Café-chantant

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Café chantant (French: lit. “Singing café”) A type of musical establishment associated with the belle époque in France. Although there is much overlap of definition with cabaret, music hall, vaudeville, etc. the café chantant was originally an outdoor café where small groups of performers performed popular music for the public. The music was generally lighthearted, perhaps risqué, even bawdy, but—as opposed to the cabaret tradition—not particularly political or confrontational. The tradition of such premises as a venue for music has origins in the Paris and London of the 18th century, but gained its widest popularity in the late 19th century and early 20th century, with the growth of various other (besides French) national “schools” of cafè chantant. Thus, one spoke of an Italian, German, or Austrian café chantant, for example.

But the origin of cafes are appeared in Istanbul at Ottoman Era in 1554. Hundreds of them was opened continiously. Most of them are a social club statues. Every guild was own cafe. And those names was 'yenichery cafe, 'sailors cafe', 'meddah(stand-up comadians) cafe, 'karagoz(shadow theatre) cafe'... etc. And specially public cafes turn on a 'singing cafe' at every nights...