The idea of composing An Afterthought arose while writing down the transcription of Rehavi Peşrev by Derviş Mustafa (d.1757) for harp, a piece dating to the eighteenth century. The melodic material lent itself easily to another usul, the yürük semai. Moving away from the peşrev which is based on the evsat usul, a rhythmic pattern of 26/8 with a ceremonious character, this arrangement places these melodies in

An Old Postcard is an uncomplicated waltz. It takes its inspiration from simple, small scale piano walzes.
It pays homage to an era in Turkish history when a taste for Western musical styles was developed in the late Ottoman era. Pianos were abundant in the country and the performance of Western music repertoire of this nature was quite a familiar thing in metropolitan households.

"Buselik Saz Semaisi" is a piece whose composer is unknown. Here, the melodic character suggests that it is likely to have been composed during the seventeenth century. The piece makes use of motivic patterns typical of the buselik makam. In the first and second parts of the piece, flavours of the huseyni makam can also be heard as an element of surprise. The C natural used on the approach to the first degree of

Buselik Semai - notated by Kantemir - arranged for harp by Şirin Pancaroğlu. Kantemir (1673–1723) was a composer in the Ottoman court and he composed, collected and notated music that was being played in his era.
Buselik Semai has a lyrical and pastoral atmosphere. Duration: 3' 12"

"Farewell" is a lyrical piece. I feel the key of E minor has an aura well suited to articulate the sadness that is embodied in human nature. The piece has an ABACADA structure in which there is a recurring theme, teslim and three parts, called hane in Turkish, in which new melodic ideas are introduced and developed. The piece is based on the yuruk semai usul, a 6/8 rhythmical pattern in a rather slow tempo. Since

In the summer of 2021, I was very saddened by the enormous amount of wildfires that swept across the world, with parts of the Aegean coast of Turkey that I am familiar with burnt down dramatically. Filled with feelings of helplessness, I set out to compose a piece to foster hope that nature would regenerate itself as much as possible. I had in mind a peşrev, a piece to open a concert program, similar to an

In the summer of 2021, I was very saddened by the enormous amount of wildfires that swept across the world, with parts of the Aegean coast of Turkey that I am familiar with burnt down dramatically. Filled with feelings of helplessness, I set out to compose a piece to foster hope that nature would regenerate itself as much as possible. I had in mind a peşrev, a piece to open a concert program, similar to an

"Gunaydin Longa" can be translated as "Good Morning Longa". It is an example of the longa, an upbeat instrumental genre in Turkish music. The main characteristic of the longa is a gradual acceleration that occurs throughout piece. This longa is based on the neveser makam and uses the nim sofyan usul (2/4), the latter being a typical feature. The formal structure is an ABACADA. I tried to recreate the agile

"İntisab" has several meanings. It can mean belonging, affiliation or attachment. I used it in the sense of following a path so closely as to becoming one with it; an ultimate sanse of belonging and dedication. This piece has an ABCBDBEB shape. It starts with an introduction which delivers the flavour of the buselik makam without exactly exploring it. I am interested in creating compositions that are connected

Neyzen Tevfik Kolayli, widely known as Neyzen Tevfik (1879-1953) was a poet and a composer. Noted mostly for his satirical work, he is also the known composer of four works. His "Nihavend Saz Semaisi" is one the most beautiful examples of this genre in the nihavend makam.
The work has an ABCBDBEB formal structure and is set on the aksak semai usul.
Romantic in its appeal, this work shows an impressive

Zeybek is a traditional Turkish dance which has inspired purely instrumental versions as well. Zeybeks are based on a nine-beat per measure rhythmic pattern.
This particular zeybek is anonymous. Made of two phrases, it is through-composed. The first phrase starts and ends with melodic gestures typical of the nihavend makam, followed by a surprising f sharp that creates a buselik flavour, bridging two related

Kasap havası is a common traditional dance of the Marmara and Trakya regions of Turkey, as well as the Southern Balkans. They are often anonymous tunes in 2/4 or 4/4 meter, that is the nim sofyan or sofyan usuls. From a formal point of view, they achieve development through repeating melodies by expanding them, in this case an A(a+b+c). Because these are dance tunes, they rely on the rhythm. Here, combined with

Nikriz Peşrev is credited to a composer of the seventeenth century, Ali Ufki (Albert Bobowski) (d. 1675?). Of Polish origins, Ali Ufki was employed in the Ottoman court.
Techniques such as mordents, glissandi or strings plucked near the soundboard for a près de la table effect are intended to complement the colours of this piece. Duration 2'17"

I composed Nikriz Saz Semaisi in 2013 and dedicated it to the memory of my colleague and dear friend Ceren Necipoğlu. I have always felt the nikriz makam has something ethereal which brings about restfulness and peace, a feature far removed from its widely recognized potential for inducing feelings of heroism. Duration: 4' 03"

Oyun havas, literally means dance air or dance tune. I was taken by the rhythmic appeal of the aksak usul in which the 8th notes are grouped as (2+2+2+3) to write a piece in this genre. Rather than fully aligning with the traditional practice of this genre in which certain notes are emphasized by phrases concluding on them while others are highlighted by temporary insistence, I took advantage of the magic created

Notated by Kantemir (1673-1723) this peşrev is credited to Derviş Mustafa, a composer we don’t know much about other than he lived in the seventeenth century.

The piece is a good example of melodic structures one can expect to find in the seventeenth century music, with a pronounced heroic and up beat atmosphere.

The piece is in the key of f minor and is based on the devr-i hindi usul, a 7 /8 rhythmic pattern grouped as (3+2+2). While the key of the piece is not based on one of the unique scales Turkish makams use, the rhythmic structure is undoubtedly characteristic of Turkish music.
The piece features a theme which functions as a ritornello, or teslim as it is referred to in Turkish music, which alternates with

Written for the beginner harpist, The Toy Chest contains four little pieces set in 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4 time signatures. The pieces are intended for the study of rhythmic and melodic control, coordination between the hands, the technique of small arpeggio-like figures, glissandi and dynamics. They require no lever changes within and can be played on the lever or the pedal harp.
The pieces of The Toy Chest can be

Turkish Tunes wishes to introduce harpists to tunes that are well known in Turkey. Compiled and edited with a pedagogical mindset, they are drawn from a pool of folksongs, songs, dance tunes, instrumental tunes, hymns and marches that feature not only the elements of Turkish music, namely makam and usul but also local musical characteristics from different parts of the country.

Titles: Aşkın Aldı

Katip Çelebi (1609-1657) was a famous scientist who lived in the seventeenth century. It is often suggested that the twenty-seven works credited to him may actually belong to a more modern composer based on the fact that his opus seems ahead of the period in which he lived.
This piece has an ABCBDBEB shape and features the expected four parts, each concluding with the teslim. The piece features melodies