Biography
Udi Hrant, born Hrant Kenkulian and later adopting the nickname Udi to signal his command of the instrument, ranks among the most revered names in Middle Eastern music as the blind master of the oud, or ud, the 12-string fretless lute. He earned equal renown as a vocalist of profound feeling, sometimes called “Hrant Emre,” meaning “of the soul.” His plaintive, deeply felt vocals and unadorned improvisational command have prompted parallels to such American roots icons as Robert Johnson and Doc Watson. A violinist whose playing displayed remarkable expressive range, he also created numerous compositions that entered the Turkish canon, most notably the enduring piece “Hastayim Yasiyorum” (“I Am Sick, Yet I Am Living”), later interpreted by dozens of subsequent performers.
He entered the world near Istanbul in 1901 and lost his sight four days later. Though repeated medical efforts failed to restore vision, he cultivated an extraordinarily acute musical hearing. An Armenian from birth, he first absorbed music through church singing. In 1915 his family fled Turkish troops’ massacres of Armenians and took refuge in Konya, where the young musician began formal oud study.
By 1918 the family had returned to Istanbul, allowing him to work with several celebrated local instructors. Early performing opportunities proved scarce; despite the city’s reputation as the New York of the Mideast and its abundance of gifted players, ensembles refused him because of his blindness. He sustained himself through modest solo engagements in modest cafés and by selling instruments from his brother-in-law’s tailor shop.
His fortunes shifted when the noted musician and composer Serif Icli heard him at one such café. The encounter opened doors to radio broadcasts and, in 1920, a recording agreement with RCA Victor/His Master’s Voice; additional sessions appeared on the Balkan, Perfectaphone, Yildiz, Smyrnaphon, and Istanbul imprints through the 1950s.
Hrant’s supreme legacy lies in his mastery of the taksim, the extended improvisation rooted in prescribed scales or modes. His technical and musical command surpassed contemporary standards, marked by rapid ascending passages, left-hand pizzicato, and octave doubling achieved by tuning paired strings an octave apart.
Recognition across the Mideast brought engagements throughout Europe and the Soviet Union. In 1950, despite misgivings about how American audiences might receive Middle Eastern music, he consented to a concert tour of the United States, after which he resumed radio duties in Turkey and began mentoring younger players.
A 1977 jubilee concert gathered many of the nation’s leading vocalists and instrumentalists to mark sixty years of his work. Stricken by cancer, he died on August 29, 1978, five months after his final appearance.
Traditional Crossroads issued Udi Hrant’s Kenkulian in 1994, drawing on tapes from his 1950 New York performances, followed in 1995 by The Early Recordings, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.
He entered the world near Istanbul in 1901 and lost his sight four days later. Though repeated medical efforts failed to restore vision, he cultivated an extraordinarily acute musical hearing. An Armenian from birth, he first absorbed music through church singing. In 1915 his family fled Turkish troops’ massacres of Armenians and took refuge in Konya, where the young musician began formal oud study.
By 1918 the family had returned to Istanbul, allowing him to work with several celebrated local instructors. Early performing opportunities proved scarce; despite the city’s reputation as the New York of the Mideast and its abundance of gifted players, ensembles refused him because of his blindness. He sustained himself through modest solo engagements in modest cafés and by selling instruments from his brother-in-law’s tailor shop.
His fortunes shifted when the noted musician and composer Serif Icli heard him at one such café. The encounter opened doors to radio broadcasts and, in 1920, a recording agreement with RCA Victor/His Master’s Voice; additional sessions appeared on the Balkan, Perfectaphone, Yildiz, Smyrnaphon, and Istanbul imprints through the 1950s.
Hrant’s supreme legacy lies in his mastery of the taksim, the extended improvisation rooted in prescribed scales or modes. His technical and musical command surpassed contemporary standards, marked by rapid ascending passages, left-hand pizzicato, and octave doubling achieved by tuning paired strings an octave apart.
Recognition across the Mideast brought engagements throughout Europe and the Soviet Union. In 1950, despite misgivings about how American audiences might receive Middle Eastern music, he consented to a concert tour of the United States, after which he resumed radio duties in Turkey and began mentoring younger players.
A 1977 jubilee concert gathered many of the nation’s leading vocalists and instrumentalists to mark sixty years of his work. Stricken by cancer, he died on August 29, 1978, five months after his final appearance.
Traditional Crossroads issued Udi Hrant’s Kenkulian in 1994, drawing on tapes from his 1950 New York performances, followed in 1995 by The Early Recordings, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.
Albums
