Kâtibim
"Kâtibim", or "Üsküdar'a Gider İken" is a Turkish folk song about a woman and her secretary traveling to Üsküdar. The tune is a famous Istanbul türkü, which is spread beyond Turkey in many countries, especially in the Balkans.
Lyrics and score
Recordings
Recordings by [Naftule Brandwein]
The melody was imported to North America in the 1920s. The renowned klezmer 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 originally born in Peremyshliany 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. During the time of recording, Ayla was also a member of the assembly at the Istanbul City Conservatory. Classical composer Saygun included 'Variations on the Old Istanbul Folk Song Katibim ' 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. 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 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
The tune also appeared in the 1960 film Ali Baba Bujang Lapok as "Alangkah Indah di Waktu Pagi ".
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. Here are to name a few:[Southern Europe]
- Albania: 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.
- Bosnia and Herzegovina: 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 called "Zašto suza u mom oku", meaning "Why are my eyes weeping?".
- Bulgaria: The melody comes in the form of a Bulgarian love song "Cerni oči imaš libe" and as a hymn of resistance to the Ottoman Empire in the Strandzha Mountains.
- Greece: The Greek version of the song is "Ήχασα μαντήλι, Από ξένο τόπο, Ανάμεσα Τσιρίγο : Íchasa mantíli, Apó xéno tópo, Anámesa Tsirígo" which translates to "I wore a scarf, From a foreign place, Between Chirigo ". One of the best known Greek interpreters of this song is Glykeria Kotsoula, which is also popular in Israel.
- North Macedonia: A recent performance of the Macedonian version of the song comes from the musician Toše Proeski, who was described by the BBC as "Elvis Presley of the Balkans", who also worked as a UNICEF ambassador whose former accident death was mourned with a state funeral and funeral meetings in many places in the Balkans and in the diaspora.
- Romania: There is also a Romanian version of the song called "De ai ști, suflețelul meu" translated as "If you knew, my soul".
- Serbia : Kâtibim in the Serbian version is called "Ruse kose curo imaš" meaning "Blond 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" meaning "Gypsy".. There is another version in Serbian titled "Poletela dva bijela goluba" meaning "Two white doves are flying"
[Middle East]
- A traditional folk song in the Arab world with the same melody is known as "Ya Banat Iskandaria" 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" meaning "My Gazelle".
- The melody is shared by طالما أشكو غرامي, a traditional Arabic poem or Qasida for Prophet Muhammad and is similar to the Hebrew piyut Yigdal. It is said to be "deeply moving expression of infatuation, longing and yearning for the Prophet ﷺ".
Central and Southern [Asia]
- Afghanistan: Another version of the melody is known from Afghanistan, which was sung by Uzbek singer Taaj Mohammad.
- Bangladesh: The Bengali adaptations of this tune known as "Tri-vuboner priyo Muhammad" and "Shukno patar nupur paye" in 1950s were composed by the Bengali poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, who is also considered as the national poet of Bangladesh. It is thought that he learned the melody while he was fighting in the Middle East during World War I. As implied by its name, "Tri-vuboner priyo Muhammad" is also an Islamic Song for Prophet Muhammad.
- Pakistan: A Turkish-Urdu mash-up version titled "Ishq Kinara - Üsküdar'a Gider Iken" was performed on the Pakistani television program Coke Studio by Sumru Ağıryürüyen and Zoe Vicajji in 2013.
- India: In the 1956 Indian film Taj, there is a Hindi-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 Hindi-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.
Modern Adaptations
- Loreena McKennitt's studio album An Ancient Muse has a track named "Sacred Shabbat", which has the same tune as Kâtibim.
- Jamaican artist Ken Boothe recorded the song as "Artibella".
- Sami Yusuf's album Barakah has a track called "I Only Knew Love " 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's 1978 Euro disco hit single "Rasputin" has been compared to that of Kâtibim, but the band denied any similarity.