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A magnificent photograph of Urfa in southern Anatolia, taken by Hans Mast (www.hansmast.com)
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A magnificent photograph of Urfa in southern Anatolia, taken by Hans Mast (www.hansmast.com)
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The city of Urfa in southern Turkey is famous for its holy fish (which swim lazily in beautiful pools of water built next to the mosques) and for its music and singers. During a recent (2005) trip to Urfa, I bought an amazing double-CD compilation of old recordings: "Urfa'dan Üç Musiki Ustası", or "Three Master Musicians of Urfa", complete with lavish and informative booklet in English, &c., released by Kalan Müzik in 2004.
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Here are some of the songs which feature on the CDs:
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and
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Hamza Şenses (1904-1939)
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Bakır Yurtsever (1908-1985)
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Here are some of the songs which feature on the CDs:
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Bakır Yurtsever (1908-1985) - otherwise known as "Bekçi Bakır" ("Bakır the Watchman"); "yurtsever" means "he who loves his country" - was one of the finest singers of his time. Here he is, singing "Ah Niceler Talibi Feyzi Muhabbet Olmak İsterler", "Bir kara kaş, ben bu dağın ağacıyam", and "Söyleyin Şu Bülbüle"
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and
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Hamza Şenses (1904-1939, who was known as "Bald Hamza", because he grew bald at a very early age) singing "Aya Bak Yıldıza Bak", "Kışlalar doldu bugün" ("The Barracks filled[-up] today"), and the oddly-named "Ne Hoş Olur Mahpushane Havası" ("How good the air is in prison"!)
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Hamza Şenses (1904-1939)
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Bakır Yurtsever (1908-1985)
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Bakır "the Watchman" Yurtsever and "Bald" Hamza Şenses must rank among the finest singers the world has ever known. Kalan Müzik, who released the double CD compilation with their songs, included a small but lavish Turkish/English book with biographical information on the Master Singers. Here is what they had to say about Kel Hamza:
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Of all Urfa’s vocal artists of the past century, one of the first to come to mind is Hamza Şenses. Because he lost his hair at a young age, he was known by the nickname "Kel Hamza" (Bald Hamza).
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HS was born in 1904 , in a house on Hilal Street behind the Selehettin Eyyuubi Mosque, in the Büyük Yol area. On his mother Zeliha’s side he descended from the Tanburacıoğlu famıly. His father Mustafa worked in the fur trade. He had one brother, Ibrahim Halil, who also was a furrier, and died in 1968. His wife, named Hanım, who died in 1978, was the his mother’s brother’s daughter. They had three daughters, Hayriye, Zeliha and Türkan, who died in childhood.
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Hamza Şenses never attended school, but taught himself to read and write because of his own interest. From a young age, he wrote poetry and composed music.
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His real profession was feltmaking. At work, he would sing türkü and hoyrat to himself. In the exuberance of his youth, he also wrote a few songs of his own. One day as he was singing hoyrat, his master and his friends listened to him, and asked "Hamza, you have a nice voice, why don’t you make a record?” In Urfa during that period, music was made for the joy of it; to play or sing for money, to become a professional performer, was considered quite shameful. For this reason Hamza thought long and hard, then went and explained the situation to his uncles. They gave him permission, saying “you’re an orphan, you’re poor, you have a beautiful voice, you are free.” He started singing at various places, and gaining some popularity, he went to make a recording. When the record came out, his fame spread beyond Urfa, and he began to get offers to sing in gazinos (music nightclubs) in other cities. Thus until his death, he worked as a singer in many provinces, playing in a variety of musical gatherings, concerts and gazinos.
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Living in the same period as the famous singer Mıkım Tahir, Hamza Şenses also played bağlama, tambur and cümbüş, and performed in Şanlıurfa’s Çardaklı Cafe and the Aynzeliha Gazino. At one point he was performing on the stages of Diyarbakır, Gaziantep, Adana and Istanbul.
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Performing with various ensembles in the sira geces of Urfa, overnight gatherings in the mountains, and other musical events, he got his practice and training from the master musicians of the time, and participated in radio programs for the anniversary of Urfa’s liberation on April 11 as well as other programs. He also performed for many years with the ensemble at the Urfa Halk Evi (a local venue) and gave countless concerts.
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He had six records to his name, and was an important source for Turkish Radio and Television (TRT) and added many of his türkü and uzun hava to their repertoire, such as “Diyarbakır Bu Mudur”, “Adam Ağladan Oldum”, “Aşkın Ne Derin Yâreler Açtı Ciğerimde”, “Kışlalalar Doldu Bugün”, “Ne Hoş Olur Mahpushane Havası”, “Nere Gidim Kardaş”, “Urfa Dağlarında Gezdiğim Çağlar.”
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He had a beatiful voice; powerful, clean and passionate, and sang hoyrat and gazels especially well, moving his audience deeply. His voice was so strong that when he sang one night in the Urfa Castle, he could be heard in Karaköprü, six or seven kilometers away. He sang his uzun havas in his own personal style, which is emulate by many contemporary artists when they sing these pieces. His uzun hava “Kışlalar Doldu Bugün” made Muzaffer Akgün and several other artists
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Hamza Şenses was a meticulous man who liked to dress neatly, always wearing a suit and tie and a fedora. Dressing this way in Urfa in the 1930s and 40s, he was quite ahead of the times.
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He was very polite and sensitive, and was deeply devoted to his children, loving to talk and joke with them, and buy them presents. Thus the loss of his daughter Türkan, who fell from a rock and suffered a brain hemorrhage and dying after many years of illness, was a devastating blow to him. Upon her death, he composed the uzun hava beginning with the words “What deep wounds love has opened in my heart, this great world has turned into a grave in my eyes.”
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Though he made only a small number of recordings, his voice was known throughout the entire country, and he was one of the most famous singers of his time.
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During the 1940s, Hamza Şenses was performing several times a week at Urfa’s spot for drinking and music, the Çardaklı Cafe . One night when he was not performing, feeling bored, he got dressed to go the the Çardaklı Cafe. He called his daughter Zeliha and said “Daughter, I’m going, is there anything you want to say?” Showing him her neck, she said “Give me a kiss, [so that] my father’s scent will come from here.” Kissing his daughter, he left the house and set off for the club. As there was no program that night, he sat at an empty table and ordered. At that point some people sitting at another table said "Hamza, we know you’re off tonight, but this place is nothing without you; go up and sing us a few tunes.” Hamza answered “Since you insist, I’ll go up and sing you one,” went onto the stage, and sang a türkü. As he was leaving the stage, one of the people insisted he come to their table. He thanked them but declined, sitting back down at his own table. At this, the people there began arguing. One of them said “This Hamza is really full of himself, he doesn’t deign to come to our table.” Another said “Hamza is my friend, don’t shoot your mouth off about him that way.” The argument turned into a fight. Hamza approached them and said “shame on you, you’re friends, why are you fighting, eat drink, and go home happy.” It was winter, snow was all around. One at the table said “It’s your fault we argued in the first place, beat it,” and pushed Hamza. The Çardaklı Cafe was surrounded by wire fencing. Hamza, who had drunk, slipped and fell onto the thin fence, which collapsed. He fell from the Çardaklı Cafe, which was on the first floor, down into the Nacar Bazaar, hitting his head on the woodblock in front of the carpenters’ shops. When the group saw him fall, they ran off; leaving him to be found lying on the ground by the night watchmen on their rounds. They picked him up and took him to his house, saying “he’s really drunk, lie him down.” When his mother laid his head on the pillow, blood came onto her hand, and she said to the watchmen “My son’s head is broken, what happened, where did he fall?” They answered “He fell from Herrane Kedosu’s Cafe.” When he didn’t revive after three hours, they took him to the hospital. He had suffered a brain hemorrhage and was immediately taken into surgery, but the wound was too severe and he did not survive.
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Thoughout his life, Hamza Şenses experienced the pains of separation and longing, deprivation and loss of a child. For this reason, nearly all of his pieces tell one sad story or another. “Kişlalar Doldu Bugün” (The Barracks Filled Today) and “Diyarbakır Bu Mudur” (Is This What Diyarbakır Is) are about separation, “Urfa Dağlarında Gezdiğim Çağlar” (The Ages I Spent Wandering in the Mountains of Urfa) is about his uncle Ali who was shot and killed, “Aşkın Ne Derin Yareler Açtı” is about the early death of his beloved daughter Türkan, and “Adanalı Esmer Okur Yan Bakar” (A Dark One From Adana Sings and Looks Askance) was written about a dear friend from Adana.
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Of all Urfa’s vocal artists of the past century, one of the first to come to mind is Hamza Şenses. Because he lost his hair at a young age, he was known by the nickname "Kel Hamza" (Bald Hamza).
-
HS was born in 1904 , in a house on Hilal Street behind the Selehettin Eyyuubi Mosque, in the Büyük Yol area. On his mother Zeliha’s side he descended from the Tanburacıoğlu famıly. His father Mustafa worked in the fur trade. He had one brother, Ibrahim Halil, who also was a furrier, and died in 1968. His wife, named Hanım, who died in 1978, was the his mother’s brother’s daughter. They had three daughters, Hayriye, Zeliha and Türkan, who died in childhood.
-
Hamza Şenses never attended school, but taught himself to read and write because of his own interest. From a young age, he wrote poetry and composed music.
-
His real profession was feltmaking. At work, he would sing türkü and hoyrat to himself. In the exuberance of his youth, he also wrote a few songs of his own. One day as he was singing hoyrat, his master and his friends listened to him, and asked "Hamza, you have a nice voice, why don’t you make a record?” In Urfa during that period, music was made for the joy of it; to play or sing for money, to become a professional performer, was considered quite shameful. For this reason Hamza thought long and hard, then went and explained the situation to his uncles. They gave him permission, saying “you’re an orphan, you’re poor, you have a beautiful voice, you are free.” He started singing at various places, and gaining some popularity, he went to make a recording. When the record came out, his fame spread beyond Urfa, and he began to get offers to sing in gazinos (music nightclubs) in other cities. Thus until his death, he worked as a singer in many provinces, playing in a variety of musical gatherings, concerts and gazinos.
-
Living in the same period as the famous singer Mıkım Tahir, Hamza Şenses also played bağlama, tambur and cümbüş, and performed in Şanlıurfa’s Çardaklı Cafe and the Aynzeliha Gazino. At one point he was performing on the stages of Diyarbakır, Gaziantep, Adana and Istanbul.
-
Performing with various ensembles in the sira geces of Urfa, overnight gatherings in the mountains, and other musical events, he got his practice and training from the master musicians of the time, and participated in radio programs for the anniversary of Urfa’s liberation on April 11 as well as other programs. He also performed for many years with the ensemble at the Urfa Halk Evi (a local venue) and gave countless concerts.
-
He had six records to his name, and was an important source for Turkish Radio and Television (TRT) and added many of his türkü and uzun hava to their repertoire, such as “Diyarbakır Bu Mudur”, “Adam Ağladan Oldum”, “Aşkın Ne Derin Yâreler Açtı Ciğerimde”, “Kışlalalar Doldu Bugün”, “Ne Hoş Olur Mahpushane Havası”, “Nere Gidim Kardaş”, “Urfa Dağlarında Gezdiğim Çağlar.”
-
He had a beatiful voice; powerful, clean and passionate, and sang hoyrat and gazels especially well, moving his audience deeply. His voice was so strong that when he sang one night in the Urfa Castle, he could be heard in Karaköprü, six or seven kilometers away. He sang his uzun havas in his own personal style, which is emulate by many contemporary artists when they sing these pieces. His uzun hava “Kışlalar Doldu Bugün” made Muzaffer Akgün and several other artists
-
Hamza Şenses was a meticulous man who liked to dress neatly, always wearing a suit and tie and a fedora. Dressing this way in Urfa in the 1930s and 40s, he was quite ahead of the times.
-
He was very polite and sensitive, and was deeply devoted to his children, loving to talk and joke with them, and buy them presents. Thus the loss of his daughter Türkan, who fell from a rock and suffered a brain hemorrhage and dying after many years of illness, was a devastating blow to him. Upon her death, he composed the uzun hava beginning with the words “What deep wounds love has opened in my heart, this great world has turned into a grave in my eyes.”
-
Though he made only a small number of recordings, his voice was known throughout the entire country, and he was one of the most famous singers of his time.
-
During the 1940s, Hamza Şenses was performing several times a week at Urfa’s spot for drinking and music, the Çardaklı Cafe . One night when he was not performing, feeling bored, he got dressed to go the the Çardaklı Cafe. He called his daughter Zeliha and said “Daughter, I’m going, is there anything you want to say?” Showing him her neck, she said “Give me a kiss, [so that] my father’s scent will come from here.” Kissing his daughter, he left the house and set off for the club. As there was no program that night, he sat at an empty table and ordered. At that point some people sitting at another table said "Hamza, we know you’re off tonight, but this place is nothing without you; go up and sing us a few tunes.” Hamza answered “Since you insist, I’ll go up and sing you one,” went onto the stage, and sang a türkü. As he was leaving the stage, one of the people insisted he come to their table. He thanked them but declined, sitting back down at his own table. At this, the people there began arguing. One of them said “This Hamza is really full of himself, he doesn’t deign to come to our table.” Another said “Hamza is my friend, don’t shoot your mouth off about him that way.” The argument turned into a fight. Hamza approached them and said “shame on you, you’re friends, why are you fighting, eat drink, and go home happy.” It was winter, snow was all around. One at the table said “It’s your fault we argued in the first place, beat it,” and pushed Hamza. The Çardaklı Cafe was surrounded by wire fencing. Hamza, who had drunk, slipped and fell onto the thin fence, which collapsed. He fell from the Çardaklı Cafe, which was on the first floor, down into the Nacar Bazaar, hitting his head on the woodblock in front of the carpenters’ shops. When the group saw him fall, they ran off; leaving him to be found lying on the ground by the night watchmen on their rounds. They picked him up and took him to his house, saying “he’s really drunk, lie him down.” When his mother laid his head on the pillow, blood came onto her hand, and she said to the watchmen “My son’s head is broken, what happened, where did he fall?” They answered “He fell from Herrane Kedosu’s Cafe.” When he didn’t revive after three hours, they took him to the hospital. He had suffered a brain hemorrhage and was immediately taken into surgery, but the wound was too severe and he did not survive.
-
Thoughout his life, Hamza Şenses experienced the pains of separation and longing, deprivation and loss of a child. For this reason, nearly all of his pieces tell one sad story or another. “Kişlalar Doldu Bugün” (The Barracks Filled Today) and “Diyarbakır Bu Mudur” (Is This What Diyarbakır Is) are about separation, “Urfa Dağlarında Gezdiğim Çağlar” (The Ages I Spent Wandering in the Mountains of Urfa) is about his uncle Ali who was shot and killed, “Aşkın Ne Derin Yareler Açtı” is about the early death of his beloved daughter Türkan, and “Adanalı Esmer Okur Yan Bakar” (A Dark One From Adana Sings and Looks Askance) was written about a dear friend from Adana.
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The Story of the Uzun Hava “Kışlalar Doldu Bugün”
Hamza Şenses’ younger brother Ibrahim was a soldier in Diyarbakır. Then, military service was not like today; it lasted three or four years, longer in wartime. So Hamza missed his brother İbrahim, who had been away for a long time. He went to Diyarbakır to see him and went to the barracks of his battalion. The officials there said, “Your brother is on duty, we can’t call him now.” Even though he said he’d come from far away and wanted to see his brother if just for a few minutes, they answered “it’s not allowed” and refused permission. At this, he said he wanted to speak with the battalion chief, and after much insisting he managed to get into see him. The battalion chief was a good-natured sort, and friendly. At this, Hamza Şenses introduced himself, and said he’d come a long way to see his brother. The battalion chief was a music lover and had heard of Hamza Şenses, so he treated him to tea and coffee, and called his brother Ibrahim in to see him.
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After they’d talked, the chief said to Hamza, “You have come this far, let’s have an evening [of music].” Hamza agreed and they put on a great show for the soldiers in the battalion. That night, sad at having to leave his brother, he wrote the piece “Kışlalar Doldu Bugün” (The Barracks Filled Today) and sang it to those present. Later it was immortalized when he made a record of it:
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The barracks filled today
They filled, and emptied today
Come brother, let’s talk
Today I faced separation,
Forced, with no choice
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Midnight came,
And with it, my tears
I don’t collapse under just any pain,
But this one was torture
From a land of strangers
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After they’d talked, the chief said to Hamza, “You have come this far, let’s have an evening [of music].” Hamza agreed and they put on a great show for the soldiers in the battalion. That night, sad at having to leave his brother, he wrote the piece “Kışlalar Doldu Bugün” (The Barracks Filled Today) and sang it to those present. Later it was immortalized when he made a record of it:
-
The barracks filled today
They filled, and emptied today
Come brother, let’s talk
Today I faced separation,
Forced, with no choice
-
Midnight came,
And with it, my tears
I don’t collapse under just any pain,
But this one was torture
From a land of strangers
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