Omar Faruk Tekbilek - Nihavent!

A masterpiece from the Album "Omar Faruk Tekbilek & Richard A. Hagopian - Gypsy Fire" (1995). Listen & Enjoy it.

Omar Faruk Tekbilek had been studying Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam, with the thought of becoming a Sufi cleric. At 15, he quit school to become a professional musician. "But I never quit studying, though," he maintains. "In fact, I am still studying; it's endless. Music for me is not something to show off. It's my life. It's the shortest path to God. Playing is prayer for me." He went to Istanbul and at the age of 17 met the Mevlevi Dervishes, the ancient Sufi order of Turkey. He did not join the order, but felt profoundly influenced by their mystical approach to sound and to the spirit. Another, almost equally mystical influence would soon appear, from an unlikely source. The young Tekbilek became friend with flute and saxophone player named Ismet Siral, who had some unusual ideas about music theory. "He would say things like, let's play for birds, let's play for pictures." OFT says about Burhan Tonguch, his rhythm teacher: "He put the idea in my mind that everything is a rhythmic instrument. And everyone is a percussionist. Without the strike, there is no sound."

Despite, or perhaps because of, this unconventional outlook, Faruk's skills were much in demand in the studios of Istanbul, and in 1971, at the age of 20, made his first brief tour of the United States with a Turkish classical/folk ensemble. The Tree of Patience was about to put out an unexpected limb. "I try to play a song the way it's supposed to be," Faruk explains. "If I play an Arabic song, I use an Arabic style; if I play a Turkish song, I use a Turkish style."

Faruk feels a strong affinity for Arabic music, which differs in several important ways from the Turkish tradition. As a child he spent a lot of time listening to Radio Kairo and became acquainted with the giant musicians of that time like Umm Kulthum, Abdul Wahab, Abdl Halim Hafez, Farid al-Atraš, Fairuz, Sabah Fakhri. Because he was playing the flute he was inspired by the melodies and the sound of ney (nay). He was also inspired by Sheikh Abdul Basit 'Abd us-Samad recitations of the holy Qur'an whom his father was listening a lot.

Faruk pauses, considers, and then admits, "Sometimes I can't keep myself from making a bridge between them. I just try to listen to the song; it will tell me what it wants to be." The process of creating his own songs is similar: "There is no set formula or method", he says. "Each song comes out in a different way."

Btw: The grandfather of Faruk's mother is originated from Egypt, so if you want Faruk is "Egyptian in 3rd generation". But much more he is Turkish. ;-)

Category:

Music

Tags:

• nihavent
• nihaevent
• ömer
• omar
• faruk
• tekbilek
• one
• hagopian
• gypsy
• fire
• truth
• turkish
• arabic
• ney
• nay
• jazz
• instrumental
• world
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• sufi
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• tiad

[sakranoov]

what is Nihavent ?

[tiad]

@sakranoov: It's a special style ("makam") of classical Turkish music like Hicaz, Rast, Kürdilihicazkar, Sultaniyegah ...

[tiad]

Tipp: 1:42 min

[tiad]

Put &fmt=18 at the end of the URL to listen in Stereo and much better audio quality!

[tiad]

A masterpiece from the Album " Omar Faruk Tekbilek & Richard A. Hagopian - Gypsy Fire" (1995). Listen & Enjoy it.

[lonestarr55]

Golden Age of Ottoman come back. Greetings from USA

[SecretGardenRO]

Beautiful music, wonderful landscapes. Omar Faruk Tekbilek is one of my favourite composers.

Greetings from Romania.

[TheELENI55]

θεικο

[miya2518]

I Loveee it

[chelorec]

One of the theory states that Makam origins come from Bizantine music from city of Mosul. Check Wikipedia - there is a lot of interesting info about this ancient style of music..

[zissumanter]

Ah Nihavent. The Best!

[ninemosa]

nice song!!!

[Syth34]

@misusel

this makam is classic Ottoman Turkish music. you very comic :)))

[CherryOnTopUK]

Amazing Turkey with love <3



[misusel]

@tiad

the various maqams r NOT classical turkish music r international music ,mostly and first used from arabs and greeks and finally and last from turks.

[mekesserzakaria]

: Bienvenue  - Mekesser Zakaria Poète

[mekesserzakaria]

: welcome - Mekesser Zakaria Poet