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'Ottoman military bands' are thought to be the oldest variety of military marching band in the world. Though they are often known by the Persian-derived word ''mahtar'' (مهتر ; ''mehter'' in Ottoman Turkish) in the West, that word, properly speaking, refers only to a single musician in the band. In Ottoman, the band was generally known as ''mehterân'' (مهتران, from the Persian plural ''mahtarān''), though those bands used in the retinue of a vizier or prince were generally known as ''mehterhane'' (مهترخانه, meaning roughly, "a gathering of ''mehter''s", from Persian "house of the ''mahtar''"). In modern Turkish, the band as a whole is often termed ''mehter takımı'' ("group of ''mehter''s").

Contents

History

Structure

Members

Style

Well-known composers

Well-known compositions

"Ceddin Deden"

"Yine de Şahlanıyor Aman"

See also

References

History

It is believed that individual instrumentalists may have been mentioned in the 8th century Orkhon inscriptions, the oldest written sources of the people who would eventually become the modern Turks. Such military bands as the ''mehter''s, however, were not definitively mentioned until the 13th century. It is believed that the first "mehter" was sent to Osman Gazi by the Seljuk Sultan Alaeddin III as a present along with a letter that salutes the newly formed state. From then on every day after the afternoon prayer; "mehter" played for the Ottoman ruler. The notion of a military marching band, such as those in use even today, began to be borrowed from the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. The sound associated with the ''mehterân'' also exercised an influence on European classical music, with composers such as Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven all writing compositions inspired by or designed to imitate the music of the ''mehter''s.
In 1826, the music of the ''mehter''s fell into disfavor following Sultan Mahmud II's massacre of the Janissary corps, who had formed the core of the bands. Subsequent to this, in the mid and late 19th century, the genre went into decline along with the Ottoman Empire. In 1911, as the empire was beginning to collapse, the director of Istanbul's military museum attempted a somewhat successful revival of the tradition, and by 1953—so as to celebrate the 500-year anniversary of the Fall of Constantinople to the forces of Sultan Mehmed II—the tradition had been fully restored as a band of the Turkish Armed Forces.
Today, the music of the ''mehter''s is largely ceremonial and considered by many Turks as a stirring example of heroism and a reminder of Turkey's imperial past.
Today, ''Mehter Troop'' (''Mehter Bölüğü'') is a band of the Turkish Armed Forces and it performs at the Military Museum (Askeri Müze) in Istanbul.

Structure

The standard instruments employed by a ''mehterân'' are the ''kös'' (a large bass drum resembling the timpani), the ''nakare'' (a small kettledrum), the ''davul'' (a frame drum), the ''zil'' (cymbals), the ''kaba zurna'' (a bass variety of the zurna), the ''boru'' (a kind of trumpet), and the ''cevgen'' (a kind of stick bearing small concealed bells). The different varieties of bands are classed according to the number of instruments and musicians employed: either six-layered (''altı katlı''), seven-layered (''yedi katlı''), or nine-layered (''dokuz katlı'').
The costumes worn by the ''mehterân'', despite wide variance in color and style, are always very colourful, often including high ribbed hats which are flared at the top and long robes wrapped in colourful silks.

Members

'Ceremonial Members:'

'Percussion Instruments:'

'Wind Instruments:'

Style

The sound of the Ottoman military band is characterized by an often shrill sound combining bass drums, horns (boru), bells, the triangle and cymbals (zil), among others. It is still played at state, military and tourist functions in modern Turkey by the Mehter Band and the troops that accompany.
''Mehterân'' usually play classical Turkish music such as peşrev, semai, nakış, cengiharbi, murabba and kalenderi. Most of the music played by ''mehterân'' is Turkish Folk Music with heroic themes from the Ottoman frontiers. Melodies and lyrics are written in Mehterhane (the house of Mehter).
The oldest extant marches were written by Nefiri Behram, Emir-i Hac, Hasan Can and Gazi Giray II in the 16th century.

Well-known composers

'16th century'	'17th century'	'18th century'
- Nefiri Behram	- Zurnazen Edirneli Daği Ahmed Çelebi	- Hızır Ağa
- Emir-i Hac	- Zurnazenbaşı İbrahim Ağa
- Hasan Can	- Müstakim Ağa
- Gazi Giray II.	- Hammali

Well-known compositions

"Ceddin Deden"

Though Mehter band played a variety of frontier marches, Ceddin deden is one of the best known
'Lyrics'
''Ceddin, deden, neslin, baban; x2
''Hep kahraman Türk milleti.
''Orduların, pek çok zaman, vermiştiler dünyaya şan.'' x2


''Türk milleti!, Türk milleti!;'' x2
''Aşk ile sev hürriyeti,''
''Kahret vatan düşmanını, çeksin o mel'un zilleti.'' x2


'which can be translated in English as:'


(Seek) Your ancestors, your grandfathers, your generation, your father x2
The Turkish nation has always been valiant.
Your armies, many times, have been renowned throughout the world. x2


Turkish nation!, (O) Turkish nation!; x2
love (your) freedom passionately,
Overwhelm the enemies of your motherland, and make those cursed ones feel abjected. x2

"Yine de Şahlanıyor Aman"

'Lyrics'
''Yinede şahlanıyor aman''
''Kolbaşının yandım da kır atı''
''Görünüyor yandım aman''
''Bize serhad yolları.''
''Davullar çalınsın aman''
''Aman da ceng-i cengide harbiyi''
''Görünüyor yandım aman''
''Bize sefer yolları.''
''Gâhi sefer olur aman''
''Aman da sefer seferde eyleriz''
''Hazan erişince aman''
''Bahar güzel severiz.''
''Gülyüzlü yari de aman
''Aman da hile ile de severiz''
''Sefersiz olamaz aman''
''Aman er evlaları.''

See also

★ Ottoman classical music

★ Ottoman imperial anthem

★ Music of Turkey

★ Turkish music (style)

References

★ Mehter: Marche of Ottoman Empire's army

★ Ottoman military band and Europe

★ TheOttomans.org entry on the Mehterhane

★ Mehter marşlari (sound recording), Istanbul: Sera, 2001?,