Neşet Ertaş
(1938-2012)

  | Style of Art | : | Artist / singer, lyricist, bağlama player
Branch of Art | : | Turkish folk music: bağlama, vocals
Art Profile | : | Neşet Ertaş was born in Kırtıllar village in the district of Kırşehir in 1938. He went to primary school for 2 years. He learned playing violin, later saz. He played music and sang “türkü”s (folksongs) with his father Muharrem Ertaş at weddings. He has interpreted musical pieces of the Abdal tradition, following his father. In the 1950’s, Ertaş settled in Istanbul and released his first album “Neden Galip Garip Ötersin Bülbül”. H then recorded more than 30 albums and cassettes, and gave numerous concerts in Turkey. Later, he moved to Ankara, then to Germany. In 2000, Ertaş gave a concert in Istanbul, and came back to his artistic life. He received several awards including “Ahilik Art Award” (2001), "State Medal of Distinguished Service" (2006), "National Living Human Treasure Award" (2010), and an honorary doctorate from Istanbul Technical University (2011). Ertaş passed away in Izmir in 2012.Selected albums:
1988, Gönül Ne Gezersin Seyran Yerinde 
1988, Kendim Ettim Kendim Buldum 
1988, Kibar Kız 
1989, Hapishanelere Güneş Doğmuyor 
1989, Sazlı Sözlü Oyun Havaları 
1990, Gel Gayri Gel
1992, Şirin Kırşehir 
1993, Kova Kova İndirdiler Yazıya 
1995, Seçmeler 2 
1995, Seçmeler 3 
1995, Seher Vakti 
1995, Altın Ezgiler 3
1995, Benim Yurdum
1997, Nostalji 1
1998, Gönül Yarası 
1999, Zülüf Dökülmüş Yüze 
1999, Gönül Dağı 
1999, Muhur Gözlüm 
1999, Zahidem 
1999, Neredesin Sen 
1999, Gönül Dağı Yağmur Dağı
2000, Garibin Dünyada Yüzü Gülemez 5 Kayıt tarihi:1969-1974
2000, Niye Çattın Kaşlarını 6 Kayıt tarihi:1969-1974
2000, Çiçekdağı 7 Kayıt tarihi:1969-1974
2000, Ayaş Yolları 8
2000, Sevsem ÖLdürürler 9 Kayıt tarihi:1974-1986
2000, Ağla Sazım 10 Kayıt tarihi:1974-1986
2000, Hata Benim 11
2001, Dostlara Selam 12
2001, Sabreyle Gönül 13
2002, Yar Gönlünü Bilenlere 14
2005, Vay Vay Dünya 15
2003, Gurban Olduğum
2008, Neşet Ertaş 2008 

Turkish Folk Music

Unlike Turkish classical music, which emerged and developed in an urban elite environment, folk music was a social product of people’s daily lives, combining the distinct cultural values of all civilizations that have lived in Anatolia. All the natural and social events experienced by the people are its subject, and are reflected in the variety in the musical forms, instruments, performers, and their social status. Folk songs always have a story behind them; be it a mother crying after her son is lost in the war, a lover in prison or a newly-wed couple fearing separation. They can have a very happy or a very sad tune. Usually, the accent gives away the origin of the song.

Two main sources nourish Turkish folk music; Türkü singers and aşıks. Türkü singers perform the songs in all sorts of celebrations, special rituals, religious gatherings and funerals throughout Anatolia. As they sing over and over, they contribute different words and create new songs. In time, the musical patterns as well as the lyrics become anonymous. Aşıks, on the other hand, mostly create music with their own lyrics. Usually their names are mentioned in the lyrics, and their songs don’t become anonymous. They play the saz, a type of lute, and semi-improvise around common forms. Most well-known aşıks are Karacaoğlan, Dadaloğlu, Köroğlu, Aşık Veysel, and more recently Neşet Ertaş, who passed away in September 2012. Other very important names in folk music inlude Erkan Oğur and Arif Sağ.

Turkish Folk Music is also taught in conservatories and social clubs, and ‘Türkü bars’ offer opportunities to enjoy this music. Young musicians record albums in the genre. There are also innovative musicians who interpret folk songs in different genres. Siblings Öykü and Berk Gürman released two successful albums, in which they blend Anatolian folk songs with flamenco. Furthermore, Önder Focan and Jülide Özçelik are two important musicians who interpreted folk songs in a jazz context. Folk songs are also recurring elements in films serving to recall local memories in urban areas, to emphasize loneliness or to express an urge for home. For example, director Yavuz Turgul is very fond of folk songs and dedicates significant screen time to them.

Although recent popular genres might overshadow classical and folk music, there is a growing interest in Turkey for these traditional genres. There is even a song contest which is the equivalent of X Factor in the UK, or American Idol in the US, where these two genres are performed. While enjoying modern trends in music, the Turkish population doesn’t seem eager to abandon its cultural values and traditions.

  | Style of Art | : | Singer, bağlama virtuoso
Branch of Art | : | Turkish folk music: saz, bağlama
Art Profile | : | Arif Sağ was born in Erzurum in 1945. He started learning music with kaval at the age of five. When he was 7 years old, Sağ learned how to play bağlama with Kumaş Dede in Erzincan, by whom many musicians such as Davut Suları, Aşık Daimi, Ali Ekber Çiçek, Aşık Beyhani, and Kemter Yusuf were trained. After learning bağlama in Erzincan for 7 years, Sağ moved to Istanbul and studied bağlama with Nida Tüfekçi at the Aksaray Musiki Cemiyeti. His first album "Gafil Gezme Şaşkın Bir Gün Ölürsün" was released in 1963. He started working as a bağlama artist at the Istanbul Radio.Sağ has performed bağlama and composed over 200 works for various artists. He taught Turkish folk music and bağlama at the Istanbul State Turkish Music Conservatory in 1975-1982. In 1982 he founded Arif Sağ Music, where he taught more than 40.000 students. Sağ released the first album of the “Muhabbet” series (five albums) with Musa Eroğlu, Muhlis Akarsu, and Yavuz Top. In 1982 he gave a recital at the Istanbul Singing Theatre. Sağ introduced Turkish folk music and bağlama in many countries in Europe and Asia.Sağ served as a member of parliament in 1987-1991. In 1996 he performed Anatolian music with the Cologne Philharmonic Orchestra in Cologne with a support of German former President Mr. Roman Herzog. The same year Sağ gave a concert with Erdal Erzincan and Erol Parlak in Cologne and received a special award from the German President. In 2000 Sağ gave a concert with Flamenco guitarist Toma Tito in 12 European cities. Sağ currently lives and works in Istanbul.Discography:
Gurbeti ben mi yarattım (1981)
İnsan olmaya geldim (1983)
Muhabbet 1-5 (1984 - 1987)
Halay (1988)
Duygular dönüştü söze (1989)
Türküler yalan söylemez (1990)
Biz insanlar - Kerbela (1990)
Resital 1 (with Musa Eroğlu) (1991)
Ben çaldım siz söyleyin (1991)
Halaylar ve oyun havası (1992)
Golden Bağlama (1992)
Direniş (1993)
Umut (1995)
Seher Yıldızı (with Belkıs Akkale) (1996)
Concerto for Bağlama (1998)
Dost Yarası (2002)
Davullar Çalınırken (2005)
Ezo Gelin (2007)
Şekeroğlan - Saz ile Oyun Havaları (2011)