Ottoman classical music (Türk Sanat Müziği) is a kind of music that developed parallel with the Ottoman Empire. As the Empire grew, elements of conquered peoples were incorporated into the increasingly diverse field of Ottoman music. With the decline of the empire in the early 19th century, the music gradually evolved from serious artistic music to shallow "metropolitan entertainment music" [1].

The Ottoman Empire was a multi-ethnic state, and cultural influences, include music, were shared by groups including the Turks, Armenians, Arabs, Greeks, Byzantines, Persians and Jews.

In 1934, the government of Kemal Atatürk banned Ottoman classical music, though the ban was lifted the following year.

External links

• Database of Turkish music, including the private archive of Ismâil Baha Sürelsan , a musicologist who specialized in Ottoman classical music