FOLK MUSIC – THE STORY OF A NATION

As in most societies we come across Turkish folk music dealing with daily life and Turkish classical music, the music of the courts. A folk song usually deals with things of daily life, be it a work song, a story-telling ballad, a love song, or a dance song. The subject of the song usually reflects the way people live and work, the language they speak, the instruments they play. Folk songs called “türkü”, reflects the events experienced by Turks. Türkü changes with the changing times. Folk songs always have a story behind them. Sometimes it is a love story and sometimes it is the expression of deep emotions even though modern and the latest technical developments are used to convey the powerful feelings of a regional people with traditions stretching back for centuries. You can feel the sorrow of a mother asking about her son lost in the war, or a young newlywed couple not wanting to leave each other alone for fear that something may happen to one or the other. The regional mood also affects folk songs. For example folk songs from the Black Sea are lively in general and express the customs of the region. Songs about betrayal have an air of defiance about them instead of sadness.