Komitas/Andriasyan Apricot Tree (1869-1935)

"Father Komitas, whose birth name was Soghomon Soghomonyan, was a renowned Armenian priest, composer, and ethnomusicologist. He was born on September 26, 1869, in the village of Kutahya, Ottoman Empire (now in Turkey) and is celebrated as a cultura! icon in Armenian history. Amidst his Christian ministry, Father Vardapet Komitas collected and published more than 3,000 songs, spanning the entire landscape and culture of Anatolia. R. Andriasyan's arrangements of these folk tunes combine Western tonai harmony with an Eastern mode perspective, creating an impressionistic ambiance reminiscent of the early works of Rachmaninoff, along with the Eastern mode known as 'kerem' or 'yahyal1 kerem' in Turkish-Anatolian folk music.

'Tzirani Tzar' (Apricot Tree) includes three folk tunes:

1. 'Tzirani tzar, par mi ta': • Apricot tree, yield fruit no more, • Cease to wave your lively branches; • When I walk in your rows, • Do not provoke my sorrows.

2. 'Ha tuveq, het tuveq': • Bring him back, o hills; the wind broke, • My heart's revelry sank into the sea. • The years are gane, never to return, • And black sorrow weighs upon me.

3. 'Hovn unkav': • Alas, desolation befell me, • My heart's revelry sank into the sea."

D. Tchouhadjian Impromptu (1836-1898)

Tchouhajian is a composer who embodies both the powers of assimilation and the nascent cries of Armenian nationalism that grew in farce and power during the early 20th ce ntury. His impromptu follows the footstep of character pieces from the romantic period it contains no nationalistic elements but the composer nonethless brings his own originality to it. In compositions like 'Kose Kahya' (1873) and 'Leblebici Horhor Aga' (1876) , he pioneered Turkish national opera . However , he later turned to his Armenian roots in works such as 'Arshak 2' (based on an early Armenian king) and 'Zemire.' 'Arshak 2' originally had an ltalian libretto but was later produced in Armenian translation, with performances extending to Naples and Vienna, earning Tchouhajian the nickname 'The Armenian Verdi.' He was also renowned for operettas like 'Arif 'in Hilesi' (1872), which, interestingly enough, was the first Turkish operetta . Other music theater works that added to his fame include 'Zeybek' (a popular Turkish dance) and 'Sefa Geldi niz' (You Are Welcome). In essence, Tchouhadjian can be considered the founder of Turkish operetta.His ease in oscillating between musical styles reflects the rich tapestry of his multiple identities, which were integrai to Ottoman life and identity throughout the 19th century. He received his early musical education in Istanbul perfecting the basis for his musical style with the study of both Eastern and Western music. Eve ntually, he carried out more advanced studies at the Milan Conservatory in ltaly, offering him a universal approach towards not only music making but also, his ability to offer a musical tradition to diverse social groups.

Ahmet Adnan Saygun Aksak Tart1mlar etude N.1 (1907-1991)

Saygun was part of a group of Turkish composers known as the "Turkish Five" or "Be ler,'' which also included Cemal Re it Rey, Ulvi Cemal Erkin, Hasan Ferit Alnar, and Necil Kaz1m Akses. These composers were instrumental in introducing Western classica! music to Turkey while incorporating Turkish musical elements into their compositions. In addition to his work as a composer, Saygun was a respected musicologist. He conducted extensive research on Turkish folk music and contributed to the understanding and preservation of traditional Turkish musical forms. Although Saygun's efforts to base originai compositions on Aksak meters can be considered his most authentic, there are plenty of traces in the creative legacies of well established Western composers showing both respect and appreciation for Turkish folk music. Most composers were stimulated by the Ottoman military music known as "Mehter" music. In Turkish music, "aksak" refers to the division of 9-beat bars (more often in rapid tempos) into a pattern of 2+2+2+3. In Turkish aksak means "limping" or "slumping," reflected in the irregular groupings. Eventually, Saygun's creative mind took flight, exhibiting the aksak influence most prominently in a series of string quartets . Folk music of Balkan origin, such as that from Macedonia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Greece share considerable metric similarities with this strand of Turkish music.

Komitas/Saradjian Krunk (1869-1935)

The words to the tune echo the feelings of the Armenian Garip (those living in a foreign land) who, after leaving their homeland, sing out to the stork in search of news from their homeland. They plead for the stork that has flown from their land and returned. This tune has become very popular amongst the Armenian community, as it reflects the sorrow, they feel from having to leave one's land behind . Georgy Saradjian arranged this piece for piano around 1960.

The piece resembles the uzun hava, a vacai improvisation or free-rhythm compositional form in Anatolian Turkish folk music.

Krunk / Stork
O stork, whence do you come? I long for your voice.
O stork, do you not have
Any news from our homeland? You gave me no answer,
You set out and went away, O stork, go then,
Depart from our homeland.

Franz Liszt (1875-1964) Grande Paraphrase / Giuseppe Donizetti "Mecidiye March"

In the year 1847, famous Hungarian composer Franz Liszt spenta month in Istanbul, during which he held numerous piano recitals. During his stay, he undertook a special musical endeavor by composing a paraphrase based on Giuseppe Donizetti's "Mecidiye March" for the Ottoman Sultan Abdi.ilmecid. This march, originally composed in 1839 by Giuseppe Donizetti, who served as the imperial bandmaster, held historical significance. Notably, Giuseppe Donizetti was the brother of the renowned ltalian composer Gaetano Donizetti and had previously served as the bandmaster for Napoleon Bonaparte. In contrast to composers like Gioachino Rossini or Gaetano Donizetti from earlier times, Liszt did not create an entirely new march for the Sultan. lnstead, he chose to build upon an existing composition by Giuseppe Donizetti. Liszt's deep admiration for Giuseppe's work led him to visit Giuseppe Donizetti at his home, where he sought to immerse himself in the entire repertoire of Giuseppe's marches. This collaborative effort, bridging the realms of East and West, resulted in the creation of the evocative "Paraphrase on a Theme of Giuseppe Donizetti," marking a significant musical connection between Liszt and the Ottoman Empire.

Edgar Manas Les lles des Princes (1875-1964)

In many ways, the Armenian-Turkish composer Edgar Manas represents one of the largest enigmas of twentieth-century Turkish musician enigma that demonstrates the dynamic processes of cultura! identit y. His seminai importance in the development of Turkish music is indisputable, yet he declined to immerse himself in the Armenian folklore of collector/composers such as Komitas. lndeed, when he turned to folk music later in his career, it was Turkish folk music that seemed to capture his imagination . He was commissioned to harmonize the Turkish national anthem and founded the first serious Turkish women's choir. He studied in ltaly, but the greatest Western influence on him seems to be French. Manas stands as a sober reminder of the vicissitudes of influence and national identity during the late Ottoman and early revolutionary period. As a member of the Armenian minority, Edgar Manas was welcomed into the elite among Turkish intellectuals at large. In his piano piece, Les lles des Princes pour piano, he lets flow from his inner self a heartfelt depiction of Turkish landscapes to which he personally felt so close. This set of four piano pieces consists of four movements, each one paying homage to the group of islands around Istanbul bearing the name "Princes lslands." The islands were given their names in Byzantine times, and served as places of exile far royalty as well as far the later Ottoman sultan family. In the nineteenth century , these islands became resorts far the wealthy . Today, although the islands are mostly of Turkish ethnicity, Gr eek, Armenian, and Jewish communities stili constitute a small portion of their populations. Each of these islands has a distinct history and specific legends linked to it. These include an abundance of aesthetically appealing Christian churches and monasteries, providing havens far the Christian minorities. As a Christian, this was surely a point of connection far Manas.
1. Proti (Kin aliada, Henna lsland)
2. Antigeni (Burgaz far short)
3. Halki (Heybeliada)
4. Prinkipo (Buyukada, big lsland)

Edgar Manas Danse Populaire Turque (1875-1964)

In his suite titled 'Dance Populaire Turque,' Manas draws exclusively on the folk music of one particular Turkish region: the Aegean, which lies on the West Coast. The seven dances of the suite are melodically congruent with the style of the area. Furthermore, as each dance title is followed by an indication of its region, it is safe to assume that the tunes carne from authentic dances. The first dance, 'Oyun Havasi,' is a generic name tor all Turkish dances that have a gay and lighthearted feel. The second dance, the word 'Divan ,' refers primarily to a courtly poetic form whose verses are based on certain Arabic patte rns. For this movement Manas picks the folk dance form of western anatolia called "Zeybek". The main rhythmic characteristic is the compound metric structure. The fourth dance; "Agir Zeybek" is a man's dance that portrays the toughness and courage of military men in times past. The fifth one's characteristic feel is one of flirtation, to which the title 'Gelin Havasi' refers. The sixth one establishes the compound meter and the slow version of the Zeybek dance. The seventh, 'Zeybek', is probably the first and only instance in the suite where Manas does not merely harmonize an originai folk tune.
1. Oyun havasi (Alasehir)
2. Divan (Mugla)
3. Zeybek (Aydin)
4. Agir Zeybek oyunu (Mugla)
5. Gelin havasi (Mugla)
6. Agir zeybek oyun havas1 (Aydin)
7. Zeybek oyun havasi (Odemis)

E. Robert. Blanchet Turquie op 18 (1877-1943)

Emile-Robert Blanchet, a Swiss pianist and composer, was a pupiI of lgnaz Moscheles and Hauptmann during his early musical education. Later, he furthered his studies at the Cologne Conservatory and became a pupil of Busoni in Weimar and Berlin . Blanchet's dedication to music education was evident when he served as a professor of piano from 1904 to 1917, and he also took on the raie of director at the Lausanne Conservatory from 1905 to 1908.His compositions bare the influence of lmpressionist composers like Debussy and Ravel, who inspired him to explore a wide range of colors and subtle textures in his music. Notably, Blanchet's style aligned with the lmpressionist category known as "Orientalism ." This style incorporateci elements such as pentatonic scales , whole-tone scales, variations of "Gypsy scales ," or "Makams" (Turkish modes), and the use of ostinatos within a limited tonai range. lt's worth noting that while Blanchet's compositions were undoubtedly influenced by a sense of Orientalism, there's no concrete historical evidence to suggest that he personally visited the regions that inspired his work. Nonetheless , his music effectively captures the spirit and essence of these cultura! influences.
1. Caiqie (Boat)
2. Eioub (Sultan 's name, and a district of Istanbul)
3. "Au jardin du vieux serail" (Andrinople) (In the garden of old serail,Edirne) 4 .Vedi Koule (Seven towers , district of Istanbul)
5. Le matin du bosphore (the morning of the Bosphorus)
6. Soir de Ramadan (Ramadan night)