Yorgo Bacanos ( el, Γιώργος Μπατζανός, ; 21 September 1900 - 24 February 1977) was a master

oud , image=File:oud2.jpg , image_capt=Syrian oud made by Abdo Nahat in 1921 , background= , classification= * String instruments *Necked bowl lutes , hornbostel_sachs=321.321-6 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded with a plectrum , ...

player and improvisational composer of

Ottoman classical music Ottoman music ( tr, Osmanlı müziği) or Turkish classical music ( tr, Türk sanat müziği) is the tradition of classical music originating in the Ottoman Empire. Developed in the palace, major Ottoman cities, and Sufi lodges, it traditional ...

. His father Haralambos (known as in Turkish) was of Greek

Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnicities * Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia ** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule * Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...

descent, and a legendary

lavta The lavta is a plucked string music instrument from Istanbul. Description The Lavta has a small body made of many ribs made using carvel bending technique. Its appearance is somewhat like a small (Turkish) oud - the strings are made from gut ...

and

improviser. His brother Aleko Bacanos, his uncle Anastasios Leontaridis, his cousins Paraschos and Lambros Leontaridis and his grandfather Leondi Efendi were well-known kemençe players, and his grandfather Ligori Efendi played the kanun. His father was largely responsible for introducing the young Yorgo to music, presenting him with his first oud at the age of five. Yorgo attended the prestigious Lycée Saint Benoît in Istanbul, but soon left to concentrate on music full-time. He had made his first public appearance in the Eftalofos Club in Taksim at the age of twelve.Rona, Mustafa. ''Yirminci Yüzyıl Türk Musikisi Bestekarları Ve Besteleri Güfteleri İle.'' Türkiye Yayınevi. Istanbul, 1970. p 475 After his debut, he travelled to Cyprus and Egypt to perform, and upon his return to Turkey his fame grew quickly.Rona, Mustafa. ''Yirminci Yüzyıl Türk Musikisi Bestekarları Ve Besteleri Güfteleri İle.'' Türkiye Yayınevi. Istanbul, 1970. p 475 He started performing on Turkish Radio in 1927, and went on continued to perform there for 51 years, until his death. In 1928, he visited Berlin with his brother , and Kanuni Ahmet Yatman and performed in records of Hafiz Kemal and Hafiz

Sadettin Kaynak Sadettin Kaynak (1895 – 3 February 1961) was a prominent composer of Turkish classical music. Biography Born in Istanbul, he became a hafiz at a young age. He lost his father early in his youth. He completed his music education at the Ista ...

; in the next year, he performed in Paris, with the violinist , and Deniz Kızı Eftalya; he further went on to Cairo with the same band. He played with the other masters of his era, including

Münir Nurettin Selçuk Münir Nurettin Selçuk (1900 or 1901 – April 27, 1981) was a Turkish classical musician and tenor singer. Biography He was born in the Sarıyer district of Istanbul in the Ottoman Empire in 1900 or 1901. His uncle was Grand Vizier of ...

and

Zeki Müren Zeki Müren (; 6 December 1931 – 24 September 1996) was a Turkish singer, composer, songwriter, actor and poet. Known by the nicknames "The Sun of Art" and "Pasha", he was one of the prominent figures of the Ottoman classical music, Turkish cla ...

in Turkey, and

Umm Kulthum Umm Kulthum ( ar, أم كلثوم, , also spelled ''Oum Kalthoum'' in English; born Fatima Ibrahim es-Sayyid el-Beltagi, ar, فاطمة إبراهيم السيد البلتاجي, Fāṭima ʾIbrāhīm es-Sayyid el-Beltāǧī, link=no; 31 Dece ...

and

Munir Bashir Munir Bashir, ( ar, منير بشير, syr, ܡܘܢܝܪ ܒܫܝܪ) (1930 – September 28, 1997) was an Iraqi Assyrian musician and one of the most famous musicians in the Middle East during the 20th century and was considered to be the supreme m ...

in the Arab world. Yorgo Bacanos also gave concerts in many European countries, and became one of the finest and most renowned oud players of his time (alongside

Udi Hrant Kenkulian Udi Hrant Kenkulian ( hy, Հրանդ Քենքուլեան; tr, Hrant Kenkülyan; 1901 – August 29, 1978), often referred to as Udi Hrant (lit. "oud-player Hrant") or as Hrant Emre ("Hrant of the soul") was an oud player of Turkish classica ...

). His technique and musicality proved influential, and his distinctive variations are still being performed at present.Istanbul 1. International Yorgo Bacanos Oud Festival 25-31 October 2010
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References

External links

Musicians from the Ottoman Empire Turkish people of Greek descent 1900 births 1977 deaths Turkish oud players People from Silivri {{Turkey-musician-stub