Cahit Berkay, in his own words, is a “longtime dear friend” of mine whom I shared the stage with for many years. He composed music for many films most of which are still fresh in public memory. The exuberant reaction we get from audiences each time we play one of his film compositions at a concert without announcing the title, makes me realise over and over again how powerful soundtracks are. People say that our collective memory is weak. I believe this statement is completely false when it comes to Turkish cinema, film scores and especially those by Cahit Berkay. Cahit Berkay’s film scores, specifically the ones he composed in the 60s and 70s, thoroughly reflect the spirit of the times. Cahit and his band were right in the center of the Anatolian rock movement, a scene heavily influenced by psychedelic and progressive rock in the post-Beatles era. The fact that he is a multi-instrumentalist who can also play numerous traditional Turkish instruments formed the sound of his film scores. Back in those days film scores were recorded during live sessions unlike today’s computer programmed productions. I was a part of some of these sessions in which a bunch of musicians got together in a studio where the related parts of the film were reflected on a screen and the musicians played with emotions aroused by the images as the live performance was recorded. Cahit Berkay’s film scores were out of the box compositions with unique personal touches devoid of any artificiality. That’s why they perfectly matched with the films and became unforgettable melodies in the public consciousness. -Taber Öngür