| Tuzcuoğlu Mehmet Ali Efendi | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Mehmet Ali Bey |
| Also known as | Tuzcuoğlu |
| Born | 19th century Görele, Ottoman Empire |
| Origin | Görele, Turkey |
| Died | 1870s Görele, Ottoman Empire (present-day Görele, Giresun Province, Turkey) |
| Genres | Kemençe |
| Occupations | Kemençe player |
| Years active | 1870s |
| Associated acts | Kodalak Halil Agha, Picoğlu Osman, Kemal İpşir, Mehmet Sırrı Öztürk, Katip Şadi |
Tuzcuoğlu Mehmet Ali pronounced [tuzdʒuo:ɫu meːmet ɑli] in Turkish (Ottoman Turkish: طوزجى اوغلى محمد على) (born, lived and died in 19th century, Görele, Ottoman Empire) was a Turkish kemençe player and horon music composer from Görele[1] in Giresun province. He is considered to be "the best kemenche player ever" by most of the people in the Eastern Black Sea Region in Turkey.
There are a few sources and records mentioning Tuzcuoğlu. He was born in the town of Görele to Turkish parents in 1800s and probably, he began playing kemençe at a very young age. He was a very talented player and was noted in Görele and neighbouring areas (Ağasar Valley, Tonya, Tirebolu etc.).[2]
"Tuzcuoğlu Horon havası" (a composition of his) is still played in Görele by kemençe players. He was also a kemençe tutor. He tutored Kodalak Halil Ağa who was the tutor of Picoğlu Osman.[3] His music has a strong influence on Eastern Black Sea Region kemençe players in Turkey. Even in Greece, his horon music is known as "horeftiko" by Rums who migrated from Turkey during population exchange between Turkey and Greece in 1920s, .