TURKISH FOLK MUSIC CHOIR HAMBURG THM
BASICS • ACTIVITIES • STYLE
The group THM Korosu specialises in Turkish folk music. It currently consists of about 30 members, including 10 female and 10 male singers and 10 instrumentalists. The age of the participants range from 33 and 65 years. They all love Turkish folk music and want to keep the tradition of their home country alive. The Verein Türkische Volksmusik Chor Hamburg e.V. was founded exactly for this purpose. The group performs at least at one large professionally organised concert a year between 200 to 800 spectators. THM has been in existence for about 20 years.
Basics
The group was founded by the choirmaster Aldun Alay. Before founding the group Aldun Alay worked as a teacher for Saz - the Turkish long neck lute which is the classical instrument of Turkish folk music. The coir consists of 10 instrumentalist which is a high percentage of musicians compared to other choirs. New musicians are always welcome, even if they do not yet have a perfect command of the instrument. Other instruments in use are the Kabak-Kemane (a kind of pumpkin violin), Keman (violin) and various rhythm instruments such as Dabruka, Davul, Zil, Kasik and international percussion instruments.
The focus is on traditional folk music. There exist more than 50,000 Turkish folk songs which is an almost unlimited supply of Turkish folk music. Only a fraction has been written down. For this reason, it is important to THM to pass the knowledge of the folk music and they also try to include songs from great many regions of Turkey very much like Turkish Radio and Television (TRT) which have archived many songs and play them on radio and television. Also, there exists a few books on the history and development of folk music.
The songs tell of love and pain, of emotions and nature. "It's the beauty of the stories that come from life," says choirmaster Aldun Alay, "They tell of things that really happened, things that someone has experienced. The songs convey sadness, joy, emotions." For Aldun Alay, the songs are a piece of home: "The songs tell of nature, of animals, you can visualize it if you close your eyes.”
Upcoming Gigs
Due to the Corona Pandemic, we will keep you posted about upcoming events.
ACTIVITIES
The highlight of the season is the concert they organize, attracting many spectators from Turkey. Intensive rehearsals are held in advance. The choir so far has been mainly Turkish but they also like to welcome international members. "For me, music is a common language, therefore we are open to everyone. Linking cultures, integration and international exchange are the important goals for THM. Accordingly, they consider entering into cooperation with other groups of the Billstedt United Project.
Style
At THM, tradition is cultivated through music. There is no common costume. Only common accessories such as necklaces for the ladies or ties for the gentlemen are purchased before the annual concert. Despite the aim for perfection during the performance, social contact is also very important. Cavide Sanli, group leader, says: "The group is a place where you can feel good in a relaxed atmosphere as if you were part of a big family, have a lot of fun and forget everything else". When THM comes together, they play music and they do chat a lot. The weekly rehearsals are also a nice get-together for everyone. New members are very welcome, they just have to bring along their love of Turkish folk music.
Dates
Thursday | 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Kultur Palast Hamburg, Tanzstudio 3
Contact
Contact via Kultur Palast Hamburg
Tel. 040-822 45 68 0
E-Mail: info@kph-hamburg.de