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We have to remember the great Turkish composer Itri,
who excited, sublimated, fascinated hearts with classical Turkish music raising to domes,
with a divine voice and breath. The great musician Itri, who is heard from the minarets
with his Bayram Tekbîri and Salât-ý Ümmiye and who fell in love like Mevlana with his
Na't-ý Mevlâna, being filled with love, lived in the heart and tongue of Turkish nation
with his masterpieces.
Therefore, we do not
know exactly when he was born. He was born in a district named Yayla in the vicinity of
Yenikapý Mevlevi house in Istanbul in about 1640 in mid-17th century. His real name is
Mustafa and he used his penname Itri in his poems. He is from a rich and noble family. He
loved music very much. He took a good education in his youth and attended mevlevi houses,
the conservatoires of his time and became a mevlevi, and was taught by the music masters
of his age. The great composer, Tanburi Hafýz Post was heading these masters.
There is a story that
Itri played reed flute and worked as a flute player in Galata Mevlevi House for a period
of time. It is said that: Dervish Çelebi was appointed as sheik to Istanbul Galata
Mevlevi House in the times of Sultan Mehmed the 4th. A big rite named mukabele was
arranged on the date of the sheik's ascending the 'hide'. Before the rite, people going to
celebrate the sheik of the convent take valuable gifts with them.
The
"Semahane" where the rite will be held fills with such gifts. A pale, unhappy
and poor young dervish enters just before the rite begins. Everybody looks at him. Who is
this they ask each other. The dervish kisses the hand of the sheik with a delicate
humbleness and politeness and gets a reed flute out of his cloth and says: What I have in
this world is only this thing. Please accept my gift. and gives it to the sheik. Sheik
takes the reed flute and kisses it, and asks to the dervish:
What is your name?
I am your Dervish Mustafa. They call me Itri too.
Is this reed flute yours?
Yes!
Do you puff?
Yes...!
Itri started to puff
the reed flute. Immediately, the voices turn silent and all guests are all ears... This is
not a voice or breath, it is the tunes of love from the heart... Itri gets excited as he
puffs, and as the reed flute moans, it gets excited and makes people get excited, solves
the knots of hearts, the hall is completely silent. After a long time, his breath is
exhausted. His head fell on the knees of the sheik. Sheik makes him stand kissing him on
his forehead. He compliments: We are on the hide and you are on the throne of heart. May
God rise your love trouble. Well-done Itri... Itri composed Naat-ý Mevlâna there, as the
chief flute player of the convent after this day. Itri was a master poet at the same time.
Although we do not have his Divan gathering his poems together, it is obvious from his
separate poems that he has an advanced level in this issue too.
Sultan Mehmed the 4th,
Gazi Selim Giray, the Khan of Cremia are among the statesmen who appreciated and took him
into their palaces. Güftesi Nef-î'nin olan: Although it is said that Itri, who took part
in fasils in Ottoman Palace, has more than one thousand works of art, we owe only a few of
these. His Bayram Tekbiri is a real masterpiece being recited in Islam countries exceeding
our borders. Naat-ý Mevlana, in rast mode is one of his immortal works being sung for
three hundred years. Some of his non-religious compositions were also highly appreciated
in fasils, and were defined as the garden of Turkish music ornamented with flowers. Itri,
with his zencir composition and lyrics of which pertain to Nef'i named "Tûtî-i Mû'cize-gûyem,
ne desem lâf deðil..." segah yürük semai and another composition lyrics of which
is by Nabi, named: "Gel ey nesîm-i sabâ, hatt-ý yardan ne haber..." Isfahan
zencir composition and more than thirty other compositions, comprises a peak of Turkish
Classical Music in words and music.
He was interested in gardens and
fruits apart from music. He loved the nature. He grew up flowers and fruits not seen until
his time in his garden, and tried to reveal new colors, new tastes and vapors with new
species. Itri is the first to grow up the famous "Mustabey pear" of Istanbul
We do not know the
exact birth date of Itri, however his date of death is certain. He died in Istanbul in
1712 January towards his 70 and was buried outside of Yenikapi Mevlevi House. The exact
place of his grave is not known.
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