Neşet Ertaş (read Turkish version here | listen to music samples)
Introduction
Neşet Ertaş, known by the nickname "The Plectrum of the Steppe" engraved into the lands of Anatolia, is one of the deepest and most authentic voices of Turkish Folk Music. This musical heritage, rooted in the districts of Çiçekdağı and Akpınar in Kırşehir, is not just the story of a bağlama master, but of an ozan (poet) who composed his own poems and turned them into folk songs under the pseudonym "Garip". He publicized the Abdal music tradition inherited from his father and master, Muharrem Ertaş, on a national scale through TRT Ankara Radio's "Voices from the Homeland" program in the 1950s and engraved it into Turkey's musical memory.
His first record titled "Neden Garip Garip Ötersin Bülbül", released in 1957, is recorded as one of the milestones of his career. Ertaş, a musician who never attended school and taught himself how to read and write, portrayed a versatile artist profile with his proficiency not only in the bağlama but also in instruments such as the violin, cümbüş, and kemence. The music of the artist, who deals with themes of existence, longing, and internal reckoning with works like "Yalan Dünya", "Kendim Ettim Kendim Buldum", and "Gönül Dağı", was interpreted by many artists of the period and reached a wide audience from the 1970s onwards.
Ertaş, who advocated the philosophy of "folk concerts" throughout his life, celebrated his return to Turkey and returned to his stage life with a concert at the Istanbul Harbiye Open Air Theatre after approximately 20 years spent in Germany between 1979 and 2000. His refusal of the State Artist title by saying "We are all artists of this state" is the strongest reflection of the artist's stance. The fact that he was included in UNESCO's "Living Human Treasures" inventory in 2009 or 2010 and the Honorary Doctorate degree given by the ITU State Conservatory is the confirmation that his music has universal value. Neşet Ertaş's trail has reached infinity not only in music history but also in the soul and memory of the Anatolian people.
Biography
Born in Kırşehir in 1938, Neşet Ertaş has gone down in history as one of the most important representatives of Turkish Folk Music and the living heir of the Abdal music tradition. Although sources show differences regarding whether he was born in one of the villages of Kırtıllar, Kelismailuşağı, or İbikli attached to the districts of Çiçekdağı or Akpınar, he took the first foundations of music from his father Muharrem Ertaş. Ertaş, who never attended school and taught himself how to read and write, gained stage experience by performing köçek dance and playing the zil and darbuka during his childhood. Ertaş, a versatile saz artist who could also play instruments such as the violin, cümbüş, and kemence in addition to the bağlama, started to perform his own compositions under the pseudonym "Garip".
The artist began to be known on a national scale through TRT Ankara Radio's "Voices from the Homeland" program in the 1950s and released his first record titled "Neden Garip Garip Ötersin Bülbül" in 1957 in Istanbul with the Şençalar Plak label. Ertaş, who did his military service in Narlıdere, İzmir in 1962, opened a new page in his career from the 1960s onwards by turning his poems into folk songs. His works were interpreted by many artists of the period from the 1970s onwards and reached a wide audience. However, due to health problems caused by smoking and alcohol use while on stage, he suffered a stroke and stayed away from his profession for a while, although there are discrepancies in the sources regarding the exact date, in 1976 or 1978.
Ertaş, who went to Germany with the support of his brother in 1979, lived there for about 20 years after the treatment process and continued his work in Germany until 2000. The turning point of his return to Turkey was the concert he gave at the Istanbul Harbiye Open Air Theatre in 2000. With this concert, he returned to his stage life and performed "folk concerts" throughout Turkey until 2012. The artist, who maintained his distance with the "anonymous stories" in the gazino and pavyon culture, accepted the Honorary Doctorate title given to him by the ITU State Conservatory in 2011, but refused the T.C. State Artist title with the reason "We are all artists of this state".
Ertaş expanded his discography with published albums such as "Gitme Leylam", "Türküler Yolcu", "Hapishanelere Güneş Doğmuyor", "Gönül Dağı", and "Nostalji 1", appeared in documentaries filmed about him in 2005 and 2010, and contributed as a guest actor to the film "Cenneti Beklerken" in 2006. He was also the subject of the film "Garip Bülbül Neşet Ertaş", which was stopped in 2022 on the grounds that he did not have the permission of his family. Included in the "Living Human Treasures" list by UNESCO in 2009 or 2010, winning the TBMM Outstanding Service Award, the artist became the owner of the first "robot statue" in Turkey. Ertaş, who is remembered by the nickname "The Plectrum of the Steppe" given to him by Yaşar Kemal, passed away on September 25, 2012, at the age of 74 due to prostate cancer in İzmir. Although there are source differences in some details such as his birth date and exact number of children, he remains one of the most important names of Turkish music with the works and legacy he left behind.
Artistic Tone and Musical Identity
Neşet Ertaş has a unique style that brings together the Bozlak and Abdal Music traditions, as one of the deepest and purest voices of Turkish Folk Music. This tone, coming from the village culture of Kırşehir, took on the role of speaking for music not just as a musician, but also as a folk poet. Composing and performing his own poems with the pseudonym "Garip" added a deep personal and lyrical dimension to his repertoire. Works in his repertoire such as "Yalan Dünya", "Hapishanelere Güneş Doğmuyor", and "Kendim Ettim Kendim Buldum" present a wide emotional spectrum by dealing with themes of the world, prison, longing, and internal reckoning.
His approach to music is quite versatile; the artist, who could skillfully perform instruments such as the violin, cümbüş, and kemence as well as the bağlama, represented the instrumental richness of Anatolia with his sounds. In his stage stance, he remained closely tied to the concept of "folk concerts", opposing the anonymous stories of gazinos and pavyons and taking music to a purer ground. His refusal of the State Artist title by saying "We are all artists of this state" is also the clearest reflection of this stance. The artist, who was heard on a national scale with the TRT Ankara Radio "Voices from the Homeland" program in the 1950s, confirmed his place in Turkey's musical memory with his return concert at the Istanbul Harbiye Open Air Theatre in 2000. This consistent stance and artistic depth made him worthy of being described as a "Living Human Treasure" by UNESCO, highlighting his music not just as a genre but as a cultural heritage.
Works and Recordings
Although Neşet Ertaş's first major break in his music career happened with him being heard on a national scale on TRT Ankara Radio's "Voices from the Homeland" program in the 1950s, his first official step in the record world was taken in 1957. "Neden Garip Garip Ötersin Bülbül", released with the Şençalar Plak label, took its place in his discography as the artist's first record, and this name has also been engraved in the memory as one of the artist's most known works. The album "Gitme Leylam" released in 1960 is recorded as the follow-up work to this beginning. From the 1960s onwards, although Ertaş started to compose his own poems and turn them into folk songs, these works he signed with the pseudonym "Garip" were gradually recognized by the public.
Among the songs that have been sung and frequently interpreted in the artist's repertoire for many years, works such as "Gönül Dağı", "Kendim Ettim Kendim Buldum", "Yalan Dünya", "Zahidem", and "Dane Dane Benleri Var" stand out. These titles are concrete examples that reflect the themes of world, prison, longing, and internal reckoning that are at the center of Ertaş's musical identity. Especially names like "Hapishanelere Güneş Doğmuyor" (1989) and "Yalan Dünya" carry the traces of the artist's critical and internal stance regarding the lyrics he carried.
Album works released between 1979 and 1999 make it possible to follow the artist's different periods with musical documents. After the "Türküler Yolcu" work dated 1979/1992, the albums "Gönül Ne Gezersin Seyran Yerinde" (1988), "Kendim Ettim Kendim Buldum" (1988), and "Hapishanelere Güneş Doğmuyor" (1989) met with the audience at the end of the 1980s. Coming to the 1990s, the discography was expanded with the albums "Gel Gayri Gel" (1990), "Altın Ezgiler 3" (1995), and "Seher Vakti" (1995); while the "Nostalji 1" (1997) work symbolizes a musical journey to the past, the album "Gönül Dağı" published in 1999 brings the artist's voice recording of that period to the present day. Although his works were interpreted by many artists of the period from the 1970s onwards, this list constitutes the basis of the original recordings carrying Ertaş's own signature.
Context
As one of the most famous names of the tradition of Turkish folk music, bozlak and Abdal music, Neşet Ertaş started his music career with köçek dance and playing instruments in his childhood and became a saz artist under the influence of his father and master Muharrem Ertaş. Engraved in the memory of music with the nickname "The Plectrum of the Steppe" given to him by Yaşar Kemal, Ertaş became a source of inspiration for many artists of the period from the 1960s onwards by turning the poems he wrote himself into folk songs under the pseudonym "Garip". The artist's career gained momentum with him being heard on a national scale through TRT Ankara Radio's "Voices from the Homeland" program in the 1950s; he started his musical journey with the release of his first record "Neden Garip Garip Ötersin Bülbül" in 1957.
Ertaş's life and career were interrupted after he suffered a stroke due to stage conditions in the mid-1970s, and he was forced to live in Germany for about 20 years during this process. The artist, who went abroad in 1979 with treatment and the support of his brother, returned to Turkey with the concert he gave at the Istanbul Harbiye Open Air Theatre in 2000 and returned to his stage life. While this return is considered an important turning point in the history of Turkish music, the artist's inclusion in the UNESCO "Living Human Treasures" inventory and the Honorary Doctorate title given by the ITU State Conservatory in 2010 confirmed his role in the preservation of cultural heritage.
When examining his historical position and biographical details, it is noteworthy that sources show differences. There are source contradictions regarding issues such as which of the villages Kırtıllar, Kelismailuşağı, or İbikli was his birthplace, whether the year he suffered a stroke was 1976 or 1978, and whether the UNESCO award was received in 2009 or 2010. Also, his refusal of the State Artist title with the reason "We are all artists of this state" and events such as a film project stopped in 2022 on the grounds that he did not have the permission of his family show that a process where the artist's legacy was both celebrated and protected has been experienced. Recognized as a versatile musician who can play bağlama, violin, cümbüş, and kemence, Ertaş demonstrated an alternative stance to the gazino and pavyon culture by defining his concerts in Turkey as "folk concerts".
Legacy
Neşet Ertaş's place in the music world was shaped not only by the folk songs he performed but also by the life philosophy he carried and his loyalty to the folk music tradition. The nickname "The Plectrum of the Steppe" given by Yaşar Kemal has maintained its place in the historical scene as one of the most permanent designations symbolizing the artist's bond with geography and people. Ertaş, who started to be heard on a national scale with TRT Ankara Radio's "Voices from the Homeland" program in the 1950s, laid the foundations of his discographic legacy with the first record he released in 1957; and continued the tradition of turning folk songs by composing his own poems from the 1960s onwards.
The concert the artist gave at the Istanbul Harbiye Open Air Theatre in 2000 is considered a symbolic turning point of his return to the stage life in Turkey. After this period, being included in the "Living Human Treasures" inventory by UNESCO in 2009 or 2010 is among the most concrete proofs of his international recognition. However, Ertaş's legacy is also remembered by the way he related to these awards rather than the awards he received. His refusal of the T.C. State Artist title with the reason "We are all artists of this state" has become a symbol of the independent artist's stance. The Honorary Doctorate title given by the ITU State Conservatory in 2011 and being the owner of the first "robot statue" made during his life show that he found a unique place at the intersection of the traditional and the contemporary.
Although his works were interpreted by many artists of the period from the 1970s onwards, Ertaş defined his stage performances as "folk concerts" and stood against the anonymous stories of commercial venues. His musical personality is described as a versatile musician who was active in Turkish Folk Music, Bozlak, and Abdal Music genres and could use instruments such as bağlama, violin, cümbüş, and kemence. Works such as "Kendim Ettim Kendim Buldum", "Yalan Dünya", and "Gönül Dağı" maintain their place in music literature as lasting texts dealing with themes of the world, longing, and internal reckoning.
Although there are contradictions in the sources regarding certain periods of his career (such as suffering paralysis from his fingers between 1976 or 1978) and the early stages of his life (such as the village of his birthplace), the impression left by the artist is clear. Documentaries filmed about him after his death and biographical film projects stopped in 2022 on the grounds that he did not have the permission of his family are other important elements showing the impact of his life and works on popular culture. Neşet Ertaş, although described as "the man of the people" when he gave concerts in Turkey, is one of the rare names who engraved in the memory by taking his art beyond institutions by refusing official titles such as "State Artist" despite all his achievements.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the agreed view in the sources regarding Neşet Ertaş's birthplace and year? He was born in Kırşehir in 1938. However, there are differences in the sources regarding which of the villages Kırtıllar, Kelismailuşağı, or İbikli was his birth village.
When and with what name was his first record published? He released his first record titled "Neden Garip Garip Ötersin Bülbül" with the Şençalar Plak label in 1957. This year is recorded as one of the milestones of his career.
When did he suffer a stroke due to stage conditions and when was the Germany process experienced? Although there is a discrepancy in the sources regarding the exact date, he suffered a stroke due to health problems in 1976 or 1978 and went to Germany in 1979. After living there for approximately 20 years, he returned to Turkey with the concert he gave at the Istanbul Harbiye Open Air Theatre in 2000.
Why did he refuse the T.C. State Artist title and which international award was he granted? He refused the T.C. State Artist title with the reason "We are all artists of this state". He was included in the "Living Human Treasures" inventory by UNESCO in 2009 or 2010.
Which instruments could he play and which themes did he deal with in his works? Along with the bağlama, he outlined a versatile artist profile with his proficiency in instruments such as the violin, cümbüş, and kemence. In works such as "Yalan Dünya", "Kendim Ettim Kendim Buldum", he dealt with themes of existence, longing, and internal reckoning.
When and how did Neşet Ertaş pass away? He passed away on September 25, 2012, in İzmir at the age of 74 due to prostate cancer. Although there are source differences in some details such as his birth date and exact number of children, he remains one of the most important names of Turkish music with the works he left behind.