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Copyright © 2007 Nurcan Azaz, All Rights Reserved
A Mehter is a historical Ottoman Janissary band. It is the oldest variety of a military marching band. The first Mehter was sent to Osman Gazi by the Selçuk Sultan Alaeddin III as a present. It accompanied a letter that saluted the newly formed state in 1299. The Mehteran's unique sound exercised an influence on European classical music. Various compositions of Haydin, Mozart and Beethoven reveled inspirations that mimicked the music of the Mehters. This Mehter is called Mehteran-ı Osmani. The band tours internationally. My brother, Ercan, is a performing member of this Mehter. He plays and is pictured with the kös, a large bass drum. The other instruments include the nakkare (a small kettle drum); the davul (a frame drum); the zil (cymbals); the kaba zurna (a bass variety of the zurna), the boru (a kind of trumpet); and the cevgen (a kind of stick bearing small bells).
Shortcut to this page: http://geoimages.berkeley.edu/wwp_rss/go/n3877
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