Amalimiz Efkarimiz – Anthem of the Homeland – Rifat Bey

Amalimiz Efkarimiz - Anthem of the Homeland - Rifat Bey For Violin and Piano Arranged by: Cihat Askin Rifat Bey (1820-1888) AMALIMIZ EFKARIMIZ Anthem of the Homeland One of the 4 marches included in the Miniatures album, this march is one of the most beautiful works that has moved me melodically. During the years when I was doing my military service as a second lieutenant in the Gendarmerie band, I heard this work on an old record, and one night I immediately transcribed and arranged it. In doing so, my aim was to ensure that the works written in that period would not be forgotten and would come back to the fore. The work is also known as the "Anthem of the Homeland," and its lyrics belong to Namik Kemal. Amalimiz efkarimiz ikbal-i vatandir Serhadimize kal'a bizim hak-i bedendir Osmanlilariz ziynetimiz kanli kefendir Gavgada sehadetle butun kam aliriz biz Osmanlilariz can verir nam aliriz biz Namik Kemal, also known as the poet of the homeland, lived between 1840 and 1888, became one of the intellectual fathers of Turkish nationalism, and was the leader of the group known as the Young Ottomans. This movement, which emerged around 1865, was made up of thinkers and statesmen who created the first Ottoman constitution. Influenced by the French Revolution, this first constitution, the product of a democratic and reformist group, undoubtedly holds an important place in our political life. During this period, Namik Kemal came to the fore as a writer and journalist who defended the idea of freedom and influenced the artists who came after him. Also known as the poet of the homeland, Namik Kemal wrote the first novel and the first play in Turkish literature. Among the generation he influenced was Ataturk; Namik Kemal was one of the artists who embraced social thought in the works he wrote. As in his works containing nationalist ideas, in this work too, his poem immortalized with the lines "our aspiration, our thought is the open fortune of the homeland" was composed by the composer Rifat Bey. Rifat Bey was born in 1820 into a musical family. His father was Tanburi Keci Arif Aga, and his grandfather was Hamamizade Ismail Dede Efendi. Trained through the music lessons he began at the Enderun, Rifat Bey rose to the position of chief muezzin at the palace. Also responsible for the Turkish music section at the Muzika-i Humayun, Rifat Bey rose to the rank of Miralay (Colonel) at the palace. Holding an important place among the composers of the song form of classical Turkish music, Rifat Bey, apart from classical songs, also composed national tunes that became very famous in the late Ottoman period and were embraced by the majority of the public. Among these are works such as the Sivastopol March and the Regiment March. Because he served at the Muzika-i Humayun, his works were also frequently performed by the band. There are also works of his that were arranged for many voices by Guatelli. A Mevlevi himself, Rifat Bey also composed Mevlevi ceremonies. Cihat ASKIN