The Turkish Harpsichord

About

Have you noticed the similarity between the timbres of the Western harpsichord and the Turkish saz (bağlama)? What about the extensive use of ornamentation in both genres, a continent apart yet peculiarly similar at times? Suppose J.S. Bach or D. Scarlatti spent 10 years of their lives in Central Anatolia (Asia Minor, Turkey). What would’ve been the outcome of this? Here are the answers:

(Click on titles to listen / watch)

Examples on a well-tempered harpsichord

Bülbülüm Altın Kafeste
Evlerinin Önü Mersin
Beyoğlunda Gezersin
Fincanı Taştan Oyarlar
Yağcılar Zeybeği

Microtonal examples (Fluid Piano)

Karcığar Medley
Rast Medley

Alternate Versions

Single Harpsichord

Solo recital of Turkish folk songs performed on a single well-tempered harpsichord.

Double Harpsichord

Two harpsichords are required: one well-tempered, the other microtonally tuned (Hüseyni, Kerem, İbrahimi, Lavik, etc.) to suit individual songs.

Triple Harpsichord

Three harpsichords—one well-tempered and two microtonally tuned—allow rapid switching between tunings for an expansive programme.