About Minstrel Tradition, Art and Literature: Reyhani Says

Oral tradition is for cultural continuity important. Today in Turkish culture this continuity is still given from minstrel traditions. Especially professional minstrels artistic way of life, monuments and cultural point of views leaved traces in Turkish culture. The minstrel Reyhani is one of these professionals. For a long time he presented and represented his art in special events. The topics he uses in his poems and his skills of expression make him special. He even influenced other minstrels by his criticizing and advisable tone. Because of being a master narrator minstrel Reyhani joined many national and international events. His in Erzurum started minstrelsy continued in Bursa where he past. The minstrelsy cafe he opened in the city of his birth was many years a reference point for regional minstrels. In his cafe regional and interregional minstrels participated his ideas in meetings where they showed different types of minstrelsy tradition to their audience. Minstrel Reyhani felt responsible for the society he lived in. Almost in every case of social misbehavior Reyhani created new poems to mention these circumstances. In addition to these he even created solutions. Although being a member Reyhani criticized the minstrelsy tradition and mentioned his detections. During the Turkey visit of Yildiray Erdener in 1982, Reyhani told him his thoughts of other minstrels and the minstrelsy tradition. The compilation of Reyhani´s work is consisting more of his own collection for sure. Due the period and aftermath of his United States visit different scientists and cultural anthropologists interviewed Reyhani.

Keywords

Âşık Reyhanî, Oral Tradition, Yıldıray Erdener, Erzurum, Minstrelsy