Tuzcuoğlu Mehmet Ali

Tuzcuoğlu Mehmet Ali in Turkish () (born, lived and died in 19th century, Görele, Ottoman Empire) was a Turkish kemençe player and horon music composer from Görele in Giresun province. He is considered to be "the best kemenche player ever" by most of the people in the Eastern Black Sea Region in Turkey.

Early life

There are a few sources and records mentioning Tuzcuoğlu. He was born in the town of Görele to Turkish parents in 1800s and probably, he began playing kemençe at a very young age. He was a very talented player, he became very famous in Görele and neighbouring areas (Ağasar Valley, Tonya, Tirebolu etc.).

Musical compositions and legacy

One of his most known compositions is the "Tuzcuoğlu Horon havası" which is still played in Görele by kemençe players. He was also a kemençe tutor. He tutored Kodalak Halil Ağa who was the tutor of Picoğlu Osman. His music has a strong influence on Eastern Black Sea Region kemençe players in Turkey. Even in Greece, his horon music is known as "horeftiko" by Rums who migrated from Turkey during population exchange between Turkey and Greece in 1920s, .