Turkish folk music in a project similar to "Playing for Change"

[bozadi]

There is a Turkish music project named "Doğa İçin Çal" (Play for Nature) which has been on-going since 2011. The idea is similar to, and inspired by, the US-based project named "Playing for Change" but this is more an effort to attract attention to the environmental destruction and corruption and the need for protecting the green / nature. I believe it also involves a slight political stand or an indirect criticism against some policies of the ruling party, AKP, which are very destructive against many natural reserves of Turkey.

They use classical Turkish folk music pieces and have many musicians and instrumentalists play certain parts of such a piece and then combining the parts to produce a rich and colorful performance.

I came across a more detailed English explanation on the web.

I want to share one of their clip performances (Clip no. 6; they actually have 7 video performances now and the number will probably increase). Some of their clips involve more than one ballad and this one includes two. I will try to find any ready translations of these songs on the web or I will try to translate them myself.

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Added note: The successive information notes appearing on the lower part of the screen in the clip provide information about the performers including their names and, in the lower line, their dwelling places.

 

[bozadi]

About the first ballad in the clip, I found such an explanation on the wikipedia (an item on the locality named Bitez, which is also a part of the ballad's story):

Bitez is famous for a popular song named Çökertme composed in the early years of the 20th century. There are two versions of the event upon which the lyrics refer to. But in both versions, the main theme is the struggle against Regie Company founded for Ottoman Public Debt Administration which controlled the tobacco trade in Turkey. The producers had no right to sell their own products. This gave rise to smuggler traffic and the smugglers began smuggling tobacco to Cos island of Greece (the distance to Cos island is only 15 kilometres (9.3 mi)). According to lyrics, Bodrum governor (so called Circassian governor, Çerkez kaymakam) arrested two smugglers named Halil Efe and İpram Efe in Bitez shore (Turkish: Bitez yalısı) and then executed them without trial. In another version of the story Halil Efe and his sweetheart were trying to escape to Cos island when they were arrested. The governor was furious because he had an eye on Halil’s sweetheart Çakır Gülsüm

Here is a possible translation that I made based on what I understand from the story:

I left Çökertme, oh my Halil, and I'm at peace.
But before I reach the shore of Bitez
A great trouble arose (aboard).
My friend, Sergeant Ibrahim, rests with God now (killed).

This place is not Aspat, my Halil, it's the Bitez shore,
My lung is burning being wounded by a wired bullet.

While I was walking on the board, my shoes slipped,
And my silk handkerchief was taken away by wind,
My Gülsüm with her greyish blue eyes... Oh, she was taken away by the guards,

This place is not Aspat, my Halil, it's the Bitez shore,
My lung is burning being wounded by a wired bullet.

Oh, let's go, my Halil, let's go to Çökertme,
If the guards come, where shall we run to?
Let's not surrender, my Halil, but fire our bullets!

This place is not Aspat, my Halil, it's the Bitez shore,
My lung is burning being wounded by a wired bullet.


A possible translation for the lyrics of the second ballad:

I set the hay ablaze,
And look at the smoke!
It was me who made
Your cruel mother come to reason!

Come on, get into motion!
Yes, just like that, my coy!

I put some coffee into the coffeepot,
My lover is gone for a walk!
I can't make without seeing you, oh girl
Since my childhood!

Come on, get into motion!
Yes, just like that, my coy!

I poured the coffee into the cup,
And give my kind regards to my uncle!
If he refuses to give his daughter in marriage,
Then let him make a pickle of her in a cup!

Come on, get into motion!
Yes, just like that, my coy!

I couldn't find any explanation about the "story" of the second song.

I must mention that, in many Turkish ballads, some statements (or "lines") are just there to form a preparation for the following main line or message in a rhyming way (the rhymes are lost in translation). So some statements can semantically appear very unrelated or disconnected but this is actually a specially used method.

Lastly, I want to explain that, in the Play for Nature project, they use a lot of "modern" (especially rock) variations applied to classical folk songs. Although rock-like adaptations of traditional folk songs have been very popular in the last decade, some people like it, some don't. I generally like them.