Background Information This essay examines my aesthetic cultural background and main influences throughout my life. I was born in Istanbul which is the capital city of Turkey; however, my father and mother were born in Konya. Turkey has played a major role in the history of the world. In regard to the fact that Turkey is an Islam country, Turkey’s importance in the world is really high. The main underlying reason for that is because Turkey is the only country which is not only secular and democratic, but also Islamist as well. Based on the census data collected in 2000, Turkey has a 96.6 % Muslim population. The influence of Islam on the Turkish people is an undeniable fact. The Turkish people have faced with Islam during the war between China and Arabs in 751. In 920, the first Turkish government accepted to be Muslim was the Karahan’s. With the acceptance of Islam, believes of the Turkish people have changed drastically. The impact of Islam on the Turkish civilization resulted in a change of their state of life from being a nomad to a settled life. After the Turkish people adopted a settled life, they established well-known cities and cultural centers. Islam religion which was accepted as a lifestyle by the Turks, not only resulted in rooted changes in understanding of the social-cultural life, ideological philosophies, and the language, but also set the stage for a new trend of shaping the literary works and musical pieces which are important reflections of culture. I have to mention Ottoman music in our culture. Ottoman classical music developed in Istanbul and major Ottoman towns from Skopje to Cairo, from Tabriz to Morocco through the palace, mosques, and sufi lodges of the Ottoman Empire. Above all a vocal music, Ottoman music traditionally accompanies a solo singer with a small instrumental ensemble. In recent times, instruments might include tambur (lute), ney (flute), kemençe (fiddle), keman (Western violin),
Background Information This essay examines my aesthetic cultural background and main influences throughout my life. I was born in Istanbul which is the capital city of Turkey; however, my father and mother were born in Konya. Turkey has played a major role in the history of the world. In regard to the fact that Turkey is an Islam country, Turkey’s importance in the world is really high. The main underlying reason for that is because Turkey is the only country which is not only secular and democratic, but also Islamist as well. Based on the census data collected in 2000, Turkey has a 96.6 % Muslim population. The influence of Islam on the Turkish people is an undeniable fact. The Turkish people have faced with Islam during the war between China and Arabs in 751. In 920, the first Turkish government accepted to be Muslim was the Karahan’s. With the acceptance of Islam, believes of the Turkish people have changed drastically. The impact of Islam on the Turkish civilization resulted in a change of their state of life from being a nomad to a settled life. After the Turkish people adopted a settled life, they established well-known cities and cultural centers. Islam religion which was accepted as a lifestyle by the Turks, not only resulted in rooted changes in understanding of the social-cultural life, ideological philosophies, and the language, but also set the stage for a new trend of shaping the literary works and musical pieces which are important reflections of culture. I have to mention Ottoman music in our culture. Ottoman classical music developed in Istanbul and major Ottoman towns from Skopje to Cairo, from Tabriz to Morocco through the palace, mosques, and sufi lodges of the Ottoman Empire. Above all a vocal music, Ottoman music traditionally accompanies a solo singer with a small instrumental ensemble. In recent times, instruments might include tambur (lute), ney (flute), kemençe (fiddle), keman (Western violin),