MUALLEM Yinan
Klezmer for the Sultan

RIENCD 53


Oriente
Turchia

 

About my music
There is so much behind music - pain, sorrow and loneliness along with love, hope, excitement and happiness. All these pieces of life are hidden somewhere between the notes. In the dictionary it says: "Music: the art of arranging sounds in time." Well, the dictionary can be so dry …
Yes, we arrange the notes and connect them to one another and then we add the rhythm. But at the same time we pass so many experiences. Sometimes perspectives change and music doesn't sound the same any more; but in the end, just like a baby newly born, so is music, newly born into this world.
In the last 3 years I have been living in Istanbul and have been exposed to the huge variety and great legacy of Turkish music. My compositions are influenced by Turkish music, with all its different flavors, as well as by other styles of music, such as Arabic, Indian, Balkan, Persian, Jewish and Jazz music - all of which I was exposed to in my youth.

Klezmer music
A style that belongs to the Eastern-European musical tradition, Klezmer music was created by Yiddish-speaking jews in the late nineteenth century. It could be described roughly as music for weddings and entertainment. Klezmer music is composed of Jewish (especially Hassidic), Romanian, Russian, Polish, Greek, Crimean Tatar and early jazz musical elements.

The piece Klezmer for the Sultan is a combination of Jewish and Turkish music. The Klezmer part is the piece "Fun Tashlikh" from the repertoire of Naftule Brandwein. Brandwein was one of the most important clarinetists of Klezmer music. In the 1920's he made many recordings in the USA that influenced future generations. In this piece I play with Eyal Sela, one of the foremost clarinet players in Israel. Many thanks to Muammer Ketencioglu who helped me with this idea and contributed the Klezmer piece from his archives.
The Turkish part is a Köçekçe - a form of dance from the time of the Ottoman Empire. In this form of dance, a man, dressed as a woman, dances to music that is played in a 9/8 rhythm.

Heavy Drops was written at the time of the terror attacks on Istanbul last year. At that time the raindrops were much heavier…
In this piece I had the opportunity to collaborate with Itamar Shahar, a young and talented musician who got into the depth of Turkish ney playing. The "gazel" (a vocal improvisation) is sung by Selim Güler, a great kemence player whose singing is as good as his playing.

Gazel words
Yeter artik çeker oldum bu cihanin gamini
Kerem etse ecel alsa da helak etse beni

That is enough. No longer can I take the sorrow of this world
Let death pity me and dissolve me.

I always wanted to try composing music to lyrics and my deep friendship with Sumru Agiryürüyen enabled me to do so. She brought the lyrics of Ercümend Behazat Lav and I composed them in the Makam Nihavend (minor scale). The Tale is also special for me because in it I play the ud in a recording for the first time accompanied by Yurdal Tokcan, and for that I would like to thank him again, for his wonderful ud playing.
Words
Sen can, sevdalara açik
Ben garip, akli sana dolasik
Sen sir küpü
Minnacik
Gecesi baska, gündüzü baska
Kime kapali, kime açik

You, the beloved, open to every love
And I, the poor, whose mind is fixed on you
You are the vessel of mystery
So tiny you are
Your day and night are so different
Open to some, closed to others

Triangle is a piece that was written together with Yankale Segal and it is a special composition for bass and percussion. Before we played it only in concerts. When we decided to record it we added tabla player Ram Hadar. The piece is played mostly in a 5/4 rhythm, except for the bass solo that is played in 4/4.

Unlimited is a piece which reflects my interpretation of Gypsy music and the Gypsy soul. It is in Hijaz scale and in a 9\8 rhythm that is so typical of Turkish Gypsy music. The violin taksim (improvisation), is played by the great violin player Baki Kemanci.

Yinon Muallem