Turkish Guitarist Performs Turkish Folk Music

Turkish guitarist Özberk Miraç Sarıgül playing a folk song from his country in front of a Spanish castle

This morning saw the release of the latest OMNI on-Location video on YouTube. Turkish guitarist Özberk Miraç Sarıgül performs an arrangement by Ricardo Moyano of the popular Turkish folk song “Kara Toprak” (black earth), one of the tunes in the repertoire of bağlama virtuoso Âşık Veysel. The location for the video had more to do with the instrument than the music. Cándido Navarro recorded the video at the Petrer Castle in Spain. As is often the case, this is music with a meditative introduction followed by a rhythmic account of the theme. In addition to the YouTube video, the music is available on Sarıgül’s recently released album Kalbimden (which, at least for now, is only available from a Web page that provides the price in Euros).

Like many Omni offerings, this video introduced me to a genre I had not previously encountered. Sarıgül’s performance took less than five minutes. As a “first contact” listener, I felt drawn to the tropes in Moyano’s arrangement that defined that genre. I have no idea when I shall have my next encounter with Turkish folk music; but I would like to believe that this video will prepare me for any future opportunities to listen to the repertoire (particularly if they involve a “first contact” with a bağlama performance)!