|access-date=December 8, 2001}}</ref><ref>https://www.eglencefabrikasi.com/2020/03/05/neden-single.html</ref>

Turkish radio stations often broadcast popular music. Each music station has a [[radio format|format]], or a category of songs to be played; these are generally similar to but not the same as ordinary generic classification. With the introduction of commercial radio and television in the early 1990s ending the [[monopoly]] of the [[Turkish Radio and Television Corporation]] (TRT), a multitude of radio and TV stations were opened by [[newspaper]] media moguls.<ref name="soundsofanatolia"/> These media chains sponsor award ceremonies such as the ''Kral TV'' awards for music, but most accredited music awards are based on sales given out by industry societies such as MÜ-YAP and the Magazine Journalists Society (MJS).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kraltv.com.tr|title=Kral TV Music Channel|work=Kral|access-date=June 11, 2001}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mgdmagazin.com/mgd.asp|title=Magazine Journalists Society|work=MJS|access-date=December 18, 2005|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040606094122/http://www.mgdmagazin.com/mgd.asp|archive-date=June 6, 2004}}</ref>

Though major record companies dominate the Turkish industry, an [[indie music|independent music industry]] (''indie music'') does exist. Indie music is mostly based around local record labels with limited, if any, retail distribution outside a small region. Artists sometimes record for an indie label and gain enough acclaim to be signed to a major label; others choose to remain at an indie label for their entire careers. Indie music may be in styles generally similar to mainstream music, but is often inaccessible, unusual or otherwise unappealing to many people. Indie musicians often release some or all of their songs over the Internet for fans and others to download and listen to.<ref name="musicscene"/>

Perhaps the most successful Turkish name associated with indie music outside of Turkey is [[Ahmet Ertegun]] of [[Atlantic Records]]. His promotion of some of the most famous [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]] and soul artists in [[North America]] and his contribution to the American [[music industry]] has earned a place in [[Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame|Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]], together with his brother [[Nesuhi Ertegun|Nesuhi]].

==Music education==
{{further|Music education}}
[[File:Turkish drummers.jpg|thumb|Students learning drums]]
Music has a place in [[education in Turkey]], and is a part of most or all school systems in the country. High schools generally offer classes in singing, mostly choral, and instrumentation in the form of a large [[school band]] or social clubs and communities for Turkish classical or folk music, known as {{lang|tr|cemiyets}}.<ref name="soundsofanatolia"/> Music may also be a part of theatrical productions put on by a school's drama department. Many public and private schools have sponsored music clubs and groups, most commonly including the [[marching band]] that performs ''[[Mehter]]'' marches at school festivals. However, class time given to music in schools is restricted.

Higher education in the field of music in Turkey is mostly based around large [[university|universities]], connected to state music [[academy|academies]] and [[music school|conservatories]]. A conservatory is usually a department of a university, not a separate institution. While many students join conservatories at the usual university entrance age, some conservatories also include a 'Lise' (Lycee), in effect a specialist music school for children aged 14 to 18 years. Conservatories often have a [[musicology]] department, and do research on many styles of music especially the Turkish traditional genres, while also keeping a database of sounds in their sound libraries.<ref name="soundsofanatolia"/>

== Holidays and festivals ==
{{further|Festivals in Republic of Turkey|Holidays in Turkey}}
[[File:Children's folklore ensemble from Turkey.jpg|thumb|Children's folklore ensemble from Turkey during a festival.]]
Music is an important part of several Turkish holidays and festivals, especially playing a major part in the springtime celebration of [[Newroz]] and religious festivities such as [[Ramadan]].<ref name="soundsofanatolia"/> New year is a traditional time for the belly dancer and weddings are celebrated with upbeat tunes, while funerals are mourned with musical laments. Patriotic songs like the national anthem, "[[İstiklâl Marşı|The Independence March]]", are a major part of public holiday celebrations such as [[Holidays in Turkey|National Independence & International Children's Day]] celebrations on 23 April and 30 August Victory Day celebrations, a holiday that marks [[Turkish War of Independence|Turkish independence]].<ref name="soundsofanatolia"/> Music also plays a role at many regional festivals that aren't celebrated nationwide, for example a music and dance parade and festival in [[Zonguldak]].

[[Istanbul]], [[Ankara]] and [[İzmir]] are also home to numerous [[music festival]]s which showcase styles ranging from the blues and jazz to indie rock and heavy metal. Some music festivals are strictly local in scope, including few or no performers with a national reputation, and are generally operated by local promoters. Recently large soft drink companies have operated their own music festivals, such as [[Rock'n Coke]] and [[Fanta]] parties, which draw huge crowds.

== Notable people ==
[[File:Ahmet Ertegun and Nesuhi Ertegun.jpg|thumb|The Ertegüns, founders of [[Atlantic Records]]]]
<!---♦♦♦ Only add a person to this list if they already have their own article on the English Wikipedia ♦♦♦---> 
<!---♦♦♦ Please keep the list in alphabetical order by LAST NAME ♦♦♦---> 

* [[Emre Araci]]
* [[İdil Biret]]
* [[Wojciech Bobowski]]
* [[Ahmet Ertegün]]
* [[Nesuhi Ertegün]]
* [[Oruç Güvenç]]
* [[Gülçin Yahya Kaçar]]
* [[Arif Mardin]]
* [[Erkan Oğur]]
* [[Fazıl Say]]
* [[Pekinel sisters]]
* [[Cem Tuncer]]
* [[Baba Zula]]

== See also ==
* [[Istanbul Jazz Festival]]
* ''[[Jazz in Turkey]]'', 2013 documentary film
* [[List of Turkish composers]]
* [[List of Turkish musicians]]
* [[Festivals in Republic of Turkey|List of music festivals in Turkey]]
* [[List of Turks|List of Turks in world culture]]
* [[Turkey in the Eurovision Song Contest]]
* [[Türkvizyon Song Contest 2013]]

== Notes and references ==
{{Reflist|2}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book |author1=Bartók, Béla |author2=Suchoff, Benjamin |name-list-style=amp |title=Turkish Folk Music from Asia Minor (The New York Bartok Archive Studies in Musicology, No. 7) |publisher=Princeton University Press |year=1976 |isbn=0-691-09120-X |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/turkishfolkmusic0000bart }}
* {{cite book|author=Bates, Eliot|title=Music in Turkey: Experiencing Music, Expressing Culture (Global Music Series)|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2011|isbn=978-0-195-39414-6|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/musicinturkeyexp0000bate}}
* {{cite book|author=Head, Matthew|title=Orientalism, Masquerade and Mozart's Turkish Music (Royal Musical Association Monographs S.)|publisher=Ashgate|year=2000|isbn=0-306-76248-X}}
* {{cite book|author=Jäger, Ralf Martin|title=Türkische Kunstmusik und ihre handschriftlichen Quellen aus dem 19. Jahrhundert (Schriften zur Musikwissenschaft aus Münster 7)|publisher=Wagner: Eisenach|year=1996|isbn=3-88979-072-0}}
* {{cite journal|author=Karakayali, Nedim|title=Two Assemblages of Cultural Transmission: Musicians, Political Actors and Educational Techniques in the Ottoman Empire and Western Europe|publisher=Journal of Historical Sociology, 23 (3): 343-371|year=2010}}
* {{cite book|author=Popescu-Judetz, Eugenia|title=Prince Dimitrie Cantemir: Theorist and Composer of Turkish music|publisher=Pan Books|year=1999|isbn=975-7652-82-2}}
* {{cite book|author=Signell, Karl|title=Makam: Modal practice in Turkish Art Music|publisher=Asian Music Publications|year=1977|isbn=0-306-76248-X}}
* {{cite book|author=Stokes, Martin|title=The Republic of Love: Cultural Intimacy in Turkish Popular Music|publisher=University of Chicago Press|year=2010|isbn=978-0-226-77505-0}}
* {{cite book|author1=Tietze, Andreas  |author2=Yahalom, Joseph |name-list-style=amp |title=Ottoman Melodies - Hebrew Hymns: A 16th Century Cross-Cultural Adventure|publisher=Akademiai Kiado, Bibliotheca Orientalis Hungarica|year=1995|isbn=963-05-6864-0}}
* {{cite web|url=https://tarkandeluxe.blogspot.com/2004/11/whose-song-is-it.html|title=Whose Song is it?|work= Tarkan Deluxe|access-date=November 9, 2004}}
* {{cite web|url=https://tarkandeluxe.blogspot.com/2004/12/turkish-humanism-in-13th-century.html|title=Yunus Emre: Sufi and Mystic|work= Tarkan Deluxe|access-date=December 18, 2004}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.turkishembassy.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=101&Itemid=113|title=Turkish Music|work=Turkish Embassy|access-date=April 16, 2006 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070214051002/http://www.turkishembassy.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=101&Itemid=113 <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = February 14, 2007}}
* DURU, Dr. Riza, [https://www.academia.edu/108678006 Chronology of Turkish Music Theoreticians]. April 9, 2021.

==External links==
{{External links|date=June 2022}}
{{Sister project links|Music of Turkey}}
* [http://facebook.com/arasindagroup : Turkish music performed by Hungarian musicians, Budapest].
* [http://userpages.umbc.edu/~signell/TurkishMusic/index.html: Turkish music publications by Karl Signell].
* [http://arasinda.hu: Turkish music performed by Hungarian musicians, Budapest].
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080828224451/http://www.umbc.edu/eol/tmq/ ''Turkish Music Quarterly'' print journal contents].
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00qn1ly BBC Radio 3 Audio (60 minutes): Selim Sesler, troubadour songs and an Alevi ceremony.] Accessed November 25, 2010.
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00qprhy BBC Radio 3 Audio (60 minutes): Aynur, Erkan Ogur, Kirike and Rembetiko.] Accessed November 25, 2010.
* {{in lang|fr}} [http://www.ville-ge.ch/meg/musinfo_ph.php?what=pays=Turquie&debut=0&bool=AND Audio clips: Traditional music of Turkey.] [[Musée d'ethnographie de Genève]]. Accessed November 25, 2010.
* [http://www.turkishmusicportal.org Turkish Music Portal] All about Turkish Music
* [https://tarkandeluxe.blogspot.com/2006/02/music-of-turkey.html Music of Turkey]
* [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0459242/ Crossing The Bridge: Sounds from Istanbul]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090612033909/http://www.turkishmusic.org/ Turkish Music and Voice Library]
* [http://aton.ttu.edu/Tatar_Ezgileri.asp Music] at the [[Uysal-Walker Archive of Turkish Oral Narrative]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080614170340/http://www.neyneva.com/eng/ Ney Making House Web Site]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090806075042/http://www.turkish-clarinet.com/ Turkish Clarinet Music]
* [http://www.goldenhorn.com Golden Horn Records]
* [https://archive.today/20121217124049/https://www.anatolia-store.com/ Turkish Musical Instruments Shop]
* [http://turkey.insomniaradio.net Insomnia Radio: Turkiye (Turkish Indie Music Available in English & Turkish)]
* [https://indirsarki.com/ Turkey Music Listings]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060717041230/http://www.fonsvitae.com/helveti-jerrahi-muzaffer.html Lifting the Boundaries: Muzaffer Efendi and the Transmission of Sufism to the West by Gregory Blann]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080513024050/http://musicalconfrontations.com/MC5/wlc/mcb/cul/mim/mfl/mtm/foc/foc0000000001.htm Field music of the Ottoman Court and Europe]
* [http://www.umbc.edu/eol/wikipedia/Merhaba.mp3 ''Mevlit'' "''Merhaba bahrı''" excerpt sung by Kâni Karaca]
* [https://costak.blogspot.com/2006/03/kanto-article-by-cemal-nl.html Kanto]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080423223015/http://www.fezaneverd.com/ Feza Neverd] Interesting instrumental music composed by Mehmet Gencler
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080206133843/http://www.onlineizlesek.com/ Comprehensive Turkish Music Video Archive]
* ''[https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/anthology-of-turkish-piano-music-vol-i-elementary-digital-sheet-music/20132757 Anthology of Turkish Piano Music, Vol. I]'' on SheetMusicPlus.com
* ''[https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/anthology-of-turkish-piano-music-vol-ii-intermediate-digital-sheet-music/20137157 Anthology of Turkish Piano Music, Vol. II]'' on SheetMusicPlus.com
* ''[https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/anthology-of-turkish-piano-music-vol-iii-advanced-digital-sheet-music/20189113 Anthology of Turkish Piano Music, Vol. III]'' on SheetMusicPlus.com
* [http://www.matrock.net Rock Music Turkey]
* [http://www.istanbulpark.de/c/ytm_gallery/ytm_top_page.php Turkish Top 20]

{{Turkey topics}}

{{Music of Southeastern Europe}}
{{Balkan music}}
{{Middle Eastern music}}
{{Music of Asia}}
{{Music of Europe}}

[[Category:Music of Turkey| ]]