# What is Janissary Music? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 5, 2005, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-janissary-music/324949 "2005-10-05T20:52:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GriffinMaxwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/65b543/32.png) [@GriffinMaxwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GriffinMaxwell)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-janissary-music/324949/1 "2005-10-05T20:52:44Z")
I’m vaguely familiar of the Janissary corps of the Ottoman Empire - former Christians and non-Muslims turned into a body guard for the Sultan, if I’m not mistaken. But recently, I’ve heard about something called Janissary music. Being that they were, as far as I knew, a solely military corps, it puzzles me, to say the least. So, the question: 1. What is Janissary music? ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-janissary-music/324949/2 "2005-10-05T21:19:24Z")
> [@GriffinMaxwell](#): > > 1. What is Janissary music? At a guess it is referring to the music of the Bektashi Sufi order to which the Janissaries were closely tied. - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2005, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-janissary-music/324949/3 "2005-10-05T23:42:29Z")
It was music that was based on the kind of music played by Janissary military bands…it’s also called “Turkish style”. It was really popular in continental classical music. Mozart used it, as did Beethoven and Hayden.