CLASSIC TURKISH MUSIC

The first of the three Istanbul trips we made with ATATÜRK coincided with the letter revolution. As soon as ATA arrived in Istanbul, they ordered the new Turkish script to be learned quickly, by distributing an alphabet reproduced by a typewriter to all the staff of the entourage and those who served in the usual manner. A day or two after this alphabet was distributed, negotiations and tests began. First of all, at the blackboard placed in the living room, everyone, from the table keeper to the deceased, was subjected to a written test. The subject of the written test was the Black Sea anthem.

Black Sea Black Sea
We are not the enemy
You've been waiting for half a century
We are the leader of Barbaros
he salutes you
Says what the enemy has
expel him from his waters
There is a Turkish flag there.

We all started to write on the next paper. Both our friends and those present, those who knew the Latin letters, wrote their lessons easily and quickly. But it was seen that not a single letter was written in front of those who did not know.

ATATÜRK first asked for the paper of our friend Santûrî Zühdü Bardakoğlu.

To ATA Bardakoğlu, who took a look at the paper:

- What is the word Black Sea? he asked.

- Ink is a name, your master.

- Then why did you write it as two words?

ATATÜRK was extremely benevolent, extremely kind and reminiscent of those around him. He rarely got angry, and even when he was angry, he would get offended paternally, even as if joking. As a matter of fact, on the first night I went to the palace, when I pressed the cord that energizes the chandeliers, causing the hall to be in darkness for a short time, while waiting for a scolding from ATA, he said:

- Our children are not used to the palace, they excused me to their guests, don't look at their faults.

However, they were smart to Zühdü Bardakoğlu. The sadness of ATA and the scolding of our friend made us very sad, especially Bardakoğlu. However, our friend was exposed to many tests of ATA, especially on the mixed bets of Roman history and the history of santur, he shed a sweat, but he was not subjected to such a scolding.

This evening, since ATATÜRK's action made Zühdü very sad, he felt like he was going to cry. At this moment, a state of ATA did not escape my notice. Looking at Zühdü's face, he was pointing at the paper in front of one of the people sitting at the table. I looked in that direction, there was not a single letter on the paper, and its owner is more miserable than Zühdü. We understood that ATA was targeting this person as if he was addressing Zühdü.

Source: www.kultur.gov.tr