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Rewarding Performances
Arizona Opera's 'The Abduction from the Seraglio',
reviewed by MARIA NOCKIN
When soldiers returned from the Crusades, they sometimes brought unusual musical instruments with them. Later, when the Ottoman Empire invaded Europe with Mehter or Janissary bands, they introduced Europeans to music played on the bass drum, cymbals, triangle, and the zurna or shawm, an instrument similar to a piccolo. Turkish military bands often played on horseback, but the instruments were eventually absorbed, first into western military bands and then into classical orchestras.
In 1699, the Treaty of Karlowitz brought an end to the designs of the Ottoman Empire on Western Europe. It gave the Viennese enough peace of mind to allow them to concentrate on Turkish instruments and their music instead of defending their city...
Copyright © 17 April 2011
Maria Nockin,
Arizona USA
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