What would have happened if Bach and Itri had ever met? Both left their mark on history as musicians of the same time, with a background of faith, creating masterpieces that will echo for centuries.

Who would have ever thought that Bach's enjoyment of coffee would be reflected in notes sounding in a 1,500-year-old historical building in the underground of Istanbul?

The concert called "From Bach to Itri" brought these two great musical personalities, as representatives of the Western and Eastern civilizations, together on the same stage with their lives and works. Buhurizade Mustafa Itri (1640-1711) was born 40 years before Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) and died 40 years before him, but these two great people graced our world together as cultural poles of two different civilizations within a period of 25 years.

In the Basilica Cistern of Istanbul's Sultanahmet, one of the most cosmopolitan and historical districts of the city, the spiritual power of music, which transcends all borders, and the fact that music is the only language in which people from different civilizations can understand each other, became clear once again.

In the concert, Hakan Dedeler played tanbur, Eyüpcan Açıkpazu reed flute, Nurullah Ejder qanun, Gülşah Erol cello, Hande Önder piano while Ayşenur Ayyıldız Haksoy was the soprano and Serhan Bali narrator, baritone, introducing the audience to the world of Bach and Itri.

Two great men of music lived in the same century as two great composers, one in Western classical music and the other in Turkish classical music. Meeting for the first time at the Basilica Cistern in Istanbul's Sultanahmet, the event revealed that they had both common and different aspects but a common point to gather around.

10 facts about Bach and Itri

In European canon, Johann Sebastian Bach was a great composer who left his mark on the religious music of the Baroque period and served the church, while in Turkish music, his contemporary Buhurizade Mustafa Itri was one of the most important composers of Islamic music, who was trained at the Yenikapı Mevlevi Lodge.

Bach came from a family of three generations of musicians, whereas Itri did not have such a musical tradition. In addition, Bach was married twice, whereas there is no record of Itri's marriage.

Itri's life is as mysterious as Bach's life is well known.

While Bach earned his living mainly through music, Itri is said to have worked in different professions. He was a calligrapher, poet and farmer while Bach only focused on the musical world.

Although both composers are recognized as the greatest masters of the cultures they represent, almost all information about Bach has survived while Itri's, however, is an enigma.

The fictional and deliberate simplicity of Itri's works and the intensity of Bach's works are the opposite of each other.

Both of them have over a thousand works. Nevertheless, the number of Itri's works that have survived today does not exceed 40. On the other hand, all of Bach's works have survived.

Although they lived in the same era, there is a 45-year age difference between them. Itri was born in 1640, while Bach was born in 1685.

Itri and Bach were the pinnacles of religious music and classical music. Both of them have worked in different forms.

The richness of the melodic structure of Itri's works and the embroidery of the maqams can be compared with Bach's finely thought-out and processed melodic phrases. With an approach similar to Bach's, especially with his well-arranged keyboard and the findings of the tonal system at the most extreme levels, Itri generally developed the musical phrase in a maqam in his works not only by transferring it to the modes in nearby pitches but also by skilfully moving it to the most distant pitches.

And the venue where these two precious musicians met? An incredible atmosphere in the underworld. Dark yet strong and impressive showing what humans can create. After its restoration, the 1,500-year-old Basilica Cistern has reopened its doors for cultural and artistic events, being home to unforgettable events.