Turca
A Turkish march.
What it means
Turca is the Italian word for “Turkish”. In music it appears above all in the phrase alla turca, “in the Turkish manner”, as a movement title or character marking.
What is meant is a style that came into fashion in eighteenth-century Europe and imitated the music of Ottoman military bands. These bands, with their large drums, cymbals, triangles, and shawms, impressed European listeners, and composers took up their sound.
Caution is called for here: the alla turca style is a European idea of Turkish music, not a rendering of actual Ottoman music. It took over above all external features — the sound of the percussion, a march-like, stamping rhythm, simple harmony — and combined them with the musical language of the time. The actual Ottoman music, with its tone systems and forms, remained largely disregarded in the process.
In the notation
The style shows itself in the notated text through an even, march-like metre, accented, often repeated chords in the bass that imitate the percussion, and through grace notes and rapid figures in the melody. In the orchestra, bass drum, cymbals, and triangle are added.
Musical use
The alla turca style was especially popular in the late eighteenth century and appears in operas with an oriental setting, in piano sonatas, and in orchestral works. The percussion that entered the orchestra with it remained a fixed component there even after this fashion ended.
Alla turca refers to the music of the Janissaries. Mozart's Rondo alla Turca is well known. Typical are imitations of drums, cymbals, and triangle, for instance through forceful chords in the bass. Beethoven's Marcia alla turca from The Ruins of Athens also belongs to this tradition, which was very popular in eighteenth-century Vienna.
Performance practice
Play the rhythm taut and march-like, with forcefully accented bass chords. Execute grace notes quickly and sharply. Keep the tempo lively but reliable. And bear the character in mind as a festive, somewhat exoticizing imitation, not as a serious depiction.