Percussion instruments
Çevgen
Çevgen: A mehter instrument played by shaking: small jingles hang from a metal head at the top of a long staff. It is one of the instruments of the Ottoman mehter. In the mehter march the çevgen bearers walk with the singers; in today's mehter bands the çevgen players also sing.
In brief
- Family: Percussion; shaken idiophone, a ceremonial staff with jingles
- Origin: Considered to be of Central Asian origin; used in the Ottoman mehter from the 15th to the 19th century
- Body and materials: Wooden staff about 2–2.5 m long; brass head and crescent arms at the top, hanging jingles
- Playing: Held upright and shaken up and down and from side to side, or twirled
- In the mehter: The çevgânîs stood in a crescent formation and called out “ala ala hey” from time to time as they shook
- In Europe: Interest in Janissary music brought it into military bands; in German it is called Schellenbaum[1, 2]
Listen
History
It is one of the instruments of the Ottoman mehter. In the mehter march the çevgen bearers walk with the singers; in today's mehter bands the çevgen players also sing.
Construction
A metal head is fitted to the top of a long staff; small cymbals and jingles hang from the head on chains.
How it is played
The staff is held upright and shaken in rhythm; the jingles ring with every movement.
Its place in makam music
It plays no melody; it accompanies the strokes of the mehter usuls with the sound of its jingles and gives the ensemble a ceremonial air.
Getting started: types, sizes, tuning
Start with this instrument
Masters on recordings
Performers who play this instrument on recordings of works in the score archive (MusicBrainz).
Frequently asked questions about the Çevgen
What is the çevgen?
The çevgen is a mehter instrument made of small cymbals and jingles hanging from a metal crest at the top of a long staff. As the staff is shaken, the jingles rattle and add a bright color to the strokes of the usul. It plays no melody; both rhythmically and visually in ceremonies, it is one of the symbols of the mehter.
How is the çevgen used in the mehter?
In the mehter march, the çevgen players walk at the front of the ensemble or together with the singers and shake their çevgens with the strokes of the usul. In today's mehter bands, çevgen players often sing as well. The sound of the çevgen forms a bright layer above low percussion such as the davul and the kös.
How does the çevgen make its sound?
The staff is held upright and shaken up and down in rhythm or tapped lightly on the ground. The small cymbals and jingles hanging from chains on the crest strike one another with each movement and rattle. The player controls the loudness by how hard they shake it.
Can the çevgen still be seen today?
Yes. The çevgen is still used in the performances of the Military Museum Mehter Band in Istanbul and other mehter bands. Old examples of the çevgen are also on display in some museums. Apart from that, it is hardly used in everyday music; it is an instrument entirely specific to the mehter.