"Kâtibim" ("my clerk"), or "Üsküdar'a Gider İken" ("while going to Üsküdar") is a Turkish folk song about someone's clerk ('' kâtip'') as they travel to

Üsküdar Üsküdar () is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 35 km2, and its population is 524,452 (2022). It is a large and densely populated district on the Anatolian (Asian) shore of the Bosphorus. It is border ...

. The tune is an Istanbul türkü, which is spread beyond

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

in many countries, especially in the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

Lyrics and score

Recordings

Recordings by Naftule Brandwein

The melody was imported to North America in the 1920s. The renowned

klezmer Klezmer ( or ) is an instrumental musical tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Central and Eastern Europe. The essential elements of the tradition include dance tunes, ritual melodies, and virtuosic improvisations played for listening; these wou ...

clarinetist and self-proclaimed “King of Jewish music” Naftule Brandwein recorded a purely instrumental version with the title “Der Terk in America” in 1924. Brandwein was born in Peremyshliany (Polish Galicia, now

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

) and emigrated to the USA in 1909 where he had a very successful career in the early 1920s.

Recordings by Safiye Ayla and similar versions

A notable recording is that by Safiye Ayla from 1949., in:
Everybody’s Song – Music as a tool for the promotion of diversity and intercultural understanding
', Cyprus Neuroscience and Technology Institute, Nicosia, 2006-2008 (Project), Reinhard Eckert (Contact), archived fro
original
on December 10, 2015. During the time of recording, Ayla was also a member of the assembly at the

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

City Conservatory.Dorit Klebe (2004): The survival of an Ottoman-Turkish urban love song since an early documentary from 1902. Metamorphoses of a makam. Found in: Marianne Bröcker: The 20th century in the mirror of his songs. Writings of the Bamberg University Library, Volume 12, p85-116. Classical composer Saygun included 'Variations on the Old Istanbul Folk Song Katibim (Varyasyonlar)' as the last part of his choral Op.22 ''Bir Tutam Kekik'' of 1943. Similar compositions of Ayla's "Kâtibim" have followed it, including: * With lyrics, and incorporating an English adaptation by Stella Lee, in 1953 the song was recorded in the USA as " Uska Dara - A Turkish Tale / Two Lovers" by Eydie Gormé and

Eartha Kitt Eartha Mae Kitt (née Keith; January 17, 1927 – December 25, 2008) was an American singer and actress. She was known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 recordings of "C'est si bon" and the Christmas novelty song "Santa Baby" ...

. The interpretation of the internationally known vocal star Eartha Kitt, accompanied by an instrumental set, could be based on that of Safiye Ayla. * Other modern composers such as Ali Darmar have also arranged the tune. * A very early publication for the Central European region took place from around 1960 by the second volume of the series of the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

Commission ''European Songs in the Origins'', whose song notation for "Üsküdara gideriken" goes back to a written source from 1952. It shows striking similarities with the version sung by Ayla.

Movie adaptations

Alongside Ayla, Zeki Müren's recording of Kâtibim was also very popular. Müren appeared as an actor in the 1968 film "Kâtip (Üsküdar'a Giderken)" directed by Sadık Şendil , in which his recording played an important role and which became very popular in

and the Turkish diaspora.

Adaptations from around the world

Many versions of the song can be found in countries neighboring Turkey and beyond, usually with entirely different lyrics. A documentary film entitled ''Whose is this song?'' and an international youth project called ''Everybody's Song'' documented many of these versions.

Europe

Albania Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...

: The tune in Albanian is titled ''"Mu në bashtën tënde"'', which has some variations by different artists. In 1993, the song was said to be a part of the repertoire in Albania, for example, of the Roma musicians who tried to revive it in the traditional Turkish way., in:
Everybody’s Song – Music as a tool for the promotion of diversity and intercultural understanding
', Cyprus Neuroscience and Technology Institute, Nicosia, 2006-2008 (Project), Reinhard Eckert (Contact), archived fro
original
on December 10, 2015. *

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

: The Bosnian adaptations of the song include a traditional Sevdalinka known as ''"Pogledaj me Anadolko budi moja ti"'', meaning ''"Oh Anatolian girl, be mine"'' and a

Qasida The qaṣīda (also spelled ''qaṣīdah''; plural ''qaṣā’id'') is an ancient Arabic word and form of poetry, often translated as ode. The qasida originated in pre-Islamic Arabic poetry and passed into non-Arabic cultures after the Arab Mus ...

called ''"Zašto suza u mom oku"'', meaning ''"Why are my eyes weeping?"''. *

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

: The melody comes in the form of a Bulgarian love song ''"Černi oči imaš libe"'' (Bulgarian: ''"Черни очи имаш либе"'') and as a hymn of resistance to the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

in the Strandzha Mountains (''"Ясен месец веч изгрява : "Jasen mesec več izgrjava"''). *

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

: In Greece, the song is known under different names, including: ''"Μikró trehantüráki"'' (''"Little trehantiri"''), ''"Gühasa mantűli"'' (''"I lost a handkerchief"''), ''"Stou Pápa tο bougázi"'' (''"In the Pope's strait"''), ''"Anámesa Čirígo"'' (''"Between

Kythira Kythira ( ; ), also transliterated as Cythera, Kythera and Kithira, is an island in Greece lying opposite the south-eastern tip of the Peloponnese peninsula. It is traditionally listed as one of the seven main Ionian Islands, although it is dist ...

"''), ''"Apó Céno tópo"'' (''"From a foreign place"''), ''"Apó tün Aćűna us ton Peiraiá"'' (''"From Athens to Pireas"''), ''"Ο Vaggélüs"'' (''"Vangelis"''), and ''"Εσκουτάρι"'' (''"Eskoutari"''). One of the best known Greek interpreters of the song is Glykeria. *

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

: Tamás Daróci Bárdos adapted the song with the title "''Üszküdárá''" *

North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

: A performance of the Macedonian version of the song (''"Ој Dеvојčе, Devojče"'') comes from the musician Toše Proeski (Тоше Проески), who was described by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

as "Elvis Presley of the Balkans", and who also worked as a

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

ambassador. A less known version of the song but one that more closely follows the original melody is Oj ti Paco Drenovčanke (Ој ти Пацо Дреновчанке). *

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

: There is also a Romanian version of the song called "De ai ști, suflețelul meu" translated as "If you knew, my soul" collected and published by Anton Pann in the 1850s. *

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

(Formerly

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

): Kâtibim in the Serbian version is called ''"Ruse kose curo imaš"'' (Serbian:''"Ај, русе косе цуро имаш"'') meaning ''"Blonde hair you have, girl"'', traditionally sung in southeastern Serbian dialect. During the 1950s, the song has also been featured in the popular Yugoslav film ''"Ciganka"'' (Serbian: ''"Циганка"'') meaning ''"Gypsy"''. There is another version in Serbian titled ''"Полетела два бијела голуба"'' meaning ''"Two white doves are flying"'' (recording from 1910)

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

* A multilingual version called ''"Fel Shara"'' exists, with lyrics in Arabic, French, Italian, Spanish and English. It was popularized by Gloria Levy, where it appeared as a track on her album ''"Sephardic Folk Songs"''. * A traditional

folk song Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

in the

Arab world The Arab world ( '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, comprises a large group of countries, mainly located in West Asia and North Africa. While the majority of people in ...

with the same melody is known as "''Ya Banat Iskandaria''" (Arabic: "يا بنات اسكندريّة") meaning "Oh Girls of Alexandria". The song was later recorded by Lebanese Mohammed El-Bakkar around 1957 in his album named "''Port Said''". * Another Arabic version of the Levantine folklore, mostly sung as part of the Aleppine genre, is "''Ghazali Ghazali''" (Arabic:"غزالي غزالي") meaning "My Gazelle". * The melody is shared by "''Talama Ashku Gharami''" (Arabic: "طالما أشكو غرامي"), a traditional Arabic poem or

for

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

and is similar to the Hebrew

piyut A piyyuṭ (plural piyyuṭim, ; from ) is a Jewish liturgical poem, usually designated to be sung, chanted, or recited during Jewish services, religious services. Most piyyuṭim are in Mishnaic Hebrew or Jewish Palestinian Aramaic, and mo ...

Yigdal. It is considered highly devotional to Muhammad. *There is also another Arabic adaptation by Al Mulla Othman Al Mosuli named Ya Athouli la taloumni (يا عذولي لا تلمني).

Central and Southern
Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

: Another version of the melody is known from Afghanistan , which was sung by Uzbek singer Taaj Mohammad. *

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

: The Bengali adaptations of this tune known as "'' Tri-vuboner priyo Muhammad''" (Bengali: "ত্রিভুবনের প্রিয় মোহাম্মদ") and "''Shukno patar nupur paye''" (Bengali: "শুকনো পাতার নূপুর পায়ে") in 1935s were composed by the

national poet A national poet or national bard is a poet held by tradition and popular acclaim to represent the identity, beliefs and principles of a particular national culture. The national poet as culture hero is a long-standing symbol, to be distinguished ...

Kazi Nazrul Islam Kazi Nazrul Islam (24 May 1899 – 29 August 1976) was a Bengalis, Bengali poet, short story writer, journalist, lyricist and musician. He is the national poet of Bangladesh. Nazrul produced a List of works by Kazi Nazrul Islam, large body of ...

. It is thought that he learned the melody while he was fighting in the Middle East during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. As implied by its name, "''Tri-vuboner priyo Muhammad''" is also an Islamic Song about

. * In the song "শুকনো পাতার নূপুর পায়ে", the poet Nazrul took the melody from the "Katibim" song and incorporated an inspirational theme of celebrating spontaneity which the young have and the old lack. * In the song he appreciates how a young girl moves like a whirlwind and smiles like the shimmering ripples of water. *

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

: A Turkish-

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

mash-up version titled "''Ishq Kinara - Üsküdar'a Gider Iken''" was performed on the

i television program '' Coke Studio'' by Sumru Ağıryürüyen and Zoe Vicajji in 2013. *

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

: In the 1956 Indian film Taj, there is a

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

-language song titled "''Jhoom Jhoom Kar Chali Akeli''" by Hemanta Mukherjee, which has similarity with Katibim. In the 2012 Indian film '' Agent Vinod'' there is a

-language song titled "I'll Do the Talking"; the song is a partial interpolation of "''Rasputin''". Kâtibim's original tune is easily guessed in this song.

Southeast
Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

: The melody of this song is used for Banser march, with modified lyrics. *

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

and

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

: ''Alangkah Indah di Waktu Pagi'' (A Beautiful Morning) in Ali Baba Bujang Lapok is a song originally tuned from "Kâtibim".

Miscellaneous

* Camille Saint-saens quotes the melody in the second section of his "Souvenir d' Ismaïlia" Op. 100

Modern adaptations

Loreena McKennitt Loreena McKennitt (born February 17, 1957) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer who writes, records, and performs world music with Celtic music, Celtic and Middle Eastern music, Middle Eastern influences. McKenni ...

's studio album '' An Ancient Muse'' (2006) has a track named "''Sacred Shabbat''", which has the same tune as Kâtibim. *

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

n artist

Ken Boothe Kenneth George Boothe OD (born 22 March 1948) is a Jamaican vocalist known for his distinctive vibrato and timbre. Boothe achieved an international reputation as one of Jamaica's finest vocalists through a series of crossover hits that appeal ...

recorded the song as "Artibella". *

Pink Martini Pink Martini is an American band founded in 1994 by pianist Thomas Lauderdale in Portland, Oregon. Group members call it a little orchestra that crosses several styles, such as Classical music, classical, Latin music, Latin, traditional pop, and ...

's studio album ''Get Happy'' (2013) contains a version of this song. * Sami Yusuf's album ''Barakah'' (2016) has a track called "''I Only Knew Love ('Araftul Hawa)''" is also based on a similar tune. * The third movement of Fazil Say's violin concerto ''"1001 Nights in the Harem"'' heavily quotes the tune. *The melody in

Boney M Boney M. is a German reggae, funk and disco music group founded in 1974. It achieved popularity during the disco era in the second half of the 1970s. The band was created by German record producer Frank Farian, who was the group's primary song ...

's 1978

Euro disco Eurodisco (also spelled as Euro disco) is a genre of electronic dance music that evolved from disco in the middle 1970s, incorporating elements of pop and rock into a disco-like continuous dance atmosphere. Many Eurodisco compositions featur ...

hit single "Rasputin" has been compared to that of Kâtibim, but the band denied any similarity. *The video game

Civilization VI ''Sid Meier's Civilization VI'' is a 2016 4X turn-based strategy video game developed by Firaxis Games and published by 2K (company), 2K. The mobile and Nintendo Switch ports were published by Aspyr Media. It is the sequel to ''Civilization V'' ...

's theme song for Arabia is based on Ya Banat Iskandaria. *Iranian artist Farya Faraji's "Aπό ξένο τόπο & Üsküdara Giderik'en" (2023) is an arrangement of the song featuring both Greek and Turkish lyrics as well as Greco-Turkish instrumentation.

References

External links

YouTube - Ishq Kinara - Üsküdar'a Gider Iken

YouTube - Nazrul Song - Tri-vuboner prio Muhammad. Naat-e-rasul bangla

YouTube - Nazrul Song - Shukno Patar Nupur paye

YouTube - Jhoom Jhoom Kar Chali Akeli by Hemanta Mukherjee

YouTube - Γλυκερία - Από ξένο τόπο , Glykeria - Apo kseno topo - Official Audio Release

YouTube - Violeta Tomovska - Oj devojce (ti tetovsko jabolce)

YouTube - Dön Bak Aynaya

YouTube - Ο ΒΑΓΓΕΛΗΣ, 1928, ΑΓΓΕΛΙΚΗ ΚΑΡΑΓΙΑΝΝΗ

YouTube - Gloria Levy - Fel Sharah Canet Betet Masha (Walking Down the Street)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Katibim Turkish folk songs