Burçak Tarlası (literally "

Vetch ''Vicia'' is a genus of over 240 species of flowering plants that are part of the legume family (Fabaceae), and which are commonly known as vetches. Member species are native to Europe, North America, South America, Asia and Africa. Some other ...

Field") is the arranged form of a Turkish folkloric tune (

türkü Turkish folk music (''Türk Halk Müziği'') is the traditional music of Turkish people living in Turkey influenced by the cultures of Anatolia and former territories in Europe and Asia. Its unique structure includes regional differences under ...

) and it is one of the pioneers in Turkish pop music. There are similar folkloric dance tunes known as "Ka mi ispadnala moma Katerina" in

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...

, and "Στην Αγιά Μαρκέλλα" in

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

. However, "Burçak Tarlası" is based on a tragic real-life story.

Original form

The original form of the türkü was popular in

Central Anatolia The Central Anatolia Region ( tr, İç Anadolu Bölgesi) is a geographical region of Turkey. The largest city in the region is Ankara. Other big cities are Konya, Kayseri, Eskişehir, Sivas, and Aksaray. Located in Central Turkey, it is bordered ...

. It was probably composed by a folk poet known as Kör Şakir (Şakir the Blind) in 1931. According to unconfirmed stories, the lyrics refer to Meryem Sayar a newly wed woman who complains from her mother in law. Her mother in law who was the wife of a late muhtar of Zengen village (

Konya Province Konya Province ( tr, ), in southwest Central Anatolia, is the largest province of Turkey. The Province, provincial Capital (political), capital is the city of Konya. Its traffic code is 42. The Kızılören solar power plant in Konya will be ...

) wakes her up very early in the mornings and forces her to work hard in the vetch fields. In one couplet she complaints: :''Aman da kızlar ne zor imiş burçak yolması'' :''Burçak tarlasında yar yar gelin olması''. : Oh Girls how hard it is to tear up vetch, :(And) to be a bride in a vetch field.

Arranged form

In 1964, this song was arranged to be played in modern instruments.

Tülay German Tülay German (born 1935, also known as Toulaï in France) is a Turkish female singer, currently living in France. She is known for her modern interpretations of Turkish folk music. Early years Tülay German was born in Istanbul in 1935; she wa ...

, hitherto a jass singer accompanied by the Donuk Onatkut orchestra played the melody. The result was a big success. Burçak Tarlası was not only a hit. According to one view by this melody, the first seeds of

Anatolian rock Anatolian rock ( tr, Anadolu rock), or known as Turkish psychedelic rock, is a fusion of Turkish folk music and rock. It emerged during the mid-1960s, soon after rock groups became popular in Turkey. Most known members of this genre includes Turk ...

had been disseminated.

Record

Tülay German released "Burçak Tarlası" as a 45 rpm (on Ezgi Records).Discog page
/ref> The reverse side of the record she sang another arranged türkü: "Mecnunum Leylamı Gördüm".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burcak Tarlasi (song) Turkish folk songs 1964 singles 1931 songs

Original form

Arranged form

Record

See also

References