The notation of the Babayiğit Oyun Havası was written down by listening to a record, and in the collector field of the repertoire entry, instead of a name, stands "Plaktan Yazıldı", written from a record. The source performer is a Merzifon "yöre ekibi", a local ensemble, and the transcriber Ferhat Durmuş. Numbered 470 in the dance-tune section of the TRT Turkish Folk Music repertoire, it is the highest-numbered of the four dance tunes registered to Amasya.

Catalogue Data

  • Repertoire no.: TRT Turkish Folk Music repertoire 470 (dance tunes section)
  • Region: Amasya, Merzifon
  • Source performer: local ensemble
  • Collected by: "Plaktan Yazıldı" (the notation was written from a recording; the record itself is not identified)
  • Transcribed by: Ferhat Durmuş
  • Date of collection: not given in the entry
  • Mode: Hüseynî scale; final and closing note La
  • Metre: 2/4
  • Genre: dance tune (instrumental)
  • Music: anonymous
  • TRT link: TRT has no public page for individual repertoire items; the catalogue data of no. 470 and two pages of notation are on Repertükül.
  • Overview article: The Melody of the Yeşilırmak

Lyrics

In the notation taken from the record, the lyrics field is filled in with "Sözü Yoktur"; Babayiğit is a tune for instruments alone.

Story

From which record, or from a recording by whom, the notation was written, the entry does not say. Nor is there a piece called "Babayiğit" among the Ankara State Conservatory's 1943 recordings in Merzifon, so no trace shows that the notation rests on one of the records of that collection. The tune's name, the way it was danced and any event it was linked to remain unexplained in published sources.

Musical Features

Of the four dance tunes of Amasya in the TRT repertoire, Babayiğit is the only one written in the Hüseynî scale; the others are in the Segâh, Karcığar and Gülizar scales. Its final and its closing note are both La, and the metre is 2/4. The range is not entered in the data, while the two-page notation itself has been published.

Performers and Recordings

The record behind the notation is not known by name. No recording has emerged to document the tune being played by any other ensemble or player.

Bibliography

Online sources