An Ottoman miniature depicting a mehter, the traditional military band of the Ottoman Empire, whose powerful music inspired soldiers, intimidated enemies and influenced European military music.
Who would have thought that centuries after the Ottoman Empire disappeared, the Janissaries would turn up in America?
Fortunately, they have come armed with drums and cymbals rather than swords!
The Ottoman Janissary Band of America
The Ottoman Janissary Band of America is dedicated to reviving the extraordinary musical tradition of the Ottoman mehter, one of the oldest forms of military band music in the world. With its thunderous drums, clashing cymbals, piercing zurnas and unmistakable rhythms, the mehter once accompanied Ottoman armies into battle, inspiring their soldiers and, presumably, making their enemies reconsider their plans for the day.
A historical depiction of the Ottoman mehter
The sound was so distinctive that it eventually conquered Europe without the assistance of a single Ottoman soldier. By the eighteenth century, European composers had fallen under the spell of alla turca, incorporating Turkish-inspired rhythms and percussion into their compositions. Mozart, Beethoven and Haydn all experimented with this fashionable musical exoticism. The Ottomans may not have taken Vienna, but their music certainly did.
The influence also extended to European military bands, whose use of bass drums, cymbals and other percussion instruments owed much to the Ottoman example. These traditions subsequently crossed the Atlantic and helped shape American military band music.
Today, the Ottoman Janissary Band of America celebrates this remarkable musical heritage, introducing American audiences to the sounds that once echoed across the battlefields and ceremonial grounds of the Ottoman Empire.
There is something wonderfully ironic about the whole enterprise. The Janissaries, once among the most formidable soldiers of the Ottoman Empire, have returned centuries later as cultural ambassadors in a country that did not even exist when their musical tradition first emerged.
History, it seems, has a peculiar sense of humour.
The Ottoman Empire may be long gone, but its Janissaries are still marching — and this time, nobody needs to surrender.
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