Necdet Yasar
Encyclopedia
Necdet Yaşar (ˈnedʒdet ˈjaʃaɾ) or Necdet Yasar in the West (born 1930), is a Turkish
tanbur
lute player and teacher. A founding member of the Istanbul State Turkish Music Ensemble, he performed throughout the world as a cultural ambassador for Turkey and taught twice at the University of Washington
(USA). In 1991, the Turkish government awarded him the title of "National Artist".
, a small town near Gaziantep
, Turkey
. He graduated from the School of Economics, Istanbul University.Aksoy 2005, op. cit.
In 1972–73 and 1980–81, Yaşar was a resident artist of the Program of Ethnomusicology at the University of Washington
(USA),UW dept. of ethnomusicology, "Visiting Artists by Country" at Washington.edu where he gave lectures on the makam system of Ottoman classical music.
In 1981 He met Alan Prosser from England. He agreed to teach Alan and his children the complete makam list and system. This happened over the next 7 years. All the lessons were tape recorded. Yaşar later asked Alan to help preserve the true knowledge of the makams and the Traditional Turkish Art Music Society of Great Britain was started. Yaşar also asked Alan and his children to play a recital on Turkish Television to help with the revival of interest in the ancient makam system. As well as this he asked Alan to write to the Turkish Culture Minister to help establish Yaşar's music group officially.
In 1988, Yaşar was a founding member of the Istanbul State Turkish Music Ensemble. He directed it until 1995 when he retired.
In 1991, the Turkish government awarded him the title of "National Artist" (Devlet Sanatçısı). 1991 Turkish State Artist Honors (1991 Yılında Seçilen Devlet Sanatçıları) at Kultur.gov.tr
In small and large ensembles, including his own "The Necdet Yasar Ensemble", he has performed throughout the world, in Europe, East Asia, and North America, as a concert artist and ambassador of Turkish classical music.
Yaşar is noted for his command of the Turkish makam
melodic modes, his influential tanbur techniques, and the construction of his taksim improvisations; as described by fRoots magazine, "Yaşar's technical mastery is absolute, in particular his use of the range of plectrum techniques that is at the heart of tanbur playing. However, as a musician, what most distinguishes him is his unparalleled knowledge of and insight into the Turkish classical repertoire and the improvisational possibilities presented by its modal system. Yasar is one of those few artists who are both guided by and themselves guide tradition."William 2005, op. cit. He "belongs to a musical lineage going back to at least Tanburi Cemil Bey
", and continued with Mesut Cemil
, of whom he was the principal student.Aksoy 2002, op. cit. His taksimler solo improvisations and his dual improvisations (beraber taksimleri) with ney
flutist Niyazi Sayın
are noted for their sensitivity.
Experts cite two particular facets amongst all of his skills that make him amongst the most important musicians of his time and culture: (1) his understanding of melodic movement (called in Turkish "seyir") within the complex musical modes (that are called in Turkish makam
) that form the basis of traditional Turkish classical art music; he has even been called the "living embodiment of seyir today", and (2) his understanding (and taste) of how to employ the complex pitch-interval structure of Turkish classical music to a particular musical mode (makam
) and piece; there is a theoretical definition of the musical pitch intervals used in this music, but there is wide acknowledgment amongst expert practictioners that good practice is not always in agreement with the theory, and Mr. Yaşar is widely consulted by even the most expert musicians about correct practice.
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
tanbur
Tanbur (Turkish)
The Tambur is a fretted string instrument of Turkey and the former lands of the Ottoman Empire. Like the ney, the armudi kemençe and the kudüm, it constitutes one of the four instruments of the basic quartet of Turkish classical music aka Sanat Musiği...
lute player and teacher. A founding member of the Istanbul State Turkish Music Ensemble, he performed throughout the world as a cultural ambassador for Turkey and taught twice at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
(USA). In 1991, the Turkish government awarded him the title of "National Artist".
Overview
In 1930, Necdet Yaşar was born in NizipNizip
Nizip is a district of Gaziantep Province of southeastern Turkey.As of 2010, the population of the city is 96,229. It is located 45 km from the city of Gaziantep, 95 km from Şanlıurfa , and 35 km from Karkamış, which is an old city also known historically as Gilgamesh. It is quite...
, a small town near Gaziantep
Gaziantep
Gaziantep , Ottoman Turkish: Ayintab) previously and still informally called Antep; ʻayn tāb is a city in southeast Turkey and amongst the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. The city is located 185 kilometres northeast of Adana and 127 kilometres by road north of Aleppo, Syria...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. He graduated from the School of Economics, Istanbul University.Aksoy 2005, op. cit.
In 1972–73 and 1980–81, Yaşar was a resident artist of the Program of Ethnomusicology at the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
(USA),UW dept. of ethnomusicology, "Visiting Artists by Country" at Washington.edu where he gave lectures on the makam system of Ottoman classical music.
In 1981 He met Alan Prosser from England. He agreed to teach Alan and his children the complete makam list and system. This happened over the next 7 years. All the lessons were tape recorded. Yaşar later asked Alan to help preserve the true knowledge of the makams and the Traditional Turkish Art Music Society of Great Britain was started. Yaşar also asked Alan and his children to play a recital on Turkish Television to help with the revival of interest in the ancient makam system. As well as this he asked Alan to write to the Turkish Culture Minister to help establish Yaşar's music group officially.
In 1988, Yaşar was a founding member of the Istanbul State Turkish Music Ensemble. He directed it until 1995 when he retired.
In 1991, the Turkish government awarded him the title of "National Artist" (Devlet Sanatçısı). 1991 Turkish State Artist Honors (1991 Yılında Seçilen Devlet Sanatçıları) at Kultur.gov.tr
In small and large ensembles, including his own "The Necdet Yasar Ensemble", he has performed throughout the world, in Europe, East Asia, and North America, as a concert artist and ambassador of Turkish classical music.
Yaşar is noted for his command of the Turkish makam
Makam
Makam In Turkish classical music, a system of melody types called makam provides a complex set of rules for composing and performance...
melodic modes, his influential tanbur techniques, and the construction of his taksim improvisations; as described by fRoots magazine, "Yaşar's technical mastery is absolute, in particular his use of the range of plectrum techniques that is at the heart of tanbur playing. However, as a musician, what most distinguishes him is his unparalleled knowledge of and insight into the Turkish classical repertoire and the improvisational possibilities presented by its modal system. Yasar is one of those few artists who are both guided by and themselves guide tradition."William 2005, op. cit. He "belongs to a musical lineage going back to at least Tanburi Cemil Bey
Tanburi Cemil Bey
Tanburi Cemil Bey , was a Turkish tanbur, yaylı tanbur, kemençe, and lavta virtuoso and composer, who has greatly contributed to the taksim genre in Ottoman classical music...
", and continued with Mesut Cemil
Mesut Cemil
Mesut Cemil was a Turkish composer, and a notable tanbur lute and cello player. His father was Tanburi Cemil Bey.He participated in the 1932 Cairo Congress of Arab Music.-References:Sources consulted Endnotes...
, of whom he was the principal student.Aksoy 2002, op. cit. His taksimler solo improvisations and his dual improvisations (beraber taksimleri) with ney
Ney
The ney is an end-blown flute that figures prominently in Middle Eastern music. In some of these musical traditions, it is the only wind instrument used. It is a very ancient instrument, with depictions of ney players appearing in wall paintings in the Egyptian pyramids and actual neys being found...
flutist Niyazi Sayın
Niyazi Sayin
Niyazi Sayın , spelled Niyazi Sayin in the West, is a Turkish ney flautist and music educator. For a long time, he has performed duets with tanbur lute player Necdet Yaşar...
are noted for their sensitivity.
Experts cite two particular facets amongst all of his skills that make him amongst the most important musicians of his time and culture: (1) his understanding of melodic movement (called in Turkish "seyir") within the complex musical modes (that are called in Turkish makam
Makam
Makam In Turkish classical music, a system of melody types called makam provides a complex set of rules for composing and performance...
) that form the basis of traditional Turkish classical art music; he has even been called the "living embodiment of seyir today", and (2) his understanding (and taste) of how to employ the complex pitch-interval structure of Turkish classical music to a particular musical mode (makam
Makam
Makam In Turkish classical music, a system of melody types called makam provides a complex set of rules for composing and performance...
) and piece; there is a theoretical definition of the musical pitch intervals used in this music, but there is wide acknowledgment amongst expert practictioners that good practice is not always in agreement with the theory, and Mr. Yaşar is widely consulted by even the most expert musicians about correct practice.
External links
- Audio sample: short taksim improvisation, Makam Mahur (1:25 min, MP3MP3MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
format, 332 kBKilobyteThe kilobyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. Although the prefix kilo- means 1000, the term kilobyte and symbol KB have historically been used to refer to either 1024 bytes or 1000 bytes, dependent upon context, in the fields of computer science and information...
)