Interest in reed flute on the rise, classes in high demand

Speaking to Sunday’s Zaman, Uygun said people are fascinated by the ney because it brings to mind not only traditional music but also Islam’s spiritual wisdom and the Mevlevi order of dervishes, popularly known in the West as the Whirling Dervishes. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated 2007 the “Year of Mevlana,” coinciding with the 800th anniversary of the birth of the 13th-century scholar of Islam and poet who lived during the days of the Seljuk Empire. Uygun believes a strong reason for the public’s intense interest in the ney is its love for Mevlana Muhammed Jelaluddin Rumi, the founder of the Mevlevi order of dervishes. The ney features prominently in the religious rituals of the Mevlevi order. Furthermore, Rumi’s universal messages of love and tolerance have begun to resonate more strongly than ever in the period we find ourselves in today.

Mustafa Aydın, the cultural director of the Zeytinburnu Municipality, says ney lovers come together every Saturday to play in a neyhane, a meeting spot in Zeytinburnu for all those who love the reed flute. This neyhane is located within the Merkez Efendi mosque complex, itself located just outside the city walls.

The municipality also offers two courses in which students can learn to play the ney in addition to three courses offered by the İstanbul Municipal Arts and Crafts Training Courses (İSMEK) program. Aydın, a reed flute player himself, says he’s seen a steady increase in the number of people who come to the neyhane, this considering how there were no ney concerts or courses two years ago. “I wanted to attend ney lessons some four years ago, but course administrators told me that only if 15 people wanted to take a course, they would begin a class. In those days I encouraged my friends to learn to play the ney as well. This was, of course, a way to get the ney course to start. One of the first ney classes was put together in 2006 and, by 2007, some 50 more people were interested. Currently, five ney courses are being offered in Zeytinburnu. This is an indication of the level of increased interest,” Aydın said.

Ferit Yavuz has been making traditional reed flutes for about 35 years. He, too, says there has been a remarkable increase in interest as sales have skyrocketed. He says he’s happy, but not because of increased profits. Yavuz’s primary aim, he says, is to see new reed flute players and listeners in Turkey. Reed flutes he produces go for TL 150-400, but he says these prices have remained unchanged over the past 35 years because he does not focus on the sector’s commercial factor.

“Playing a musical instrument is exciting for many people. However, the traditional reed flute differs from other instruments. People need at least five years to learn to play the ney because it is a very difficult instrument to master,” Arif Şenyüz, who has played the reed flute for over 40 years, said. Many musical instruments are produced from metal nowadays, Şenyüz says, but the ney is a hollow piece of reed with five or six finger holes and one thumb hole. The instrument is very old and dates back 800 years.

When people listen to the reed flute, peace and love come to mind, Şenyüz said, noting that Mevlana is one of the biggest reasons behind the love for the ney. Repeating the message of Rumi, who said: “Come, come, whoever you are, wanderer, worshipper and lover of leaving. Ours is no caravan of despair. Come, even if you have broken your vow a thousand times. Come, yet again, come,” Şenyüz said no one is innocent and that people need Rumi’s timeless messages of love and compassion.

‘40 neys 1 breath’ takes to CRR stage

İstanbul’s Cemal Reşit Rey (CRR) center hosted a concert last Saturday named “40 neys 1 breath.” Forty people, young and old, including Yavuz Yekta (83), Ekrem Vural, Mahmut Bilki, Yusuf Kayya, Salih Bilgin, Arif Erdebil, Bülent Özbek, Sadrettin Özçimi and Eşref Berk Türkoğlu (22), were among the musicians.