Itrî (Buhurizade Mustafa)

Musician, composer, poet (B. 1630?, Istanbul – D. 1712). His real name was Mustafa, he is also known as Buhurîzade Mustafa Efendi. He used the nickname “Itri” in his poems. His year of birth is not exactly known, the researchers accept that he was born around 1630 or 1640, in Istanbul. Although these dates are not definite, they are limited to the writing date of the poems which his friends used as lyrics. Itri is one of pioneers of classical Turkish music... Mustafa Itri, who had a good education in his time, learnt Arabic and Persian, as well as religious sciences. He was influenced by the important people of the period such as Hafız Post, Derviş Ömer, Nasrullah Vakıf Halhali, Kasımpaşalı Koca Osman Efendi. Itri composed “Segâh Mevlevi Ceremony”and an ode to be sung in Tekken while studying at the dervish lodge. He connected to Sheikh Ahmet Dede who was the sheikh of the Yenikapı Mevlevi Dervish Lodge and became a Mevlevi, with the excitement in him at the time.

Itri was patronized by Ottoman Sultan Mehmet IV firstly. He took part in the musical acts held in palace as the soloist, additionally he became famous his compositions. He became a teacher and songster (reader, singer) of the Enderun (Palace School). Then he was appointed to Esirciler Kethüdanlığı (T.N. the Slave Stewardship) voluntarily. Itri, who saw the periods of five sultans, left the palace when he was fifty years old. He was a person with a subtle personality. It is known that he was engaged in flower and fruit growing. It is accepted that he used the nickname “Itri” for this reason. It is said that he raised the Istanbul's famous “Mustâbey (Mustafa) Pear" known by his name for the first time. It is known that the reputation of this type of pear became famous in the Tulip Era (1718-1730).

At first, he wrote poems according to the tradition of Divan Literature, and he composed the poems of poets Naili and Nabi, whom he was influenced by. Among these were odes, naats, nazires, couplets and songs that evoked the idea of history as well as the folk songs written in syllabic meter. The Divan of Itri, who composed more than a thousand works on religious and non-religious issues, is lost. Along with being a musician, he took calligraphy lessons from Siyahi Ahmet Efendi. The “Ta’lik” writing samples he wrote was located in the lyrics that his master Hâfız Post added.

Itri’s composition and his great contribution to Turkish classical music with his works are a common opinion among researchers. He stylized the Turkish genre in Ottoman era with his compositions, had been one of the pioneer composers in the development of classical Turkish music with Abdülkadir Merâgi and Dede Efendi. The “Nevakâr” which comes first in his non-religious works was composed over a lyric of Hafız. This work held an originality with its maqam and style structure and meticulous labor. In addition, it is considered as the best representative of the classical style, one of the most quintessential examples. However, unfortunately, none of the non-religious works composed by him in small forms has survived to present.

It is said that the rule of changing the maqam during the Tarawih prayers in mosques was placed by Itri. The “Segâh Kurban Bayramı Tekbiri” sung in holiday prayers, the “Segâh Salât-ı Ümmiye” sung during the visit to the holy relics, “Mâye Cuma Salâtı” and “Dilkeşhâveran Gece Salâtı” continue to carry a unique power of art in the Turkish music and Islamic world as the art works that didn’t lose anything of their impacts for over three hundred years.

Segâh Kurban  Bayramı Tekbiri, Segâh Salât-ı Ümmiye, Dilkeşhâveran Gece Salâtı, Mâye Cuma Salâtı, Segâh Mevlevi Ayini, Rast Darb-ı Türkî Naat ve Sofyan Tevşih, Nühüft Durak, Nühüft İlahî, Nühüft Tevşih, Neva Kâr, İki Pençgâh Beste, Mahur Ağır Aksak Semai, Rehavî Berefşan Beste, Buselik Hafif Beste ve Yürük Semai, Segâh Ağır Semai, Segâh Yürük Semai, Bayatî Çember Beste, Bestenigâr Darb-ı Fetih Beste, Dügâh Hafif Beste, Isfahan Zincir Beste ve Ağır Aksak Semai, Nikriz Muhammes Beste, Râhatu'l Ervah Zincir Beste, Irak Aksak Semai, Rast Aksak Semai, Nühüft Aksak Semai, Acemaşiran Yürük Semai, Rehavî Peşrev, Nühüft Peşrev ve Saz Semaisi, are the most famous works of Itrî in many of his compositions. The powerful and divine composition of “Tekbir”, which is sung in Islamic holidays, belongs to him as well.

According to Shaykh al-Islam Esad Effendi, Itri was a very productive composer who composed more than a thousand compositions. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these works were lost due to the absence of recording, only around forty compositions could survive to the present day. According to the information given by Müstakimzade, Itri was buried in the Yenikapı Mevlevi Loudge when he was dead. The Divan poet Şeyhi also confirmed this information; however the gravestone of Itri is missing in our day.

 “Itrî is the composer of melodies that come from the sky; while his compositions are sung, the vision of wider horizons, open seas, endless greens waving with the warm breath of the winds, prosperity, abundance and the pleasing deepness of divine thoughts lives in my dream...”

 "When I hear the name of Itrî, my head straightens up and I look above as if I am searching his soul in the skies." (Safiye Ayla)

    REFERENCE: AMDŞ (s. 235-236), Atrabu'l-Âsâr (v. 26), Yılmaz Öztuna / Büyük Türk Musikisi Ansiklopedisi (c. 1, sayfa: 374-376, 1990), Kâtib Çelebi / Fezleke-i Tarih (c. 2, sayfa: 45, 1286-1287), Nev'îzâde Ata Ataullah Efendi / Hadâyıku'l-Hakâyık fî Tekmilleti 'ş-Şakâyık I (yay: Abdülkadir Özcan, sayfa: 383, 1989.), İs­mail Paşa / İzâhu'l-Meknûn fı'z-Zeyl alâ Keşfî'z-Ziinûn an Esâmi 'l-Kütüb ve 'l-Fünûn (yay: Kilisli Rifat-Şerafeddin Yaltkay (c. 1, sayfa: 519, 1945-1947), Şemseddin Sami / Kâmûsü'I-Â'lâm (c. 4, sayfa: 3161, 1306-1316), Lugat-i Tarihiyye ve Coğrafıyye (c. 5, sayfa: 43), Y. Öztuna / Itri (1987), Müstakimzâde Sa'dettin Efendi / Meceüetü'n-Nisâb / (Süleymaniye Kütüphanesi Halet Efendi, nu. 628, sayfa: 320), Rüştü Şardağ / Mustafa Itrî Efendi (1989),  Mustafa Safâ'î / Nuhbetü 'l-Âsâr min Fevâ 'idi 'l-Eş 'âr (Süleymaniye Kütüphanesi Esad Efendi 2549, v. 185a-186a), İsmail Beliğ Efendi / Nuhbetü'l-Âsâr li-Zeyli Zübdeti'l-Es'âr (Beliğ Tezkiresi, sayfa: 356,1985/1998), Mehmed Süreyya / Sicill-i Osmânî (Tezkire-i Meşâhir-i Osmaniyye, c.3, sayfa: 483, 1308-1315), ŞŞ (c. 2, 554), Türk Ansiklopedisi (c. 19, sayfa: 485-487, 1943-1986.), Türk Dili Edebiyatı Ansiklopedisi (c. 4, sayfa: 313-314, 1976), TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (c. 19, sayfa: 220-221, 1999), H. İpekten - M. İsen - R. Toparlı - N. Okçu - T. Karabey / Tezkirelere Göre Divan Edebiyatı İsimler Sözlüğü / (sayfa: 222, 1988), Müstakimzâde S. Sadeddin / Tuhfetü'l-Hattatin (sayfa: 745, 1928), İbrahim Alâeddin Gövsa / Türk Meşhurları Ansiklopedisi (c. 1, sayfa: 128-131,1945), Sadeddin Nüzhet Ergun / Türk Musikisi Antolojisi (c. 1, s. 50, 122, 124, 128-136, 174-179, 1943), Nail Tuman / Tuhfe-i Nailî (c. 2, sayfa: 688,1999), Mirzazâde Mehrned Salim / Tezkiretü'ş-Şu'arâ (sayfa: 499-500, 1899), Şeyhî Mehmed Efendi / Vekâyi'u'l-Fuzalâ (yay: Abdülkadir Özcan, c. 2, sayfa: 554, 1989), Cemâl Kurnaz / "Klâsik Türk Musikisi Bestekârlarında Hece Vezniyle Şiir Yazma Eğilimi" (Türküden Gazele, Halk ve Divân Şiirinin Müşterekleri Üzerine Bir Deneme, s. 219-220, 1997), B. S. Ediboğlu / Ünlü Türk Bestekârları (s. 11-18, 1961), Ruşen Ferit Kam / "Rahmetli Üstadım Necati Lugal ve Büyük Bestekârımız Itrî Hakkında" (Necati Lugal Armağanı, s. 59-64, 1968), Ekrem Karadeniz / "Buhûrîzâde Mustafa Itrî Efendi" (Türk Kültürü, sayı: 194, s. 44-53, 1978), Semire Oskay / "Itrî ve Bestelediği Şiirler" (lisans tezi, İÜEFK Tnu.276), TDOE-TDE Ansiklopedisi (c. 5, 2004), İhsan Işık / -  Ünlü Sanatçılar (Türkiye Ünlüleri Ansiklopedisi, C. 5, 2013) - Encyclopedia of Turkey’s Famous People (2013).