Uşşak Saz Semai & Hüseyni Nefes
“Uşşak Saz Semai” music: Salih Dede
“Hüseyni Nefes” music: anonymous, text: Şah Hatayi
Deticated in loving memory of Tom Zajac (1956-2015)
A Song for those in Love with God
Türki beray-ı Aşıkan-ı Hüda / A Song for those in Love with God
Text: Şahin (17th c.) music: anonymous
Transcribed by Ali Ufki
Edited by Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol
Mehmet Ali Sanlıkol, voice, üç telli
Robert Labaree, çeng, voice
Recorded and mixed by John Weston at Futura Productions
A story of the City: Constantinople, Istanbul
A STORY OF THE CITY: Constantinople, Istanbul
The many layers of communal memory in this program proceed through Greek Orthodox music, secular Greek music, Crusader songs, music of the Ottoman ceremonial and military ensembles, Ottoman court music, Sufi ceremonial music, Turkish folk music, Sephardic Jewish songs, urban music of the Armenians and Turks, and finally contemporary urban popular music full of longing and protest. On its own, each piece may communicate celebration, love, devotion or military might, but taken together, the mood of melancholy is unmistakable, which by now has been permanently woven into the fabric of this thriving cosmopolitan city.