Ottoman military band ( Mehterân )

Ottoman military band ( Mehterân )

ABOUT THE MEHTERÂn;
Mehter is the association of friendship, unity, heroism. Keeping  alive to Mehter with  its own specific features and delivering to next generation is a duty of every Turk.Mehter has been used in a various meanings like player of harmonica, maker of tent, and maker of archery bows.
Mehter is taken from Persian “MIHTER” word, and Ottomans used this word by mean of “EXALTED-GREAT”. In our language, we use arabic style of this word as “MEHTER”. 

HOW MEHTER MUSİC EFFECTED TO EUROPE

•From 18th Century, in a lots countries, by impressing from mehteran groups, they started to deploy similar groups.

•Composer Mozart and Haydn are also impressed from mehter music and created their famous compositions.

•Last part of  Famous German composer Beethoven’s big symphony was ending with mehters kettle drums, drums, and shrill pipes sounds. It is known fact that Beethoven adapted his Turk March from one of the mehters war song. 

Again Austrian composer Mozart composed Turk March, in which he used “Allah Allah (God God)” sounds as a refrain.
German composer Wagner has been got excited while listening mehter concert, and with telling “ this is the music”, he expressed his feeling concerning mehter.
In 18th Century, Austrians, Russians, Germans, and Frenchs get effected from mehter organization, and assambled  their own harmonica teams.

DO YOU KNOW ANY METHER MARCH OR DİD YOU HEARD ?

SOME OF MEHTER MARCHS;

•GULBANK

•ESKI ORDU MARŞI

•GENC OSMAN

•DEVLET MARŞI

•SANCAK MARŞI

•OSMAN PAŞA MARŞI

•CEDDIN DEDEN

•EY GAZILER

•MEHTER VURUYOR

•ÇAĞRI 

SOME PICTURES FROM MEHTER

IMPORTANCE OF MEHTER

•According to this topic, Evliya Çelebi delivering following big event from Sultan Murat 4th time. “ They could not decide for which one of the Architects and Mehters has more priority in troop. To discuss on this subject, Chiefs of Architects and Mehter went to Sultan Murat.

•Firstly Cheaf of Architect start to speak:  My sultan!, Mehters are tradesmen without master, and they are tribe of Dejjal who are working on art of Cemshid. We are constructing big palaces, Selatin Mosques, bridges to our Sultan. We have the neccesity role and we have duty in Islam army.

•Of course we have more priority from mehters!. 

•Afterwards, Chief of Mehter start to talk: My sultan!, Where ever you go, for mutual frienship, imperial majesty and pomp, being hard, and reputation, against to friend and enemy you have to go with beating drums, playing clarion, and kudüm (small drums).

•In battle ground, to send the ghazis to the war, we beat the mallets to the kettle drums.

•We make soldiers to become eager. If our sultan gets upset, in front of him, we make twelve mode, twenty four section, twenty four sul, forty eight compounds of complete musical partition, and make our sultan cheering up. 

•Old philosoghers says; Music and song singers gives happiness to humans mind.

•We are the tradesmens who feeds the souls. Especially where flag of Prophet of  God exists, Majesty of  Ottoman dynesty needs to be there.

•After these talks Sultan 4th Murat decides mehters to pass prior then architects. 

MEHTER IN TODAYS EUROPE

•Historical “Mehteran Team” is established in Bielefeld - Germany at 1998 by association president Erdogan AKTAS by the name of Turkish Culturel and Social Service Society – Mevlana Mosque (Society of Ideal).

•Fatih Mehter Team, is the first “MEHTER TEAM”, which is established in Europe, and kept giving service till now.

•Since the first day its established, Fatih Mehter Team kept growing professional carrier and became demanded team in Europe.

•Since 1998, lots of concert inside and outside of Germany has been performed, and represents Historical Mehter Team in International and National Organizations, special days and nights. Fatih Mehter team is also has been subjected on news in TVs and Radios, and still is keeps going. 

•Our community, included three stage of mehter, has been performed lots of concerts in various cities inGermany, also outside of Germany, Denmark, Nedherland, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Austria etc. with  spacious classical and modern mehter repertoire.

•  Fatih Mehter Team has important added value on adaptation and integration of Culturel and artistic activities on Europe.