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Ottoman military bands are thought to be the oldest variety of military marching bands in the world. Though they are often known by the Persian-derived word ''mahtar'' (مهتر; ''mehter'' in Ottoman Turkish) in the West, that word, properly speaking, refers only to a single musician in the band. In Ottoman, the band was generally known as ''mehterân'' (مهتران, from the Persian plural ''mahtarān''), though those bands used in the retinue of a vizier or prince were generally known as ''mehterhane'' (مهترخانه, meaning roughly, "a gathering of ''mehter''s", from Persian "house of the ''mahtar''"). In modern Turkish, the band as a whole is often termed ''mehter bölüğü'' ("''mehter'' company ()"), ''mehter takımı'' ("''mehter'' platoon"). In the West, the band's music is also often called Janissary music because the janissaries formed the core of the bands. ==History== It is believed that individual instrumentalists may have been mentioned in the 8th century Orkhon inscriptions.〔http://www.expoyeosu2012turkey.com/assets/Uploads/Mehteran-eng.pdf〕〔http://www.ittmt.org/EngMehter.html〕〔http://www.mehter.com.tr/icerik.php?id=51〕〔http://www.bursamehter.com/en/index.php?main=mehter_nedir〕 Such military bands as the ''mehter''s, however, were not definitively mentioned until the 13th century.〔http://www.tsk.tr/ing/2_general_issues/2_1_military_museum/mehter/mehter_general_information.htm〕 It is believed that the first "mehter" was sent to Osman I by the Seljuk Sultan Alaeddin Keykubad III as a present along with a letter that salutes the newly formed state. From then on every day after the afternoon prayer; "mehter" played for the Ottoman ruler. The notion of a military marching band, such as those in use even today, began to be borrowed from the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. The sound associated with the ''mehterân'' also exercised an influence on European classical music, with composers such as Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven all writing compositions inspired by or designed to imitate the music of the ''mehter''s.〔Consider, for example, Beethoven's Turkish March, and the martial section of ''Ode to Joy'' in his Ninth Symphony〕 In 1826, the music of the ''mehter''s fell into disfavor following Sultan Mahmud II's abolition of the Janissary corps, who had formed the core of the bands. Subsequent to this, in the mid and late 19th century, the genre went into decline along with the Ottoman Empire. In 1911, as the empire was beginning to collapse, the director of Istanbul's military museum attempted a somewhat successful revival of the tradition, and by 1953—so as to celebrate the 500-year anniversary of the Fall of Constantinople to the forces of Sultan Mehmed II—the tradition had been fully restored as a band of the Turkish Armed Forces. Today, the music of the ''mehter''s is largely ceremonial and considered by many Turks as a stirring example of heroism and a reminder of Turkey's historical past. Though the majority of the pieces performed by them are newer compositions. Today, ''Mehter Troop'' (''Mehter Bölüğü'') is the traditional band of the Turkish Armed Forces and it performs at the Military Museum (Askeri Müze) in Istanbul as well as during state ceremonies honoring the military. There's also the Ministry of Culture Istanbul Historical Music Ensemble.〔(İstanbul Tarihi Türk Müziği Topluluğu * MEHTER BİRİMİ )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ottoman military band」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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