In the Realm of Osman: Music from the Early Modern Ottoman Empire and Beyond
The Newberry Consort and Ronnie Malley present a program of varied musical traditions from the realm of Osman Ghazi, or Osman I, founder of the vast territory that would eventually be known as the Ottoman Empire. Originally performed at the Newberry Library in the spring of 2023 and back by wildly popular demand, this program was inspired by the Tarih-i Yeni Dünya, or A History of the India of the West, an Ottoman manuscript dated around 1600. The Tarih relates stories of the explorations of Columbus, Cortés, Pizarro, and others, with commentary by Ottoman scholars. Illuminated hand-drawn maps and images from the Tarih are projected onto slides behind the musicians, and music is played on period instruments from the Ottoman Empire and beyond, including oud, sandouri, sackbut, nay, violin, percussion, and kanun.
