Janissary
The janissaries of the Ottoman Empire, known as yeniçeriler in Turkish, were members of the elite infantry that formed the sultan’s troops and the first modern standing army of Europe. Growing up as devşirme children forcibly recruited as levy from Christian families in the Balkans and Anatolia, janissaries were integrated into the palace workforce from a young age. The brightest of them, educated at the Enderun School, became statesman, while the others guarded the palace during peacetime. Unlike the Western European armies that modernized military organization through technology, the janissaries resisted change and eventually revolted in the early 19th century against advances. Although their military force declined, the military style of their music composed of powerful percussions and shrill winds inspired European composers such as Mozart and Beethoven. The percussions played the mehter music, the rhythm being that of the marching cadence of soldiers, following as left / left / left, right, left…