Many years ago I became interested in Ali Ufki, a Polish-born Reformed Christian who in his youth was abducted by Tatars, sold to the Ottoman Sultan, nominally converted to Islam, and became treasurer, translator, and musician to the Sultan's court. Among his brilliant accomplishments, he translated the Bible into Turkish (which is how my late father knew him) and also the first 14 of the Genevan Psalms.
I have just discovered the Kitab-ı Mukaddes Şirketi (Bible Society of Turkey) YouTube channel, which contains performances of all 14 of Ali Ufki's Psalms: Ali Ufkî Bey’in Bestelediği Mezmurlar. Hearing this seemingly exotic music, one would scarcely believe that it had originated with the Reformation in western Europe. Here is one such performance below:
Intriguing, no? Do listen to the entire playlist. And just imagine if Ali Ufki (born Wojciech Bobowski) had had the opportunity to translate all 150 of the Psalms! Might the history of the eastern Mediterranean have been utterly different? Could the gospel have spread throughout the Ottoman Empire?
