Advancement and performance of the clarinet in Anatolia from past to present

The year of 1960 is considered as the time-point for the first attempts of clarinet-making. These efforts, which had been initiated by J.C.Denner of Leipzig, were later supported by French composer Estienne Roger in 1712 and eventually, numerous composers and instrument makers from different countries got involved in the process.Clarinet?s effortless and impressive performance in orchestral use not only drew attention to the instrument but also quickened the efforts to make its manufacturing methods flawless. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the clarinet gradually became more functional and, beginning with Vivaldi, famous composers like Bach, Haydn, Mozart and many others used the instrument more frequently in their works.While the advancement of clarinet and increase of its use followed such a direction in the continental Europe, it took a different turn in Anatolia as well as in the realm of the Ottoman Empire. Sources indicate that around 18th century, many instruments, which can now be described as the forerunners of the clarinet, were being used under different names in many places in Anatolia. It is particularly quite interesting that in South Anatolia and Syria, all the instruments in sipsili düdük (düdük-with-sipsi) family were called ?kurniata,? whose name later became ?gırnata.? It was around 1640s that Evliya Çelebi (well-known Turkish traveler) quoted this information in his book Seyahatname. However, it was not until 1850s that the clarinet?s use in Anatolia and İstanbul in its modern shape became common as we know it today.One of the results of the Westernization movement, initiated by Mahmut the Second, was to commence Muzika-yı Hümayun in place of Mehterhane ? the most important music establishment in the Ottoman Empire. The individual appointed as the director of the Muzika-yı Hümayun was the Italian artist Giuseppe Donizetti, who was before long granted with the title ?Pasha.? Clarinet, with the encouragement of Donizetti Pasha, began to take role first in military bands, then in musical theaters, concerts, private recitals and festivals. The entertainment life in Anatolia also embraced this impressive instrument rapidly.Today, in Symphony concerts, in rustic weddings or at a night in a ?meyhane?(bar-pub), the melodies of the clarinet continues to meet human soul everywhere.