Karşılama

Curatorial Note

Karsilama documents instrumental and ensemble traditions of Rumeli and Turkish Thrace through the work of Roman musicians, drawing on a musical world shaped by centuries of Ottoman circulation, migration, and displacement across the Balkans. The repertoire reflects family histories connected to Bulgaria and to migrations from the Thessaloniki region in 1923–1924, while preserving older dances and melodies alongside Turkish classical, folk, arabesk, and locally developed Roman forms. Centered on the Thracian ince saz sound, with clarinet, violin, kanun, cümbüş, darbuka, and davul, the recording includes karsilama-derived genres, çiftetelli, kasap, gayda, Rumeli melodies, and characteristic Roman improvisatory styles. Improvisation is fundamental to the performances, producing continual melodic and rhythmic variation. The album is particularly valuable as a document of Roman professional musicianship and of the transregional Balkan-Ottoman musical networks preserved and transformed within the communities of Turkish Thrace.