Istanbul 1925

various artists compilation - Istanbul 1925

CD released in 1994; music remastered from metal master 78 rpm discs recorded in 1925

Istanbul 1925 presents a collection of legendary performers from one of the most exciting periods in Middle Eastern music. Belly dancing, folk music and classical styles were merged together, creating a sound that became the rage of Istanbul - a city situated literally at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. The greatest cabaret singers, musicians, dancers and classical artists from various ethnic backgrounds - Turks, Armenians, Jews, Greeks and Gypsies lived in Istanbul, creating a musical style that dominated the city for more than half a century.
Hundreds of recordings were made by His Master's Voice in Turkey and issued on 78 rpm records. Presented here are performances of Turkey's greatest artists recorded during that era, digitally remastered from the original metal parts. (from the back cover liner notes)

Ernest Hemingway once said that the way to get rid of something was to write about it. In some way, it was with that thought in mind that this project was born. For this music, which was exposed to me from early childhood, had had an almost hypnotic effect on me, leading me twice to Istanbul and through countless hours of searching through records, photos and books for any scrap of information about the artists whose music had profoundly influenced my life. Istanbul 1890-1950 was a period which produced a genre of music as powerful and emotionally impacted as any age in musical history. It was, in many ways, similar to the musical scene in New York where audiences crowded into Carnegie Hall to hear new symphonies by Mahler, Dvorak and Tchaikovsky while uptown Harlem clubs were making musical history with the invention of jazz. Istanbul too harbored a rich cultural environment where music became the crossroads for Turkey's multi-ethnic population to come together. Turks, Greeks, Armenians, Jews, and Turkish gypsies merged their cultures to create a style of music which thrived in and around Istanbul for over half a century.

With the decline of the Ottoman Empire, many of the classical musicians sought employment in the night clubs of Istanbul. Here, the merging of refined Ottoman court music and urban secular music created a lighter style of the classical music known as fasil which was both sophisticated yet accessible to the young, westward-looking generation. Beginning with the reform movement of 1839, tanzimat, and later, as Kemal Ataturk began to introduce western ideology into the new republic, musical influences from other Middle Eastern countries and Europe also began to appear, though a definite Turkish flavor was retained. The emphasis on soloists gave rise to numerable singers and instrumentalists who attained pop star status. The introduction of larger ensembles, orchestrated arrangements and what today has become a main stream in Turkish music, Arabesque, was born in this era. Mohammed Abdel Wahab's westernization of Arabic music so intrigued Turkish musicians, that many, including Kemani Haydar Tatliyay, Kanuni Ahmet Yatman, Kemani Bulbuli Salih, Udi Hasan Dramali and Kemani Nubar Tekyay-Comlekciyan traveled to Egypt for extended visits.

Fortunately, many of the artists who pioneered the post-Ottoman musical era were recorded on wax cylinders and 78rpm records. Recording companies such as Regent and the Blumenthol Talking Machine Company recorded many of the leading artists. A Turkish division of His Master's Voice (Sahabinin Sesi) was already established in Istanbul by 1925. Kanuni Artaki Candan-Terzian (1885-1948), a noted Armenian musician and composer, served as the director of Sahabinin Sesi recording studios in Istanbul until his death in 1948. Under his supervision, hundreds of albums were recorded featuring the legendary artists of the day. Almost immediately, they appeared on 78 rpm discs in Europe and the United States through licensing agreements with RCA Victor, EMI, HMV and Columbia. (Harold G. Hagopian)

Tracklisting:

1. Sukru Tunar - Huzzam taksim {3:19}

2. Mahmut Celalettin - Neva Hicaz Gazel {3:21}

3. Munir Nurettin Selcuk and Sadettin Kaynak - Cikar yuclerden {3:02}

4. Udi Hrant - Cifte Telli {3:11}

5. Deniz Kizi and Kanuni Artaki - Daktilo {2:30}

6. Kemani Haydar Tatliyay - Raks Bedia {3:23}

7. Udi Hrant - Hicaz taksim {3:25}

8. Suzan Yakar - Sevda Zinciri {3:09}

9. Mahmut Celalettin and Udi Marko - Yuzu Pembe {3:14}

10. Sukru Tunar - Suzinak taksim {3:18}

11. Sukru Tunar - Karslama {3:08}

12. Mahmut Celalettin - Neva Ussak Gazel {3:10}

13. Udi Hrant - Huzzam taksim {3:22}

14. Munir Nurettin Selcuk and Sadettin Kaynak - Leyla {3:17}

15. Kucuk Nezihe Hanim and Sukru Tunar - Agladim aci Cektim {3:19}

16. Kemani Nubar - Bahriye Cifte Telli {3:42}

17. Udi Hrant - Kurdili Hicazkar taksim {3:19}

18. Kemani Haydar Tatliyay - Arap Oyun Havasi {3:20}

19. Mahmut Celalettin - Rast Neva Gazel {3:14}

20. Perihan Altindag and Rakim Elkutlu - Ne Bahar Kaldi Ne gul {2:49}

21. Hanende Agyazar Efendi - Kessik Kerem {3:06}

22. Sukru Tunar - Cifte Telli {2:45}

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