Lalezar Ensemble
Encyclopedia
The Lalezar Ensemble is a musical ensemble
which performs Ottoman classical music
, is based in Istanbul
, and is, "spearheading," the revival of Ottoman music.
Female vocalist Selma Sagbas stands in for the male castrati
that was traditional from the 16th-19th centuries while the kanun
, a Turkish board zither, is also featured.
In collaboration with Lalezar, Armenian-American musician Harold Hagopian
spent three years to mix, annotate, and package the four volume series, causing the ensemble to increase their repertoire of pieces by Armenian composers.
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
which performs Ottoman classical music
Ottoman classical music
Ottoman classical music developed in Istanbul and major Ottoman towns from Skopje to Cairo, from Tabriz to Morocco through the palace, mosques, and sufi lodges of the Ottoman Empire. Above all a vocal music, Ottoman music traditionally accompanies a solo singer with a small instrumental ensemble...
, is based in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, and is, "spearheading," the revival of Ottoman music.
Female vocalist Selma Sagbas stands in for the male castrati
Castrato
A castrato is a man with a singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano, or contralto voice produced either by castration of the singer before puberty or one who, because of an endocrinological condition, never reaches sexual maturity.Castration before puberty prevents a boy's...
that was traditional from the 16th-19th centuries while the kanun
Kanun (Instrument)
The Qanun is a string instrument found in the 10th century in Farab in Turkestan...
, a Turkish board zither, is also featured.
Releases
They released a four volume series on the Traditional Crossroads label:- Music of the Sultans, Sufis & Seraglio, Vol. 1 - Sultan Composers
-
- Consisting of songs and pieces composed by imperial sultans, including Murad IVMurad IVMurad IV Ghazi was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1623 to 1640, known both for restoring the authority of the state and for the brutality of his methods...
, Selim IIISelim IIISelim III was the reform-minded Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1789 to 1807. The Janissaries eventually deposed and imprisoned him, and placed his cousin Mustafa on the throne as Mustafa IV...
, and Mehmed VIMehmed VIMehmet VI was the 36th and last Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, reigning from 1918 to 1922...
, over five centuries.- Music of the Sultans, Sufis & Seraglio, Vol. 2 - Music of the Dancing Boys
- Consisting of songs sung originally sung by köçekKöçekThe köçek phenomenon is one of the significant features of Ottoman Empire culture...
dancers, cross-dressed young male entertainers.- Music of the Sultans, Sufis & Seraglio, Vol. 3 - Minority Composers
- Consisting of songs and pieces composed by Armenian, Greek, and Jewish composers, including relatively recent pieces.
- Music of the Sultans, Sufis & Seraglio, Vol. 4 - Ottoman Suite
- Consisting of a suiteSuiteIn music, a suite is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral pieces normally performed in a concert setting rather than as accompaniment; they may be extracts from an opera, ballet , or incidental music to a play or film , or they may be entirely original movements .In the...
, or fasil, constructed improvisatorilyImprovisationImprovisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
from different compositions all in the modeMusical modeIn the theory of Western music since the ninth century, mode generally refers to a type of scale. This usage, still the most common in recent years, reflects a tradition dating to the middle ages, itself inspired by the theory of ancient Greek music.The word encompasses several additional...
, or makamMakamMakam In Turkish classical music, a system of melody types called makam provides a complex set of rules for composing and performance...
, Segâh, followed by a few examples of sarkiSarkiSarki may refer to*Sarki, a well-dwelling snake slain by the mythological prince Bayajidda*Şarkı, a vocal genre in Ottoman classical music*Sarki, a Newcastle rock band made up of members; Shane Kurnia on guitar, Scott Allen on drums, Dom Willson on bass and Matty Munro of vocals*Sirki, a Sindhi...
.
- Consisting of songs and pieces composed by imperial sultans, including Murad IV
In collaboration with Lalezar, Armenian-American musician Harold Hagopian
Harold Hagopian
Harold Hagopian is an American violinist, entrepreneur, record producer and founder of Traditional Crossroads world music record label.- Biography :...
spent three years to mix, annotate, and package the four volume series, causing the ensemble to increase their repertoire of pieces by Armenian composers.
Further reading
- (2001). The Wire, Issues 203-208, p.82.