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Ottoman classical music (Klâsik Türk Mûsikîsi, Sanat Mûsikîsi, Saray Mûsikîsi) developed in palaces, mosques, and Mevlevi lodges of the Ottoman Empire. Originally Persian court music, it took on distinctive Turkish characteristics in the 17th century.^[1] Above all a vocal music, Classical Turkish Music traditionally accompanies a solo singer with a small instrumental ensemble. In recent times instruments might include tanbur lute, ney flute, kemençe fiddle, keman Western violin, kanun zither, or other instruments. Sometimes described as monophonic music, the variety of ornamentation and variation in the ensemble requires the more accurate term heterophonic.

As the Empire grew, musics of conquered peoples of the Balkans and the Mediterranean were incorporated into an increasingly diverse Ottoman music. The Ottoman Empire was a multi-ethnic state, and cultural influences, including music, were shared by groups including the Turks, Armenians, Greeks, Kurds, Arabs, Persians, Assyrians and Jews.

With the beginning of the decline of the empire in the early 19th century, one branch gradually evolved from serious artistic music to "urban entertainment music".^[2] But the essence of classical Turkish music— a refined aesthetic, a vast repertoire, a sophisticated makam system of melodic modes, a variety of usul rhythmic modes, a rich body of Ottoman poetry—survived throughout the 19th and 20th centuries and continues in the 21st century.

Though akin to today's classical Arab music, classical Turkish music has a broader repertoire, utilizes a wider range of makams and usuls, and enjoys a strong following of audiences, performers, and students. One can find more distant similarities with Azerbaijan, Uzbek, and other Turkic musics. ^[3]

Three of the best known composers of Turkish classical music are Buhurizade Itri, Dede Efendi, and Haci Arif Bey. Throughout its history until the late 20th century, classical Turkish music was tranmitted orally from teacher to student via the meşk system. Some compositions lost from the oral repertoire have survived in Hamparsum notation, developed by composer and musician Hamparsum Limonciyan by request of Sultan Selim III.

In 1934, the government of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk banned Ottoman classical music, though the ban was lifted the following year. Even though the Republic of Turkey has a considerably less multiethnic character than the Ottoman Empire, important performers and composers like Yorgo Bacanos and udi Hrant Kenkulian came from minorities, while favourite Turkish composers include Sadettin Kaynak.

Some of the important musicologists involved with this genre are Prince Cantemir, Cinuçen Tanrıkorur and Rauf Yekta Bey who wrote the first modern account of Turkish classical music available in a Western language. ^[4]

Modern Turkish singers of neo-classical music include Münir Nurettin Selçuk, Müzeyyen Senar, Zeki Müren, Bülent Ersoy and Emel Sayın. Safiye Ayla ranks as one of the great secular classical singers of the early 20th centery. Kâni Karaca is considered one of the great singers of mosque music and Mevlevi music in the last third of the 20th century. Leading instrumentalists include Necdet Yaṣar (tanbur), Niyazi Sayın (ney), İhsan Özgen (kemenche), Akagündüz Kutbay (ney—deceased).

"Telgrafın Telleri"

Turkish art music

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• Database of Turkish music, including the private archive of Ismâil Baha Sürelsan, a musicologist who specialized in Ottoman classical music
• Neyzen, the most complete collection of Ottoman sheet music, available for free online. The long list of Turkish words on the screen are names of individual 'makam'. Each makam has its own quality and repertoire, click on any of these to get a list of the sheet music available to view and download.
• TurkMusikisi, the premier Turkish-language website dedicated to Ottoman music. Highly recommended, regardless of Turkish ability.
• Secular classical music: selection from gazel improvisation sung by Safiye Ayla mp3, 829 kB, 0:00:53 duration
• Mosque music: selection from "Merhaba bahrı" (Mevlit) sung by Kâni Karaca mp3, 1.3 MB, 0:01:28 duration
• Mevlevi music: selection from 4th selam, Beyati Mevlevi Âyini mp3, 793 kB, 0:00:50
• Kalan Music, a major producer of new recordings and reissues of Turkish classical, mosque, and Sufi music