Image 1 (left): A mehter drummer in traditional garb. Picture courtesy of http://mehter.com.tr
The military band, often known by the misnomer mehter (مهت), was part of an Ottoman elite infantry unit (the Janissaries). Although the exact date of their inception is unknown, the first recorded mentioning of …show more content…
That said, it definitely was not representative of the type of contemporary warfare in the area. The Ottoman military band was not original in its use of battle music; it was unique in the instruments and the composition of the band as well as the scale in which it was implemented. The mehter band added to the traditional percussion instruments of drums, triangles, and cymbals with their own shrill pipes, horns, zurnas, and human voices. Even the type of music was heavily influenced by Islamic culture. Art and culture renovations were influential on the classical Turkish folk music that told of the Ottoman heroism. The music became a characteristic of these armies. In fact, it even inspired European armies to copy them, changing the way war for fought for