What makes a Turkish March a Turkish March?

Question

I can only find 2 pieces called Turkish March. There is the 5th movement of The Ruins of Athens by Beethoven. Then there is the infamous Rondo Alla Turka by Mozart. And when I search Turkish March Beethoven, I usually get a piano transcription. Anyway, these are the parallels I can draw between the 2 pieces: - Major key - Upbeat - Rondo form - Minor key used for harmony, drama or both - Basic 8th note pulse at quarter note = 110 BPM - Left hand sort of sounds like footsteps All I can get from the internet on what a Turkish March is, is that it is a march in the Turkish style. Since I only have that and the parallels drawn between Beethoven's Turkish March and Mozart's Rondo Alla Turka, it is hard for me to know how to compose a Turkish March and it feels like I am relying on Mozart to help me with this. In fact, mine is sort of based off of Rondo Alla Turka as far as form and the ending in octaves. **Is there anything besides the parallels I have already drawn between the 2 Turkish March pieces that will help me compose my Turkish March?**

Answer 1

A “Turkish March” (alla Turca) is not defined by form or harmony alone. It comes from 18th-century European imitations of Ottoman Janissary (military) band music. So the essential features come from instrumentation, rhythm, and texture, not just the fact that it's upbeat or in rondo form.

Below are elements beyond the parallels you already listed that historically define the Turkish/JANISSARY style and can guide you when composing your own Turkish March:

1. Janissary “Percussion Effects”

European composers imitated the percussion of Ottoman mehter bands:

1. Bass drum (kös)
2. Cymbals
3. Triangle
4. Jingles / bells
5. Snare-like effects

On piano, these translate to:

1. Heavy low-octave accents
2. Repeated staccato chords
3. Alternating hands imitating drum-and-cymbal hits
4. Grace-note “flicks” and crushed notes to mimic percussion attacks

This is one of the biggest missing elements when people try to describe the style.

2. Rhythmic Profile from Ottoman Marches

Historically, the driving rhythm resembles:

1. Strong duple meter (2/4 or 4/4)
2. Emphasis on accents on beats 1 and 2
3. Patterns like:

STRONG – weak – medium – weak

Common motives:

1. Long–short–short (similar to dotted rhythms)
2. Repetitive ostinatos
3. Snappy syncopations (Mozart uses many)

These rhythmic gestures come from the walking/marching nature of military music.

3. Special Use of Mode and Harmony

You mentioned major with minor inflections. To be more precise:

Borrowed from Ottoman melodic style:

1. Phrygian-like colors
2. Raised 4th or lowered 2nd for “Eastern” flavor
3. Sudden shifts to A minor or E minor (in the case of Mozart)

It doesn't need to be full Turkish makam theory — Classical composers used simplified gestures to sound “exotic."

4. Textural Contrast

Classical Turkish marches usually alternate textures:

A section — bright, staccato, percussive

B section — smoother, legato, but still rhythmic

Episodes — contrasting minor or chromatic ideas

This contrast is not just formal—it imitates how mehter bands alternate loud/percussive vs. soft/reedy sections.

5. Ornamentation Imitating Zurna/Shawm

The zurna (loud Turkish shawm) inspired:

1. Wide leaps
2. Repeated notes
3. Grace notes
4. Upper-neighbor ornaments
5. Shrill melodic writing (high register)

Mozart’s right hand does this all over K. 331’s finale.

6. Optional but Historically Relevant Features

If you want even more authenticity:

1. Drone-like sustained bass notes (imitating long drum or horn tones)
2. Call-and-response between high and low registers
3. Sudden dynamic shifts (Janissary bands were LOUD)

Answer 2

Both the Turkish Marches were inspired by Turkish Janisary Bands, which were touring Europe during this time. They were foreign, and the sound wowed the Europeans. Consequently both Mozart and Beethoven, being the "in" guys that they were, tried to copy the style and form of the music created by these bands.