The 'Turkish Stop'.

[Megan]

A number of composers such as Rameau, Rossini, Gluck's Tauris, Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven were influenced by Turkish music and motifs. Infact it became so popular that manufacturers made special pianos with a
''Turkish Stop'' . How was it perceived by other composers and what would the sound be like ?
Was Turkish music out of vogue in Beethoven's time ?

I read that Haydn had a somewhat remote personal connection to the Turkish army. His great-grandfather had been a fatal casualty during the Turkish invasion, 1683.

[Hofrat]

Alla turca: In the Turkish style. An indicaton used by both Mozart (in his piano sonata K.331) and Beethoven (in "Ruins of Athens") to indicate a sound reminiscent of "janissary music."

"Janissaries" were the sultan's bodyguards from the 14th to the 19th centuries consisting of Turkish soldiers. Their music was largely percussive, relying on triangles and other jingling instruments. "Janissary music" is any music that includes a strong percussive element, such as the third movement of Brahms' fourth symphony, so described by the composer himself.

[Peter]

A number of composers such as Rameau, Rossini, Gluck's Tauris, Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven were influenced by Turkish music and motifs. Infact it became so popular that manufacturers made special pianos with a
''Turkish Stop'' . How was it perceived by other composers and what would the sound be like ?
Was Turkish music out of vogue in Beethoven's time ?

I read that Haydn had a somewhat remote personal connection to the Turkish army. His great-grandfather had been a fatal casualty during the Turkish invasion, 1683.

The player would press a pedal that caused a bell to ring and/or a padded hammer to strike the soundboard in imitation of a bass drum.

Haydn used Turkish percussion in the Military symphony no.100 and Beethoven wrote several works influenced by Turkish music - the march from the Ruins of Athens and in the 9th symphony finale, but by this date it was somewhat out of fashion.

[HaydnFan]

Haydn used Turkish percussion in the Military symphony no.100

One of my favourites!

[Hofrat]

Hummel in his piano trio in F opus 22 designates the Rondo as "alla Turka."

[Chaszz]

A little subsidiary background: The Turkish Empire was Europe's main external enemy from the 16th century through the 20th, invading at many points and threatening to turn the West from Christian to Muslim. Eventually its culture provided a kind of exotic fascination, reflected in, among many other examples, Mozart's opera 'Abduction from the Seraglio.' In the 19th Century, Turkish exoticism lent its spells to many paintings such as Delacroix' 'Death of Sardanapalus' and Ingres' 'Turkish Bath.' (Ingres and Delaxcroix were enemies yet could agree on the attractions of things Turkish.) The Western interest in Turkish culture more or less ended with the defeat of Turkey in World War I. By the time of the war, the Turkish Empire was widely known as the 'sick man of Europe' because of its internal decay and weakness.

[Rutradelusasa]

I have an example of the use of this device in the Rondo from Ries' clarinet sonata Op.29. It's quite interesting.

Actually, in all of the cd the pianist finds space to use some of the pianoforte's device, like the Bassoon pedal.