What Do the Turkish Compositions of Ottoman Armenians Tell Us?

By Dr. Halim Gençoğlu

The multicultural structure of the Ottoman Empire also created a distinct sphere of integration and mutual interaction in the art of music. Composers of Armenian origin assumed important roles in the development of Classical Turkish Music and actively contributed to the palace, Mevlevi circles, and the folk music repertoire. This study examines the works and social positions of Armenian-origin musicians such as Hamparsum Limonciyan, Tatyos Efendi, Bimen Şen, and others like them, thereby highlighting the tolerant character of the Turkish nation that embraces different ethnic origins without discrimination. These examples document the high status of Armenians in the musical life of Ottoman and early Republican society and possess the quality to refute claims of a systematic policy of exclusion or extermination.

A Musician: Hamparsum Limonciyan

Hamparsum Limonciyan (1768–1839) is the Armenian-origin composer and notator who developed the Hamparsum notation, a turning point in Ottoman musical history. The notation system, supported during the reign of Selim III, was designed—drawing inspiration from the old Armenian khaz system—to accurately convey the pitches and intervals of Turkish music. This invention enabled thousands of works to reach the present day and became the fundamental tool for the written recording of Classical Turkish Music. Limonciyan was accepted in palace circles and Mevlevi lodges and also contributed to the repertoire with his compositions.

The Contributions of Tatyos Efendi

The violin virtuoso and composer Kemani Tateos Ekserciyan (1858–1913) is known as such. Although he came from the Ortaköy Armenian Church, he was addressed with the title “Efendi” in Ottoman musical circles and gave public concerts. He left to the repertoire eight peşrevs, six saz semais, and forty-seven songs; his works in the hüseyni, suzinak, and rast makams are among the classics. He was appreciated in palace and elite circles and is regarded as one of the most productive composers of Turkish music. The song widely known among the people, “Gamzedeyim deva bulmam,” is both composed and written by Kemani Tatyos Efendi.

The Contributions of Bimen Şen

Bimen Şen (B. Dergazaryan, 1873–1943), a singer and composer born in Bursa, composed by inspiration from lyrics without knowing notation and bestowed more than eight hundred works upon Turkish music. He is famous for his love- and nature-themed songs in the uşşak, hicaz, hüzzam, and segâh makams. Works such as Yüzüm Şen, Hatıram Şen, Nereden Sevdim O Zalim Kadını, and the like remain popular to this day. He continued to live in Istanbul after the 1915 events and went on producing works in the Republican period. This situation demonstrates that he was accepted in society without being ostracized, which indicates that Armenians who did not participate in the rebellion were not subjected to relocation. The surname Şen was personally given to him by Atatürk.

These composers generally worked in Istanbul-centered environments, served as palace musicians, or performed in private assemblies. Their works enriched the neo-classical period of Turkish music with variety in makam and usul. In the polyphonic cultural environment of the Ottomans, the contributions of Armenian musicians constitute a mosaic piece that enhanced the universal value of Turkish classical music.

Social Embrace and Historical Perspective

During the Ottoman Empire period, the Armenian community held an important place in the field of music and made valuable contributions to the development of Turkish classical music (Ottoman music). Thanks to the multicultural structure, Armenian musicians generally received their musical education in church choirs and then played active roles in palace, assembly, and fasıl circles. These contributions were concentrated in the areas of composition, performance, education, and especially notation.

Besides these, among the well-known Armenian composers: Nikoğos Ağa (Nikoğos Balyan, 1830–1885) was a singer and composer who trained figures such as Leyla Saz and contributed to fasıl music with his songs. Karnik Garmiryan, known as a master of violin and kemençe, composed more than a hundred works and is recognized for his peşrevs and saz semais. Artin Ağa (Yarutin Havadurin) transcribed old works into modern notation using Hamparsum notation, thus saving them from oblivion; he left fourteen peşrevs and thirty saz semais. Kemani Aleksan Ağa composed peşrevs, saz semais, and songs and is known for works such as “Bir güzele kuldum ta gönülden vuruldum.” Other Armenian musicians such as Agop Ağa (Şaşı), Tanburi Aleksan Ağa, and Serkis Efendi also added songs to the repertoire.

The fact that these Armenian-origin composers attained high status in the Ottoman palace, Mevlevi circles, and among the public clearly reveals that the Turkish nation did not adopt a racist approach. Individuals from different origins were integrated without discrimination according to their talents and contributed to the enrichment of Turkish music. Especially Bimen Şen’s long career after 1915 and Tatyos Efendi’s title “Efendi” document that there was no systematic policy of contempt or exclusion. These examples strongly explain that the Armenian genocide claims worldwide are based on one-sided interpretations, since Ottoman society culturally embraced Armenians.

When Sultan Bayezid II invited the Sephardic Jews expelled from Spain in 1492, Ottoman lands became a refuge for Jews. Jews established large and prosperous communities in cities such as Istanbul, Salonika, Izmir, Edirne, and Bursa.

By comparison, Jews in Germany from the Middle Ages onward were frequently subjected to scorn, accusations (plague accusations, blood libel), and pogroms. In the 19th century, with the Enlightenment, Jews rose in society and made great contributions in science, art, and commerce. However, alongside this rise, modern antisemitism also strengthened. Especially after the 1870s, racist ideologies branded Jews as foreign elements. In contrast, Jews in the Ottoman Empire did not live under constant threat as in Europe; on the contrary, they were protected and integrated by the state. This is another concrete proof of the Ottoman Empire’s multinational structure and tolerance. Just as in the example of Armenian musicians, Jews also contributed to Ottoman culture.

Structures such as the Ottoman millet system provided greater understanding, whereas in other colonial examples, oppression or elimination was foregrounded, so interaction either remained limited or became one-sided. For this reason, the Ottoman tolerant approach offers an embracing perspective unlike societies living with a genocidal mentality.

Thus, the Turkish compositions of Ottoman Armenians tell us not only the history of notes but the sound of a shared language, a common emotion, and a collective memory. Words transcend ethnic boundaries, makams whisper an older truth than identity debates, and in Ottoman cities, culture existed not by separating but by blending with one another. A work written in Turkish by an Armenian composer is the music of contact rather than conflict, of closeness rather than exclusion.

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