Zülfü Livaneli

Omer Zulfu Livaneli was born in Ilgin, Turkey in 1946. After being held under military detention for three months during the coup of March 12th, 1971, he had to leave Turkey and move to Sweden. After Stockholm, he lived in Paris and Athens, and he returned to Turkey in 1984.

Livaneli’s latest novel “Leyla’s House” was published in Turkey in May 2006. His third novel “Bliss”, published in 2002, also a number one best-seller, made 44 editions, became almost a cult work and is recently adapted to cinema in Turkey. In 2005, “Bliss” was published in Greece and Sweden, and in 2006, it was published in France by Gallimard, in the United States by St.Martin’s Press and in Italy by Gremese. Immediately after its publication in the latter, Bliss was awarded by Barnes & Noble, the biggest bookstore chain in the world, with the annually given “Discover Great New Authors” award due to its “superior literary value”. Bliss will soon be published in Norway by Gylendal and in Netherlands by Prometheus/ Bert Bakker. His second novel “One Cat One Man One Death”, his first novel “The Eunuch of Constantinople” and a collection of his stories titled “A Child in Purgatory” have also been published abroad.

Livaneli achieved prominent success not only as a writer but also as a musician. With his songs, which have reached cult proportions, he has had an impact on many generations of Turkish youth. His 1997 Ankara concert was attended by no less than 500 thousand people. Livaneli's songs have been recorded by well-known soloists in foreign countries. His collaborations with Mikis Theodorakis of Greece have been noted as a gesture of bringing together the two countries. He has been giving international concerts and the London Symphony Orchestra has recorded his songs. His music continues to have an impact on Turks and non-Turks alike.

Livaneli is perhaps one of the most outstanding figure in the cultural, artistic and political life of Turkey. He also has had a formative influence through his editorial and movies.

Besides being one of the foremost defenders of Turkish-Greek friendship, he has been a highly influential figure in Turkey's political life for the past 30 years.

Livaneli has been a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador since 1996.

Sources: wikipedia.org

unesco.org

Music samples:

http://www.4shared.com/file/113493262/138331d/Zulfu_Livaneli.html

Itri (Buhurizade Mustafa Efendi)

His real name was Mustafa (1640-1712), and he was sometimes referred to as Buhurizade Mustafa Efendi . Itri was a major exponent of Turkish classical music, much in the same way that his contemporary J.S.Bach revolutionized Western music. He was a very prolific composer with more than a thousand works. However, only about forty of these survived to this day.
It is believed that he was a Mevlevi, and composed religious music for this order. He lived through the times of five Ottoman Emperors. He became well known during the time of Mehmet IV. He sang in fasıls, which are concert programs with the same makam, in the presence of Mehmet IV. Starting from this time, he enjoyed the support of the palace for many years. He taught music in the palace Enderun school. He was also interested in gardening. It is believed that his name Itri comes from the word itir, which means rose-geranium, or pelargonium.
As with most composers of his day, Itri was also a famous poet. He used poetic forms based on the classicial Ottoman school of poetry (Divan), as well as those based on syllabic meters identified with folk music and poetry. Unfortunately most of his poetry has not survived to this day. He was also known for being a calligrapher.

Major Works:

Segâh Kurban Bayramı Tekbiri , Segâh Salât-ı Ümmiye

Tut-i Mucizei Guyem
Dilkeşhâveran Gece Salâtı , Mâye Cuma Salâtı
Segâh Mevlevi Ayini , Rast Darb-ı Türkî Naat ve Sofyan Tevşih
Nühüft Durak; Nühüft İlahî , Nühüft Tevşih; Nevâ Kâr
2 Pençgâh Beste , Hisar Devr-i Kebir Beste ve Aksak Semai
Mâhûr Ağır Aksak Semai , Rehavî Berefşan Beste
Buselik Hafif Beste ve Yürük Semai, Segâh Ağır Semai
Segâh Yürük Semai , Bayatî Çember Beste
Bestenigâr Darb-ı Fetih Beste , Dügâh Hafif Beste
Isfahan Zencir Beste ve Ağır Aksak Semai
Nikriz Muhammes Beste , Râhatu'l Ervah Zencir Beste
Irak Aksak Semai , Rast Aksak Semai
Nühüft Aksak Semai , Acemaşiran Yürük Semai
Rehavî Peşrev

Tanburi Cemil Bey

Tanburî Cemil Bey was the fourth and youngest son of Zihni Yâr Hanım, a slave and wet-nurse to Hayriye Hanım, the daughter of Sultan Mahmut II and Adile Sultan. Zihni Yâr Hanım married the assistant prefect of Shkodra, Mehmet Tevfik Bey, and Cemil Bey was born in Constantinople on May 9, 1871. Although he lost his father at the age of three, he completed his primary school education with the help of his uncle, Refik Bey. While at junior school, he learned French under Messrs Grégoire and Maurice. He began to play the saz at the age of ten, later taking up the violin and kanun, and later still the tanbur, which was eventually to win his heart. He learned makam theory from his elder brother, Ahmet Bey, and Western musical theory and the Hamparsum Limonciyan system from the violinist, Aleksan Efendi. A child prodigy at the age of twelve, by the age of eighteen he was already renowned as an instrumentalist of unrivalled talent. Profoundly knowledgeable of Constantinopolitan music, he was to play a decisive role in its development, and was also to devise and apply new playing methods to a wide range of musical instruments, particularly the lyra and the tanbur. He employed his knowledge of both traditional and western music to develop tanbur technique, and thus opened up new avenues for Turkish musical instruments as a whole. During a year at the School of Political Sciences, he met Aziz Mahmut Bey, a tanbur player whose father, Ali Efendi, agreed to tutor him in the same instrument. The first time Ali Efendi, a romantic composer, heard Cemil Bey play, he realized he was in the presence of a genius. When he declared that Cemil Bey played the tanbur even better than he did, word of his charismatic student’s abilities spread like wildfire through Constantinople’s musical circles. Through Ali Efendi, Cemil Bey came into contact with romantic music, under whose influence he was to remain for the rest of his life. At the same time, he acquired an outstanding technique, especially in the use of the plectrum, with a view to playing in the classical style, and was second to none at playing with the plectrum in the left hand. By playing more quietly and making less frequent use of the plectrum, he exploited the full potential of the classical tanbur, taking the instrument a stage further in its development. He also developed a new and more impressive method of playing during this period, thus establishing a new school. 17 At the age of twenty, he demonstrated his talent by playing the lyra, the lavta and the violin. It was Cemil Bey, too, who introduced the use of the bow to tanbur-playing, thereby creating what was in effect a new instrument: the yali tanbur. By 1900, his fame had spread throughout the Ottoman Empire. When he appeared before Sultan Abdülhamit II with his tanbur and lyra, he was rewarded with 300 gold sovereigns and the post of General Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A versatile composer, Cemil Bey wrote peşrevs, instrumental semâ‘îs, longas, syrta, zeybeks, and art songs. Though he composed his instrumental works within the ambits of classical music, his conception of the capabilities of his instruments was such that these works display a new and original approach. His musical pieces appear to be divinely inspired in their innovativeness and uniqueness of form, although his songs were to prove somewhat less successful. Of all the Turkish instrumental works ever written in the Şed-i ‘Arabân makam, Cemil Bey’s saz semai’s may be regarded as the best. His peşrevs and semâ‘îs has been a constant source of discussion since they were composed—indeed, now more than ever—and are frequently played both in Turkey and abroad, where they are broadcast by radio stations in Tunis, Baghdad, Cairo, Damascus and Beirut. The wide distribution of his music was assisted by the fact that it was recorded and distributed throughout the Mediterranean area on 78 rpm records, on which Cemil Bey played both taksims and his own compositions. Most of the recordings were made between 1910 and 1914 by the Blumenthal brothers on the Orfeon label. On these recordings, Cemil Bey worked with some of the most famous musicians of his time, including Nevres Bey (oud), Ibrahim Efendi (clarinet), Cemal Bey (piano) and Bülbül Salih (violin), a student of the tanbur player, Kadı Fuat.
His Guide to Music, which contains elements of Turkish musical theory, was published in 1901. Cemil Bey married Şerife Saide Hanım in the same year, 1901, but the marriage was to prove a dif produced one son, Mesud Cemil, who was later to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a famous musician. In addition to playing the tanbur and the cello, he also became an orchestral conductor. Cemil Bey retired into himself in the last few years of his life, and sank into melancholy. He contracted tuberculosis, eventually dying from the disease in 1916 at the age of fortyfive in Constantinople.

Necip Gülses, tanbur player
Istanbul, Spring 2004

This article is from
En Chordais (Greece)
http://www.medimuses.gr/english.html

Other sources
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanburi_Cemil_Bey
In Turkish language
http://www.turkmusikisi.com/bestekarlar/tanburicemilbey.htm
http://www.kimkimdir.gen.tr/kimkimdir.php?id=420

Most of his discography:
http://www.traditionalcrossroads.com/

Zeki Müren (1931-1996) - Introduction

Zeki Müren, a prominent Turkish singer, composer and actor, was famous for his compelling voice and precise articulation in his singing of both established Turkish classical music and contemporary songs.

Müren grew up in Bursa in western Turkey in 1931. From 1950 to 1953 he studied decorative arts in Istanbul at the Fine Arts Academy while launching his musical career. “Bir Muhabbet Kusu”, his first single was a sold-out. He was given “the Golden Record” award for another song called “Manolya”. His first musical film “Beklenen Sarki” received the success it deserved. Zeki Muren made 18 consecutive films with all great success. He always proved that he could be and was successfull in all branches of art including poetry, design, composing.

When he accepted to go on stage in 1954 he knew he had to be special and in appearance in paralel to his skills. Thanks to his earlier education at the Fine Arts Academy he introduced many novelties on stage set-up and instruments used. His next step was to wear new style clothes on stage entirely of his own fashion.One of his novelties was to apply a “T” shape stage for the first time in Turkey so he could mingle with his beloved ones. His manner of adressing people and his perfect pronunciation of the Turkish language was superb. That was the reason why he was unparallelled in maintaining dialogues with his audience on stage.

In 1955 he appeared at the Küçük Çiftlik Gazinosu, one of the three best-known night clubs of Istanbul in those years, where he was accompanied by such famous instrumentalists of Turkey as Selahattin Pınar, Yorgo Bacanos, Sadi Işılay, Hakkı Derman, Şükrü Tunar, Feyzi Aslangil, Kadri Şençalar, İsmail Şençalar and Necdet Gezen. This series of night club concerts created great popular interest. Müren continued his concerts for many years. He was Turkey's most regular and frequent concert giver. He gave thousands of concerts, and actually the number of his concerts has remained an unreachable record. There have been times during which he gave one hundred concerts a year.

In his forty-five-year professional career Müren composed more than one hundred songs and made more than two hundred recordings. “Zehretme hayatı bana cânânım” (acemkurdi) was his first song, which he composed at the age of 17. “Şimdi uzaklardasın gönül hicranla doldu” (suzinâk), “Manolyam” (kürdilihicazkâr), “Bir demet yasemen” (nihavend), “Gözlerinin içine başka hayal girmesin” (nihavend) are some of his most popular songs. He was celebrated as the "Sun" of classical Turkish music and was affectionately called "Pasha". For many years he reigned as "Artist of the Year". Many of Müren's records were also published in Greece, where he also enjoyed popularity, along with the U.S., Germany, and several other countries during the 1960s and 1970s.

Then, Zeki Muren started to fight health problems gradually. He preferred to lead a solitary life in Bodrum but that did not help to keep him out of eye in the press.In 1996 he passed away of a heart-attack .

Zeki Müren Art Museum, established in Bodrum, where Müren used to live, has been visited by more than 200 thousand people so far.

SUGGESTED LISTENING:
Albums published posthumously:
2005 The Songs of Selahattin Pınar (Kalan music)
2005 The Songs of Sadettin Kaynak (Kalan music)
2005 Zeki Müren: 1955-1963 Recordings (Kalan music)

can be ordered online through : http://www.kalan.com/

8 of his popular songs are included in the following file:
http://rapidshare.com/files/99033275/Z._Muren.rar

1. Beklenen Sarki
2. Kiskanirim Seni ben
3. O agacin altini
4. Simdi uzaklardasin
5. Ben seni unutmak icin sevmedim
6. Manolyam
7. Seni ben ellerin olsun diye mi sevdim
8. Telgrafin tellerine

Also, check the following videos for a closer acquaintance with his music, accompanied by scenes from some of his films:

Sofor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzeyHTdvPLY
Yildizlarin altinda
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBGtD8lCPYU
Intizar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kdZNqtJfl0&feature=related
Bir atesim yanarim
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kfl_UFLw_e8
Sevda isimli cicek
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxIzQSMeL6I
Eller ne derse desin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bPW833VKOY
Bir yanginin kulunu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69GqFinwRyw
Boyle bir karasevda
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUlqc5q3QM8

Sezen Aksu - Introduction

Sezen Aksu is the undisputed queen of contemporary Turkish music. She has shown considerable bravery in linking traditional Turkish styles with western music and in tackling subjects that the authorities would prefer to have overlooked. In the 1970s she became the first Turkish woman to write and publicly perform her own songs. Since then she has built up a massive following, singing about everything from environmental issues to the ongoing civil war with the Kurds to painful emotional truths.

Sezen Aksu was born and educated in Izmir on the romantic and nostalgic Aegean coast of Anatolia. During her school years, she took lessons in painting, music and theatre. Whilst studying at the Aegean University she released her first composition, including lyrics. This first song, 'Kaybolan Yıllar' (Lost Years), became a hit that touched thousands of people's hearts and marked the beginning of her professional career.

Her background and upbringing, surrounded by prominent specialists and teachers in Turkish Music, became vital in her work. She has always composed songs that appeal to everyone and that are influenced and inspired by the rich and colourful Anatolian cultures of her childhood. Literature, cinema, poetry and theatre remain close to her heart.

Even in her early lyrics, she promised to be an explorer of vast horizons and abysses of emotions she were to lean over. On the burning depth of her voice, she made us feel since the beginning, that a long journey awaited us. Beyond her lyrics, it was her voice that had the intensity. She was looking into our eyes with a genuine self-confidence that we were not familiar in the pop scene. She was the little warrior who did not want to be disturbed as she sang her songs. This young girl had come with a halo over her head. She always knew how to refuse what she did not want. Perhaps, we first fell in love with her uncompromising sincerity. She was not like any other person we knew.

Sezen is the singer, performer, lyricist and composer of over 600 of Turkey's most popular and frequently performed songs. She also composes for many other artists. She has subsequently become a legend in Turkey. Her modest personality and unlimited generosity in sharing her memories, longings, heartbreaks, pain, love and happiness with her audiences have made her the 'Sweetheart' and 'Little Sparrow' of every household in Turkey. Sezen Aksu’s beautiful music accompanied by her powerful, warm, touching voice have practically been the soundtrack of many Turkish people’s lives for more than 30 years. Having sold over 40 million albums throughout her career, Aksu is the ultimate figure who shaped Turkish pop music.While many of her contemporaries in pop music have their names remembered nostalgically in family conversations, Sezen Aksu's has become a legend, growing bigger as we speak. Her ballads about unrequited love and broken hearts made her a household name in 1970s and 1980s.

Her live concerts in Turkey and across Europe are sell out performances and she remains in every sense an entertainer, one that ranks amongst the great names of modern music.
Few artists have Sezen Aksu's talent for composing such diverse music with such Universal appeal. The complex, colourful and rhythmic melodies of Turkey blend seamlessly with the modern beats of popular music yet skilfully neither is compromised. An artist who has the ability to write chart topping hits such as 'Kiss Kiss' and the genius to create poetry in songs that will be sung forever, familiar tunes rendered new and more profound under her mastery.

In her songs love is a fiery riot; affection is a boundless generosity. Sezen keeps writing the poetry of entrancement. The unique color of her voice tempts the listener to great loves, great sacrifices and great uprisings. The sadness of a vulnerable little girl and the defiance of a woman resisting confinement, blend in her voice. Sometimes she is the romantic poet of the streets, sometimes the naughty girl of the neighborhood. It is as if she reminds us that freedom is possible. She speaks from a world where baring one's self until he/she becomes an open sore, is a virtue.

When we listen to her, we realize she has felt the same; she has been through the same path of emotions with each one of us. The vigor of her emotions that at times embarrasses us, her stubborn pursuit of a 'better and better' musical sentence and beyond all else, her loyalty to her self being in all circumstances along the way, make her unique.

Sample listening:
http://www.4shared.com/file/85042431/d48d13a5/sezen.html

SEZEN'S POETRY

“Poems To Be” (www.metisbooks.com)

Poems To Be consists of 197 lyrics selected from over 400 pieces Turkish pop diva Sezen Aksu wrote between 1975-2006. These songs have claimed their place in the lives and memories of three or four consecutive generations in Turkey. The aim in editing them in a volume is to bring out the poetry in these lyrics. Sezen Aksu’s songs have always flirted with poetry, often they are poetic, and sometimes they are downright poems. Her lyrics represent the expanse of Turkey to full extent, in them we encounter a unique blend of rich diversity, including motifs from both the long bygone and contemporary urban tunes to those of far Anatolian corners. Poems To Be is a book about love, our passions, break-ups, submissions, disappointments and newfound hopes. It shows us how fragile we are as humans, but also how we have the power to tend to our wounds and live on. An abridged version of the book is being prepared for publication in other languages.

BURN IT ALL
Burn me up, burn yourself, burn all that there is
Just a spark’s enough, I’m ready for this
Kiss me or touch me, kill me if you will
One should die for love, only then love is

I took you inside me all in one breath
My heart’s arrested; my breasts caught in a cage
We’ll be consumed together in the same flame
Just a spark’s enough, I’m ready for this
One should die for love, only then love is
Wear me out missing you; wear me out with your love
No love is worse than having loved and lost
Hurt me if you will, as much as you can
When you’re here it’s not enough, but neither is it when gone

Lord, oh Lord, Lord, oh Lord I walk into the fire
Lord, oh Lord, I grow with grief, I grow with love

Sezen Aksu
Translated from Turkish by Bülent Somay

Sources:
http://www.cdbaby.com
http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr
http://www.mymerhaba.com

Dede Efendi (1778-1846)

Hammamizade İsmail Dede Efendi (1778-1846) was a composer of Turkish classical music. He was born on 9 January 1778, in Istanbul, Şehzadebaşı. He started studying music with Mehmed Emin Efendi, at the age of eight. He attended rituals at Yenikapı Mevlevihanesi, a place of Mevlevi gathering. He studied with Ali Nutki Dede and learned to play ney, in Yenikapı Mevlevihanesi. He became "Dede" in 1799. Dede Efendi's music was well appreciated by Sultan Selim III and then he performed his works at the palace. He had composed hundreds of songs and mevlevi rituals. In 1846 he pilgrimaged to Mecca, but in Mina contracted cholera and died. His grave is now in Mecca. Dede Efendi gave lessons in Turkish music to Hamparsum Limonciyan who developed the Hamparsum notation, the dominant notation for Turkish music.

One of the greatest Turkish composers, he has created masterpieces in all forms and modes of Turkish music. He has also developed the composite musical modes of "sultanî yegâh", "nev-eser", "saba-buselik", "hicaz-buselik" and "araban kürdî". His greatest works are the seven Mevlevi pieces for Samah. More than two hundred of his compositions are available today.

For listening samples by Dede Efendi:

http://www.imeem.com/tag/dede%20efendi/

Yurdal Tokcan - Introduction

Yurdal Tokcan is considered one of the finest oud players in the world today by many music authorities. His style combines older traditions with many new stylistic innovations, which are also present in his playing of the fretless guitar. His many new compositions combine traditional rich melodies with polyphonic textures performed on Turkish classical instruments.
Tokcan was born in Ordu on the Black Sea cost of Turkey in 1966. He is a 1998 graduate of Istanbul Technical University’s Turkish Music Government Conservatory. While completing his masters program there, he joined the faculty as an oud instructor. Tokcan continues to teach, sharing his knowledge, experience, and technique with Turkish and foreign students.
In 1990, he joined the Culture and Tourism Ministry’s Istanbul Government Music Ensemble under the artistic direction of Tanburi Necdet Yasar. As a member of this ensemble, Yurdal performed in France, Holland, Belgium, and Spain. He is a member of the Istanbul Fasil Ensemble and the Istanbul Tasavvuf Music Ensemble, and a founding member of the Istanbul Sazendeleri (Musicians of Istanbul), a group dedicated to presenting Turkish instrumental works. Tokcan has participated in many recording sessions and has performed internationally, in Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Spain, Greece, Japan, Turkmenistan, Israel, Tunisia, Lebanon, Bosnia, and Northern Cyprus. As a soloist, Tokcan performed in the Netherlands with the Amsterdam Percussion Group and Chamber Orchestra in a program titled European Music Around Oud, and with the Tekfen Philharmonic Orchestra in Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Belgium. Tokcan joined Burhan Ocal (percussion), Goksel Baktagir (kanun), Selim Guler (kemence), and Arif Erdebil (ney) in a French concert, the recording of which won the 1998 “Best Ethnic Album” in France. Tokcan has played in many of ney virtuoso Kudsi Erguner’s ensembles, both in Turkey and abroad. He performed in Israel with Group Baharat and with long time collaborator, kanun player Goksel Baktagir. Recently, Tokcan has been recording and performing with Israeli Ladino artist Hadass Pal Yarden. His work can also be heard on “Bende Can” (Inner Soul), an album of his original compositions.

Tokcan represented Turkey in several international festivals and celebrations, including the 3rd International Oud and Lavta Festival in Dresden, Germany and the 2002 International Oud Meeting in Thessaloniki, Greece (along with oud players Ara Dinkjian, Simon Shaheen, Haig Yazdjian, and Omar Bashir). In 2003, he performed at the Oud Festival in Jordan, gave two concerts at the Arabic Music Festival at the Cairo Opera Hall, and performed during celebrations of the 2003 Turkish Year in Japan. Tokcan was invited to perform in Kudus in a pan-Mediterranean music festival (along with Selim Guler, Ross Daly, Zohar Fresko and Yinon Muallem). He has performed with the Mercan Dede Ensemble in various festivals, including the Akbank International Jazz Festival in Istanbul.

Tokcan’s recent activities include continued participation in Turkish Year in Japan during 2004 with Tekfen Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition, Istanbul Sazendeleri (Musicians of Istanbul) has played in Crete (August 2005), Estonia (October 2005), Tokyo, Japan (Turkish year events closing concert, May 2004), and concert with Ross Daly in Bursa, Turkey (November 2005). Tokcan also performed a duo concert at the International Oud Festival in Jerusalem (December 2005) with Israeli percussionist Yinon Muallem.

Website http://www.yurdaltokcan.com/

Introduction music:
1. Yurdal Tokcan - Ayisiginda hislerim (nihavent saz semaisi)
2. Yurdal Tokcan - Respect to the Master
3. Yurdal Tokcan - Ud Taksimi
4. Yurdal Tokcan Goksel Baktagir - Hicaz Sirto 2
http://www.4shared.com/file/83368760/2c829dbf/Week22_Yurdal_Tokcan_Introduction.html

Göksel Baktagir - Introduction

Kanun player -born in Kirklareli in 1966, Göksel Baktagir began his music education at the age of eight under the supervision of his father Muzaffer Baktagir. He graduated in 1988 from ITU State School of Art for Turkish Music where he was registered in 1983. A year later, he started his graduate study at the same school.
In the same year he was appointed as the kanun (zither) player to the State Turkish Music Group of Istanbul which was under direction of Tanburi Necdet Yasar. During this period, he gave concerts in England, France, Belgium, Denmark, Holland, Switzerland and Türkmenistan with the Necdet Yasar Ensemble and with various other groups.
Göksel Baktagir began to compose during his studentship in the conservatory and has done 140 compositions, 35 vocal and 105 instrumental works. Most of his works are incliuded in TRT repertoire. His zavil ("a style in Turkish music") intrumental work, "Sazim" (My Instrument), was awarded by a contest organized by TRT in 1990. His muhayyerkürdi song "Tek Kelime" ("A Single Word"), was among the 10 most popularsongs of 1997 in a contest organized by the newspaper Milliyet. In 2000, his album "Dogu Rüzgan" ("The Wind of East"), was awarded by the Turkish Authors' Association (Türkiye Yazartar Birligi).
Baktagir has been working on the "left hand" technique that is unique to him since 1984 along with other techniques in the performance of the zither. Recognized as one of the leading artists of our time in traditional performance of the zither, he evaluated all opportunities and limits of the intrument, which is originally a Turkish music intrument and broadened the perspective towards other world musics. In this context he succeeded in creating superb works in some genres such as New Age and Jazz and gave concerts with various western Jazz Groups. He performed with Susan Kalifastau in the Akbank Jazz Festival 1994 and with Lawrence "Butch" Morris in the Akbank Jazz Festival 1995. The 1995 concert was released as an album in 1996.
Upon the invitation of Burhan Öcal in 1997, Baktagir performed in a concert in France with several other musicians; Arif Erdebil (nay), Yurdal Tokcan (oud) and Selim Güler (kemence). This concert was also released as an album "Orient Secret" in 1998. He performed with the Mercan Dede Ensemble in a concert "Selimname - Evrensele Acilan Kapinin Aydinlik Sesleri" in May 2000, and since 1998 he has been giving concerts with the group "Istanbul Sazendelen" around Turkey, expecially in academic institutions.
Göksel Baktagir has some recorded works such as "Okyanustaki Sesler" which includes his twenty instrumental works he composed in the framework of the classical norms: "Kervansaray-3", "Günlük", "Dogu Rüzgari", "Okyanustaki Sesler-2 (Cananim)", "Okyanustaki Sesler-3 (Hüzün)", "Sezgiyle seslenisler", "Café Istanbul", and "Hayal gibi". Baktagir composed for the soundtrack of the documentary about Istiklal Marsi (The National Anthem) produced by CNN Türk. He is working on a "zither metod" to be published and his book "Okyanustaki Sesler", which will include the scores of his works that are in his albums, is about to be published.
Along with his primal appointment in the State Turkish Music Group of Istanbul, he also performs in the Istanbul Fasil Group and the Istanbul Tasavvuf (Sufi) Music Group. He participated in the "International Rabat Festival" in Morocco and the "Bas Carsi Festival" in Sarajevo in which he did 7 CD and cassette recordings. In recent years Göksel Baktagir has been giving lectures in the Mimar Sinan University State School of Art and the Halic University.

Γεννημένος στην Kirklareli, το 1966, ο Goksel Baktagir ξεκίνησε τις μουσικές σπουδές του στην ηλικία των 8 χρόνων, υπό την επίβλεψη του πατέρα του Muzafer Baktagir. Αποφοίτησε το 1988 από το ITU State School of Art of Turkish Music.
Την ίδια χρονιά γίνεται μέλος του State Turkish Music Group of Istanbul, το οποίο εμφανίζεται υπό τη διεύθυνση του Tanburi Necdet Yasar. Αυτή την περίοδο δίνει συναυλίες στην Αγγλία, τη Γαλλία, το Βέλγιο, τη Δανία, την Ολλανδία, την Ελβετία και το Τουρκμενιστάν με το Necdet Yasar Ensemble και διάφορα άλλα σχήματα και από το 1998 εμφανίζεται με το σχήμα “Istanbul Sazendelen”. Συνεργάζεται επίσης με το Istanbul Fasil Group και το Istanbul Tasavvuf (Sufi) Music Group, με το οποίο συμμετείχε στο “International Rabat Festival” στο Μαρόκο και στο “ Bas Carsi Festival” στο Σεράγεβο και έχει ηχογραφήσει 7 ψηφιακούς δίσκους ακτίνας και κασέτες. Ο Goksel Baktagir δουλεύει την τεχνική του “Αριστερού Χεριού” από το 1984. Δεν θεωρείται μόνο ένας από τους κορυφαίους δεξιοτέχνες της εποχής μας σε παραδοσιακές εκτελέσεις αλλά και εκσυγχρονιστής του οργάνου καθώς το έχει εξελίξει διευρύνοντας το ρεπερτόριο του και πειραματιζόμενος με διαφορετικά είδη μουσικής, όπως η New Age και η Jazz. Το 1994 εμφανίστηκε στο “ Akbank Jazz Festival μαζί με την Susan Kalifastau και το 1995 με την Lawrence “Butch” Morris στο ίδιο φεστιβάλ. Η συναυλία αυτή ηχογραφήθηκε και σε άλμπουμ το 1996.
Άλλη μια συναυλία στη Γαλλία αυτή τη φορά, ηχογραφήθηκε σε άλμπουμ το 1998, με τον τίτλο “ Orient Secret”, και τη συμμετοχή των Arif Erdebil (Nay), Yurdal Tkcan (oud), και Selim Guler (kemence). Συνθέτει μουσική από τότε που ήταν μαθητής στο ωδείο. Τα περισσότερα από τα έργα του συμπεριλαμβάνονται στο ρεπερτόριο του TRT. Η ορχηστρική δουλειά του “Sazim” βραβεύτηκε σε διαγωνισμό που διοργανώθηκε από το TRT το 1990. Την ίδια χρονιά το τραγούδι του “Tek Kelime” (Μια λέξη μόνο) ήταν μέσα στα 10 δημοφιλέστερα τραγούδια στην Τουρκία, σύμφωνα με την εφημερίδα Milliyet. Το 2000 το άλμπουμ του με τίτλο “Dogu Ruzgan” (Ο άνεμος της Ανατολής) βραβεύθηκε από την Ένωση Τούρκων Συγγραφέων (Turkiye Yazartar Birligi).
Ο Goksel Baktagir ηχογράφησε το “Okyanustaki Sesler” στο οποίο συμπεριλαμβάνονται 20 ορχηστρικά έργα που συνέθεσε στα πλαίσια διαφορετικών κλασσικών φορμών. Συνέθεσε επίσης τη μουσική του θέματος του ντοκιμαντέρ για το Istiklal Marsi (Εθνικός Ύμνος) παραγωγής του τουρκικού CNN. Σήμερα γράφει μια μέθοδο εκμάθησης για το κανονάκι και ένα βιβλίο με τίτλο “ Okyanustaki Sesler” μέσα στο οποίο θα συμπεριλαμβάνονται οι παρτιτούρες των έργων του. Τα τελευταία χρόνια ο Goksel Baktagir δίνει σεμινάρια στο Mimar Sinan University State School και στο Halic University.

Introduction music:
1. Goksel Baktagir & Nedim Nalbantoglu - Kurdi Saz Eseri (Merhaba)
2. Goksel Baktagir - Kurdilihicazkar Saz Semaisi (Meltem) (1993/No.22)
3. Goksel Baktagir & Ceyhun Celikten - Sultaniyegah sirto
4. Goksel Baktagir - Ussak Sirto
http://www.4shared.com/file/83369533/73c48b4b/Week22_Goksel_Baktagir_introduction.html