Engelbert Humperdinck & Alpay – Am I That Easy to Forget Turkish Vintage Musical Notes Sheet Turkey

Engelbert Humperdinck – Am I That Easy to Forget / Bekle Beni İskelede – Musiki Ar-Ak Evi, Istanbul – 1960s–1970s – English / Turkish

Description:

Am I That Easy to Forget is an English-language sheet music publication featuring the song made famous internationally by Engelbert Humperdinck. Originally written by Carl Belew and W. S. Stevenson, the song became widely known through recordings by various artists, including Humperdinck. The Turkish adaptation, titled Bekle Beni İskelede and associated with Alpay, reflects the popularity of adapted international songs in Turkey during the 1960s and 1970s. This printed musical score is a particularly interesting example of the period’s arrangement culture, when internationally popular melodies were frequently adapted into Turkish and introduced to local audiences.

Published in Istanbul by Musiki Ar-Ak Evi, the sheet belongs to the output of one of the notable music publishers and printing houses active in Turkey during the 1960s and 1970s. These publications made popular international music accessible to musicians and music enthusiasts who wished to perform the songs themselves.

During this period, arranged and adapted versions of international songs were an important part of Turkey’s popular music culture. Familiar melodies from Europe and America were often given Turkish lyrics and performed by local singers, creating a musical connection between international popular music and the Turkish recording scene. The cover of this sheet music, identifying the song as Alpay’s Bekle Beni İskelede, reflects this practice and provides an additional layer of interest for collectors of Turkish and international music ephemera.

Before the digital era, printed sheet music played an important role in domestic musical life. A popular song could be brought into the home through a piano, guitar, or another instrument, allowing families and friends to reproduce and share the music themselves. In this sense, this sheet music is not simply a printed song but a small surviving document of the social and domestic music culture of mid-20th-century Turkey.

For collectors of vintage sheet music, Engelbert Humperdinck memorabilia, Alpay records and ephemera, Turkish arrangement music, and European popular music, this Istanbul-printed edition offers an evocative example of how international songs were adapted, published, and enjoyed in Turkey during the 1960s and 1970s.

Key Features:

• Artist: Engelbert Humperdinck / Alpay

• Song Title: Am I That Easy to Forget / Bekle Beni İskelede

• Original Songwriters: Carl Belew & W. S. Stevenson

• Publisher: Musiki Ar-Ak Evi

• Publication Place: Istanbul

• Publication Period: 1960s–1970s

• Language: English / Turkish

• Genre: Popular Music / Turkish Arrangement / International Pop

• Format: Sheet Music

• Subject: Engelbert Humperdinck, Alpay, Turkish Arrangement Music and Vintage Turkish Music Publishing

• Collector Appeal: A vintage Istanbul-printed sheet music publication documenting the popular practice of adapting internationally successful songs into Turkish, represented here by the Turkish arrangement Bekle Beni İskelede associated with Alpay.