Bimen Efendi – Bî-behre bir âşık gibi Ottoman Turkish 1927 Musical Notes Sheet Empire Armenian Citizen
Description:
Bî-behre bir âşık gibi is a Turkish classical music composition by Bimen Efendi, also known as Bimen Şen, in the Hüzzam makam. Bimen Şen was born in Bursa in 1873 as Bimen Dergazaryan, the son of an Armenian clergyman, and was of Armenian origin. He began singing hymns at the Bursa Armenian Church as a child, where his musical ability and beautiful voice attracted attention. After being encouraged by Hacı Ârif Bey, he moved to Istanbul as a teenager and continued developing his musical knowledge among the leading musicians of the period.
Published by Kudmanizâde Udî Şamlı İskender, the sheet belongs to the important music publishing tradition associated with the Şamlı İskender family. The family had origins in Damascus and became known in Istanbul by the nickname “Şamlı,” which was also incorporated into the name of the publishing business. During the late Ottoman and early Republican periods, when access to sound recordings, radio and other forms of musical reproduction was limited, printed sheet music provided musicians and music enthusiasts with an important means of learning and preserving musical works. The publications of Şamlı İskender therefore form an important part of the printed musical heritage of the period.
Bimen Şen became known both as a celebrated hanende and as a prolific composer of Turkish classical music. He studied with and was influenced by important musicians including Hacı Ârif Bey, Tanbûrî Cemil Bey, Neyzen Aziz Dede, Şevki Bey, Rahmi Bey and Hacı Kirâmî Efendi. His compositions became widely known during the late Ottoman and early Republican periods, and a significant number of his works were published in notation by Şamlı İskender and Şamlı Selim.
This sheet was published in Istanbul in April 1927 as No. 751 of the Müntehabat series issued by Kudmanizâde Udî Şamlı İskender. The Ottoman Turkish script, Hüzzam makam indication and series number make it a particularly useful document for the study and collecting of early Republican-era Turkish music publications. For collectors of Ottoman and early Republican sheet music, Bimen Şen compositions and Şamlı İskender publications, this is a notable historical example.
Key Features:
• Composer: Bimen Efendi (Bimen Şen)
• Work: Bî-behre bir âşık gibi
• Makam: Hüzzam
• Publisher: Kudmanizâde Udî Şamlı İskender
• Series: Müntehabat
• Series No.: 751
• Publication Place: Istanbul
• Publication Date: April 1927
• Publication Period: 1920s
• Language: Ottoman Turkish
• Genre: Turkish Classical Music
• Format: Printed Sheet Music
• Subject: Bimen Şen, Hüzzam Makamı and Şamlı İskender Müntehabat Series
• Collector Appeal: An early Republican-era Ottoman Turkish printed music publication, No. 751 of the Müntehabat series, documenting the work of Bimen Şen and the continuing publishing tradition of Şamlı İskender.