Hücum Marşı (Traditional Ottoman Mehter Music)

This tune is a little different from what I usually upload. It’s an Ottoman Mehter tune called “Hücum Marşı“ (“Attack March“), by an unknown composer. The Ottoman military music tradition developed from the end of the 13th until the early 19th century, when it was phased out in favour of western-style marching bands - which themselves were more or less based on a fusion of Western and Ottoman military music in the 18th century. The Mehter band features distinct instruments as the Zurna, a shrill reed instrument related to the oboe or shawm, the Boru, a natural trumpet very similar to the Baroque trumpets of 17th century Europe, as well as cymbals, Davuls (bass drums), frame drums, Nakkare (small kettledrums), etc. The image shows the Battle of Mohács in 1526, where the Ottoman army under Suleiman I defeated the Hungarian forces of Louis II. It was made by Johann Schreier around 1555. This music will appear as soundtrack in the upcoming “Seven Year