Üç Hürel (read Turkish version here)
Introduction
Üç Hürel, one of the most unique stories in the history of Turkish rock music, stands out as one of the rare groups where three brothers mastered the instrument, lyrics, and composition simultaneously. The Hürel family, who migrated from the Anatolian lands of Trabzon and Rize to Istanbul, took their place on the music scene with the name Üç Hürel in 1970 and earned the title of the first Turkish rock group to play and sing only their own compositions.
Following their experiences with the Istanbul Dörtlüsü, founded in 1966, and subsequently with Oğuzlar and Biraderler, the group managed to reach the broad masses of the era by winning Turkey's first golden long play award in the early 1970s. Haldun, Onur, and Feridun Hürel, while forming their musical identities, presented innovative instruments such as the "double-saz electric-saz guitar," synthesizing the Western culture's electric guitar with the Eastern culture's saz. With songs like Ağlarsa Anam Ağlar, Keçi Vurdum Çayıra, and Yara, the group dealt with themes of separation, pain, and livelihood with emotional depth, following a unique path in the synthesis of Anatolian Rock and Turkish Music.
Üç Hürel, remembered for their silence lasting until 1996, which was a long break from music and stage in the mid-1970s, shared the same temporal ground with names like Barış Manço, Erkin Koray, and Cem Karaca, but left a separate musical legacy with the courage to produce their own compositions and invent instruments.
Biography
Üç Hürel, who etched its name into music history as the first Turkish rock group to perform their own compositions and lyrics within the boundaries of Anatolian Rock and Turkish Music, is a pioneering music collective founded in Istanbul in 1970. The group's musical journey dates back much further than their adoption of the name "Üç Hürel" in 1970. The members, named Haldun Hürel (1947, Rize), Onur Hürel (1949, Trabzon), and Feridun Hürel (1951, Trabzon), spent their childhoods in these two cities of the Black Sea and continued their musical studies after migrating to Istanbul for work.
Their career journey began with the Istanbul Dörtlüsü group in 1966. Then, the trio participated in the Hürriyet Golden Microphone contest with the Oğuzlar group in 1967 and continued their professional activities under the name Biraderler in 1968. Taking the name "Üç Hürel" officially in 1970 was the most defining turning point of their career. With this name, they won the title of the first Turkish rock group to play and sing only their own compositions and lyrics and demonstrated the success of winning Turkey's first golden long play award.
The group's technical innovation was materialized by the "double-saz electric-saz guitar" produced by Feridun Hürel, combining the Western culture instrument electric guitar with the Eastern culture instrument saz. The albums "Bir Mevsim Daha Geçti / Keçi Vurdum Çayıra" and "Yara / Döner Dünya", published in 1972, contain the group's best-known works. Songs like "Ağlarsa Anam Ağlar", "Bir Mevsim Daha Geçti", "Yara", "Bir Sevmek Bin Defa Ölmek Demekmiş", and "Döner Dünya" reflect emotional depths dealing with themes of separation, livelihood, and life. The group shared the same period with names like Barış Manço, Moğollar, Cem Karaca, Erkin Koray, Selçuk Alagöz, and Haluk Levent and took a break from the stage from the 1975-1976 period until 1996. There is no information about the members' death dates, the group's full discography, and filmography information in current sources, and no contradiction is encountered regarding the group's founding date in the records.
Style
Üç Hürel, who made history as the first Turkish rock group to play and sing their own compositions and lyrics during the rise of Anatolian rock music, has built a unique musical identity. Equipped with innovative solutions such as the "double-saz electric-saz guitar," which synthesizes the electric guitar, a powerful instrument of Western culture, with the traditional saz of Anatolia, the group created one of the most original sounds that marked that era in the world of sound. This instrumental originality positioned their musical personality not only with words but also with a technical invention and left a lasting legacy to the history of Turkish rock music.
Looking at their repertoire, it is seen that the group's emotional world is built on universal and deep themes such as separation, the flow of time, wounds, and the struggle for life. Song titles like "Ağlarsa Anam Ağlar", "Yara", "Bir Mevsim Daha Geçti", and "Bir Sevmek Bin Defa Ölmek Demekmiş" point to the melancholic and introverted nature of their works. The authenticity brought by writing lyrics to their own compositions made their interpretations more sincere; winning Turkey's first golden long play award in 1972 was an indicator that this style and statement were embraced by the masses.
The members' spending their childhoods in Trabzon and Rize, followed by their families migrating to Istanbul for work, allowed a synthesis to form between the musical richness of the Black Sea and Istanbul's rock life in the group's sound. This cultural bridge, while enabling them to be evaluated in the same context as names like Moğollar, Barış Manço, or Erkin Koray within the Anatolian rock movement, also distinguished their own unique journey. Although the group took a long break between 1975-1976, the instrumental and composer legacy they left defines their stylistic direction as a path that combines the sounds of Anatolia with the power of modern rock.
Songs
Üç Hürel, with the feature of being the first Turkish rock group to play and sing only their own compositions and lyrics, witnessed an important period in Anatolian Rock history in the song repertoire it produced. The group proved with the records it released in 1972 that these works represented both musical and commercial success by winning Turkey's first golden long play award.
The titles "Ağlarsa Anam Ağlar", "Keçi Vurdum Çayıra", "Bir Mevsim Daha Geçti", "Yara", "Döner Dünya", and "Bir Sevmek Bin Defa Ölmek Demekmiş", specified as representatives in the sources, summarize the group's lyrical and musical world. Based on the song titles, it is seen that emotional depth, separation, livelihood, and life themes are the group's main subjects. In particular, the records "Bir Mevsim Daha Geçti / Keçi Vurdum Çayıra" and "Yara / Döner Dünya" (1972) are period works where these themes are present in their most explicit form.
Although there is no detailed information about the group's full discography in current sources, the mentioned records reflect the group's innovative attitude of synthesizing Western and Eastern instruments. After the long break given to stage activities between 1975 and 1996, it can be said that these early period songs form the foundation of the group's legacy. The first gold record award records of the group after its founding in Istanbul in 1970 emphasize the musical importance of these songs.
Context
Üç Hürel is a pioneering music collective that occupies an important place in the development process of the Anatolian Rock movement and Turkish rock music. The group, which formalized its activities by taking the name "Üç Hürel" in Istanbul in 1970, is actually the product of a musical journey that began with the "İstanbul Dörtlüsü" founded in 1966 and continued with the names "Oğuzlar" in 1967 and "Biraderler" in 1968. The group, demonstrating the success of winning Turkey's first golden long play award, went down in history in the 1970s as the first Turkish rock group to play and sing only their own compositions and lyrics.
The group also materialized their musical synthesis approach with instrumental innovations such as producing the "double-saz electric-saz guitar," which combines the Western culture instrument electric guitar with the Eastern culture instrument saz. The fact that the members, Haldun, Onur, and Feridun Hürel, spent their childhoods in the Black Sea geography such as Trabzon and Rize and migrated to Istanbul for work created a dynamic that connected the musical richness of Anatolia with the capital culture. Works remaining from this period such as "Ağlarsa Anam Ağlar", "Keçi Vurdum Çayıra", "Bir Mevsim Daha Geçti", "Yara", and "Bir Sevmek Bin Defa Ölmek Demekmiş" reflect the separation, livelihood, and life themes dealt with by the group.
The group took its place among the prominent works of the period with the albums "Bir Mevsim Daha Geçti / Keçi Vurdum Çayıra" and "Yara / Döner Dünya" published in 1972; by including themselves in the same musical movement with names like Barış Manço, Moğollar, Cem Karaca, Erkin Koray, Selçuk Alagöz, and Haluk Levent, they positioned themselves on the Anatolian Rock stage. Although it is known that they took a break from the stage from 1975-1976 until 1996, details such as the death dates of the members, the group's full discography, and filmography information are not clearly present in current sources. Despite this, the innovative legacy they left and the firsts they won in the evolution process of Turkey's rock music maintain the value Üç Hürel deserves in our music history.
Musical Legacy and Sphere of Influence
Üç Hürel has solidified its place in history as an important transitional group distinguished by its unique identity and innovative attitude within the development course of Turkish rock music. The collective that set out with this name in 1970, possessing the feature of being the first Turkish rock group to perform only their own compositions and lyrics, represented an understanding of originality that went beyond the conventions of that era. This approach was one of the fundamental factors that made the group one of the most respected collectives of the Anatolian Rock movement, alongside names like Barış Manço, Cem Karaca, and Moğollar.
The instruments used in the group symbolize not only sound production but also an inter-cultural synthesis. The "double-saz electric-saz guitar" developed by Feridun Hürel, which combines the traditional saz of the East with the electric guitar of the West, is a concrete proof of the group's technical and aesthetic innovation. The fact that the members, who spent their childhoods in Eastern Anatolian provinces such as Trabzon and Rize, formed this unique sound after migrating to Istanbul for their families' work is a reflection of the bridge they built between the musical richness of Anatolia and the modern music life of the capital.
The albums "Bir Mevsim Daha Geçti / Keçi Vurdum Çayıra" and "Yara / Döner Dünya" published by the group in 1972 certified their mass success by winning Turkey's first golden long play award in those years. Representative songs like "Ağlarsa Anam Ağlar" or "Bir Sevmek Bin Defa Ölmek Demekmiş" maintain their vitality in the viewer's memory with the emotional depth dealing with separation and life themes. A long stage gap lasting from 1975-1976 to 1996 has left a mystery about the group in later periods and added a legendary dimension to their story.
The fact that some biographical details such as the members' death dates and full discographies are not clarified in the sources opens the door to speculation about the group's legacy. However, the limited information brought by the records has not erased the innovative marks Üç Hürel left on the history of Turkish rock music. This pioneering collective, which prioritized their own compositions and engaged in experimental searches in instruments, continues to be mentioned among the critical steps taken during the rise of Anatolian Rock.
Frequently Asked Questions
What unique title does Üç Hürel hold in the history of Turkish rock music? The group etched its name into music history as the first Turkish rock group to play and sing only their own compositions and lyrics. In addition, by winning Turkey's first golden long play award, they became a sign of this style being embraced by the masses.
Who are the group members and when was the group's name formalized? The group, consisting of three brothers named Haldun (1947, Rize), Onur (1949, Trabzon), and Feridun Hürel (1951, Trabzon), started their career with Istanbul Dörtlüsü in 1966, but took their place on the music scene by officially adopting the name "Üç Hürel" in 1970.
What is the most innovative instrument they used in their musical synthesis? The "double-saz electric-saz guitar," which combines the electric guitar of Western culture with the saz of Eastern culture, is the fundamental tool materializing the group's technical and aesthetic innovation. This instrument was produced by Feridun Hürel.
What is known about the records and awards they released in 1972? The group published the albums "Bir Mevsim Daha Geçti / Keçi Vurdum Çayıra" and "Yara / Döner Dünya" in 1972 and won Turkey's first golden long play award with these records.
When did the long break in the group's stage activities occur? The group took a long break from the stage and music from the 1975-1976 period until 1996.
Which biographical details about Üç Hürel are missing or unclear in current sources? There is no information about the death dates of the members, the group's full discography, and filmography information in current sources. This information is not clearly present in the sources and opens the door to speculative discussions about the group's legacy.