Turkish folk music artist Yavuz Top has passed away

Yavuz Top, a master bağlama artist and one of the pioneering figures of Turkish folk music, has passed away. Born in 1950 in the Tercan district of Erzincan, the artist had been receiving treatment at Kartal State Hospital for some time due to a heart condition. Funeral details for Yavuz Top will be shared by his family. 

WHO IS YAVUZ TOP?

Developing an interest in folk music at a young age, Top began playing the bağlama at seven. He received his first lessons from the folk poet Aşık Daimi. In 1967, he passed the exam held by TRT and began working as a bağlama artist at Istanbul Radio.

With the folk music orchestra he founded in the 1970s, Top pioneered the first attempts at polyphonic folk music in Turkey, carrying out groundbreaking work in this field. Inspired by the path of Mahmut Ragıp Gazimihal to fill significant gaps in folk music, he brought forgotten instruments such as the bass bağlama and the bowed kopuz back into the spotlight.

Having taught bağlama at the conservatory starting in 1976, Yavuz Top later left his position to establish his own music school, where he mentored numerous young artists. Throughout his artistic career, Top released eight solo albums and also served as a music director for the album and stage projects of many other artists.

The artist, who received great acclaim with his 2001 album "Hazan Değdi," also played a significant role in the revival of folk music after 1980 through the "Muhabbet" projects he conducted alongside Arif Sağ, Musa Eroğlu, and Muhlis Akarsu.

The passing of Yavuz Top, who also served for many years as a soloist within the Ministry of Culture, has left the art community and folk music lovers in mourning.

News Source: 12punto