HANDMADE CYMBALS

Stooped intently over their work, six men sit on low stools in the small back room of a factory on the outskirts of Istanbul, hammering warm discs of a special copper alloy into perfect shape and thickness. The discordant din of the hammering is deafening. Clang, clang, clang. There is no rhythm to their flat metal-on-metal noise, although they are busy creating a musical instrument that has delighted the ears of sultans, soldiers and peasants for hundreds of years with its sonorous, magical voice. The master craftsman is the last man to touch each cymbal, painstakingly inspecting each piece, checking for smoothness and gently hammering out any irregularities before they are handed over for lathing and polishing. We could be talking about cymbal making in Istanbul in the 17th century, but we are not. This is the year 2000.

It is thought that cymbals have been in existence in the Middle East and Asia since the first millennium BC. They began life as tiny finger cymbals in ancient times, used only in oriental and ceremonial dance, often held by the dancers themselves on one hand, one tied to the thumb and the other attached to the middle or index finger, and were originally made from wood. They were used more for their exotic effect rather than as musical accompaniment. Cymbals as we know them now developed later, and were made from various metals, usually copper and tin mixed with silver, and gradually became larger and thinner using various secret processes for a more diverse range of uses and sounds. Cymbals have been used in rhythmic music from the Byzantine era to the time when Turkish armies marched to the beating of drums and the clashing of cymbals and gongs.
A turning point in the art of cymbal making occurred 377 years ago in 1623 with the discovery of improved techniques by a man named Avedis. Avedis was an alchemist of Constantinople who discovered and developed a special processing technique for an alloy of copper, tin and silver with which he was able to make superior cymbals of extraordinary clarity and resonance.

Sultans, viziers and generals were impressed with the smooth bell-like tones and powerful resonance of his bronze cymbals, and all marvelled at his precise craftsmanship. His fame quickly spread across the land and eventually he was given the name ‘Zildjian’ (cymbalsmith) by the guildsmen of the time.

The Turkish cymbal began to gain great popularity around the world, especially with the Prussian military bands. By the turn of the 19th century Turkish cymbals were being shipped all over the world.

The zildjians of Ottoman times strived tirelessly to provide cymbals for the armies of the Ottoman sultans, so they could march triumphantly to war with their leather drums beating and bronze cymbals crashing in a thunderous proclamation of their power and strength, pouring a chilling fear into their enemies waiting on the battlefields.

The modern-day metropolis of Istanbul has two factories where cymbals are still crafted completely by hand today. Istanbul Zilleri and Bogaziçi Zil Sanayi in Habibler use the same methods developed and refined 377 years ago, with the advantage of electricity, so that each cymbal now takes just one day to complete. The sultans, viziers and generals are long gone, replaced by the modern day musicians of jazz, pop, rock and heavy metal as well as the traditional Turkish folk and arabesque musicians. The busy little factory which I visited ceaselessly pours out top quality cymbals to satisfy the demands of these 20th century music makers.

First the copper and other metals are melted in deep pots covered with special lids made from mud and clay. They are heated with the finest quality coal, especially imported from Russia, at around 1100-1200°C for over an hour until the molten metal boils, when it is poured into cast iron molds to form flat, round pieces of metal which can then be pressed.

These are then heated in a wood-fired oven at around 600-700°C so the discs become red hot, and then passed through the antique roller press seven or eight times to achieve the required thickness. The next step is shaping with another mold to form the domed center of the cymbal before a hole is drilled into the middle. The edges of the cymbal are now cut to a perfect circle and the discarded metal goes back into the melting pots.

Now it is placed on a steel anvil and beaten for 20-25 minutes with iron hammers to compress the metal and bend it into the right shape. The smiths have cottonwool stuffed into their ears to protect them against the deafening clamour. Then the polisher smoothes the edges with a lathe and sends it on to the next man who carves off any lumps or bumps from the inside of the cymbal with a specially shaped lathe, leaving tiny strands of copper all over the floor of the workshop.

These also go back into the melting pot at the end of each day. Finally, the almost finished cymbal is sent to the last polisher who smoothes the outside of each cymbal and then returns it once again to the first man who gently rubs the edge with a soft cloth to make certain it is smooth and shiny, and then stamps the factory name on it. The finished product is rested for a few days, since the metal retains its heat for a long while and the true sound of the cymbal only emerges after it has been thoroughly rested and cooled.

The diameter of each cymbal is measured in inches and each cymbal graded by weight and thickness in various categories like ‘crash,’ ‘splash,’ ‘ride’ and ‘hi-hat’.

Handmade cymbals were almost a lost art by the middle of the 20th century, and most of the cymbals used worldwide by musicians today are manufactured by machine, though some are polished by hand.

How can you tell if your cymbals are one hundred percent handmade? By the sound. Each handmade cymbal has its own unique timbre, bold and powerful or quick and light, penetrating and raw or deep and dynamic. Many of the world’s top musicians, drummers and percussionists come from all over the globe to the factories in Istanbul just to find the right sound for their music.
They test and play an assortment of cymbals until they find the one that produces exactly the sound they had in mind. These days cymbals are used for all kinds of music, from Beethoven to heavy metal, folk, opera and jazz. There is a handmade cymbal to suit everyonnt taste resting in a factory in Istanbul, waiting to be claimed by its rightful owner

* Roni Askey Doran is a freelance writer

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