Ahmet Adnan Saygun (; 7 September 1907 – 6 January 1991) was a Turkish composer,

musicologist Musicology is the academic, research-based study of music, as opposed to musical composition or performance. Musicology research combines and intersects with many fields, including psychology, sociology, acoustics, neurology, natural sciences, f ...

and writer on music. One of a group of composers known as the Turkish Five who pioneered western classical music in Turkey, his works show a mastery of Western musical practice, while also incorporating traditional Turkish folk songs and culture. When alluding to folk elements he tends to spotlight one note of the scale and weave a melody around it, based on a Turkish mode. His extensive output includes five symphonies, five operas, two piano concertos, concertos for violin, viola and cello, and a wide range of chamber and choral works. ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' called him "the grand old man of Turkish music, who was to his country what

Jean Sibelius Jean Sibelius (; ; born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius; 8 December 186520 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic music, Romantic and 20th-century classical music, early modern periods. He is widely regarded as his countr ...

is to Finland, what

Manuel de Falla Manuel de Falla y Matheu (, 23 November 187614 November 1946) was a Spanish composer and pianist. Along with Isaac Albéniz, Francisco Tárrega, and Enrique Granados, he was one of Spain's most important musicians of the first half of the 20t ...

is to Spain, and what

Béla Bartók Béla Viktor János Bartók (; ; 25 March 1881 – 26 September 1945) was a Hungarian composer, pianist and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Franz Liszt are regarded as Hunga ...

is to Hungary". Saygun was growing up in Turkey when he witnessed radical changes in his country's politics and culture as the

reforms Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish field marshal and revolutionary statesman who was the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, serving as its first President of Turkey, president from 1923 until Death an ...

had replaced the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

—which had ruled for nearly 600 years—with a new secular republic based on Western models and traditions. As Atatürk had created a new cultural identity for his people and newly founded nation, Saygun found his role in developing what Atatürk had begun.

Biography

Ahmet Adnan Saygun was born in 1907 in İzmir, then part of the

– in today's Turkey. There were frequent concerts given by the Ottoman military bands, and performances of Western works by

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music ...

ensembles at the time and this influenced Saygun to start his first music lessons in elementary school. He started playing the piano, the Ottoman short-necked lute and the oud at an early age and quickly found his passion writing music at the age of fourteen. His father who was a mathematics teacher and scholar of religions and literature taught him English and French as well as world religions at an early age. Through rigorous study Saygun was able to translate the music section of the French '' Grande Encyclopédie'' into a music encyclopedia in Turkish. While in high school, he continued his music lessons with lessons in school as well as from a private teacher and through a theory book which he was given at an early age. In 1926, only two years after his graduation from high school he was appointed as teacher of music at a high school in his native city of İzmir. Statue of Ahmet Adnan Saygun at AASSM

In 1928 he was recognized nationally and received a grant to study in France by the Turkish state. He attended the Schola Cantorum de Paris where he studied composition with Vincent d'Indy, theory and counterpoint with Eugène Borrel, organ with Édouard Souberbielle and

Gregorian chant Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainsong, plainchant, a form of monophony, monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek language, Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed main ...

with Amédée Gastoué. He was further introduced to late-romantic music and French impressionism. During this time his imagination flourished, enabling him to write his first large work for orchestra: ''Divertimento''. This piece won him an award in 1931 in Paris and was performed with great success the same year in Poland and former USSR. In 1931 he returned to Turkey as a music teacher for a new establishment found by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk that aimed to train music teachers with respect to the new law of arts. This suggested that previous training standards had to be changed to meet Western musical standards. Musical education adopted Western musical practices as part of this new era in Turkey. In 1934 he was appointed as the conductor of the prestigious Presidential Symphony Orchestra. That very same year Atatürk approached Saygun, asking him to write the first Turkish opera. As Saygun was a huge follower of Atatürk he accepted his offer with great warmth and in two months time finished writing the first Turkish opera, ''

Özsoy ''Özsoy'' (or ''Fereydun'') is an opera composed by Ahmet Adnan Saygun from a libretto by :tr:Münir Hayri Egeli, Münir Hayri Egeli. It was the first Turkey, Turkish opera composed during the country's Republican period under Mustafa Kemal A ...

''. The opera's theme was the historical friendship between the peoples of Turkey and Iran. Following ''

s success Atatürk asked Saygun to write another opera suggesting the heroism of the Turks and Atatürk's devotion to his country and people. Saygun quickly finished his second opera ''Taşbebek'' in that very same year. This was the year that marked Saygun's career as the musical "voice" of the newly founded republic of Turkey. He now was the musical symbol of his country and had dedicated his works and life for the people and his country, like his great admirer Atatürk. Following the operas he was neglected in Ankara State Conservatory by its founder

Paul Hindemith Paul Hindemith ( ; ; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German and American composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advo ...

. He moved to Istanbul as part of the theory faculty at the Istanbul Municipal Conservatory. In 1936

visited Turkey to research the native folk music. Saygun accompanied Bartók on his travels around the country, collecting and transcribing folk songs all through the

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

and Osmaniye (a region of

Adana Adana is a large city in southern Turkey. The city is situated on the Seyhan River, inland from the northeastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It is the administrative seat of the Adana Province, Adana province, and has a population of 1 81 ...

), Turkey. Saygun gained immense knowledge of Bartók's style of writing during this trip and learned a great deal about string quartets: they became great friends. In 1939 he was invited back to

Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...

to further promote Western musical activities and practices. A year later he formed his own organization, ''Ses ve Tel Birliği'', which showcased recitals and concerts throughout the country, further developing public knowledge of Western classical music. Saygun's international acclaim flourished with his

oratorio An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble. Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguisha ...

Yunus Emre Yunus Emre (), also known as Derviş Yûnus (Yûnus the Dervish) (1238–1320) (Old Anatolian Turkish: يونس امره), was a Turkish folk poet and Sufi who greatly influenced Turkish culture. The UNESCO General Conference unanimously passe ...

in 1946. This is an hour-long work written for four vocal soloists, a full chorus and full orchestra that sets a number of poems by the 13th century Anatolian mystic poet

. This work captures ''Yunus Emres legacy with the use of Turkish modes and folk melodies, although it is written in the post-romantic style. Since its premiere in Ankara in 1947, the oratorio has been translated into five languages and performed worldwide, including a performance in English at the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

led by conductor

Leopold Stokowski Leopold Anthony Stokowski (18 April 1882 – 13 September 1977) was a British-born American conductor. One of the leading conductors of the early and mid-20th century, he is best known for his long association with the Philadelphia Orchestra. H ...

with the NBC Symphony Orchestra in 1958. This same year he won the Stella della solidarietà and the

composition awards. The success of ''Yunus Emre'' encouraged Saygun to compose further large-scale works. In the 1950s he wrote three new operas, his first two symphonies, a piano concerto, and several pieces of chamber music pieces, of which a Paris premiere of the first string quartet (1954) and a premiere of the second string quartet (1958) in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

performed by the

Juilliard String Quartet The Juilliard String Quartet (JSQ) is a classical music string quartet founded in 1946 at the Juilliard School in New York by William Schuman and Robert Mann. Since its inception, it has been the quartet-in-residence at the Juilliard School. ...

gained him further international exposure. There followed, amongst other works, three more symphonies, concertos for violin and viola and a second piano concerto, and a third string quartet. A fourth quartet remained unfinished at his death. Saygun was known not only as a composer but also as a scholar as he wrote and published many books on the teaching of music. He was also an ethnomusicologist and a teacher. He greatly influenced the development of western music in Turkey and helped to establish several new music conservatories, and was also a member of the National Education Council and the board of the

Turkish Radio and Television Corporation The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT; Turkish: ) is the national public broadcasting, public broadcaster of Turkey, founded in 1964. TRT was for many years the only television and radio broadcaster in Turkey. Before the introductio ...

. Starting in 1972, he taught composition and ethnomusicology at the Istanbul State Conservatory (later connected to the Mimar Sinan University and named "Mimar Sinan State Conservatory" in 1986). Following his death, the Ahmet Adnan Saygun Center for Music Research at Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey, was founded where his original manuscripts and archives are also kept. His works were played by orchestras such as NBC Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Symphony Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, Bavarian Radio Orchestra, NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover and numerous others. The German label CPO has launched a series of works in memoriam of the 100th birthday of the composer in 2007. The records are including Symphonies 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Piano Concertos 1, 2, Violin Concerto, Viola Concerto, Cello Concerto, Anatolian Suite and String Quartets 1, 2, 3, 4. Turkish music historian Emre Araci published a comprehensive biography and catalogue of Adnan Saygun in 2001 (Yapı Kredi Yayınları, in Turkish), based on his 1999 PhD thesis from the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

Works

Operas

*Op. 9 ''

'' (one act), 1934 *Op. 11 ''

Taşbebek ''Taşbebek'' (The Doll) is a 1934 Turkish-language opera by Ahmed Adnan Saygun. It was one of a group of operas commissioned by Atatürk as part of his cultural transformation. History It is one of the first Turkish operas staged in Turkey. B ...

'' (one act), 1934 *Op. 28 '' Kerem'' (three acts), 1947–52 *Op. 52 '' Köroğlu'' (three acts, based on the Epic of Koroghlu), 1973 *Op. 65 '' Gılgameş'', 1964–1983

Ballets

*Op.17 ''Bir Orman Masalı'' (''A Forest Tale''), 1939–43 *Op.75 ''Kumru Efsanesi'' (''Legend of Kumru''), 1986–89

Orchestral

*Op.1 Divertimento, (large orchestra with saxophone and darbuka), 1930 *Op.10/b ''İnci's Book'' (Symphonic arrangement), 1944 *Op.13 ''Magic Dance'', 1934 *Op.14 Suite for Orchestra, 1936 *Op.24 ''Halay'', 1943 *Op.29 Symphony No. 1, 1953 *Op.30 Symphony No. 2, 1958 *Op.39 Symphony No. 3, 1960 *Op.53 Symphony No. 4, 1974 *Op.57 ''Ritual Dance'', 1975 *Op.70 Symphony No. 5, 1985 *Op.72 Variations for Orchestra, 1985

Vocal/choral-orchestral

*Op.3 ''Laments'' (tenor solo and male choir), 1932 *Op.6 ''Kızılırmak Türküsü'' (folk song for soprano), 1933 *Op.16 ''Masal Lied'' (baritone solo), 1940 *Op.19 ''Cantata in the Old Style'' (soloists and chorus), 1941 *Op.21 ''Geçen Dakikalarım'' (baritone solo), 1941 *Op.23 Four Folk Songs, 1945 *Op.26 'Yunus Emre' Oratorio, oratorio (soloists, choir, orchestra), 1942 *Op.41 Ten Folk Songs, 1968 *Op.54 ''Laments - Book II'' (tenor solo, male voices), 1974 *Op.60 ''Mediations on Men I'', 1977 *Op.61 ''Mediations on Men II'', 1977 *Op.63 ''Mediations on Men III'', 1983 *Op.64 ''Mediations on Men IV'', 1978 *Op.66 ''Mediations on Men V'', 1978 *Op.67 ''Epics on Atatürk and Anatolia'', 1981 *Op.69 ''Mediations on Men VI'', 1984

Concertante

*Op.34 Piano Concerto No. 1, 1952–58 *Op.44 Violin Concerto, 1967 *Op.59 Viola Concerto, 1977 *Op.71 Piano Concerto No. 2, 1985 *Op.74 Cello Concerto, 1987

Chamber

*Op.4 ''Intuitions'' ( two clarinets), 1933 *Op.8 Percussion Quartet (clarinet, saxophone, piano, percussion), 1933 *Op.12 Sonata (piano-cello), 1935 *Op.20 Sonata (piano- violin), 1941 *Op.27 String Quartet No.1, 1947 *Op.33 ''Demet'', Suite for violin and piano,1955 *Op.35 String Quartet No.2, 1957 *Op.37 Trio (oboe, clarinet, harp), 1966 *Op.43 String Quartet No.3, 1966 *Op.46 Wind Quintet, 1968 *Op.49 Deyiş "Dictum" (strings), 1970 *Op.50 Three Preludes (two harps), 1971 *Op.55 Trio (oboe, clarinet, piano), 1975 *Op.62 Concerto da Camera (strings), 1978 *Op.68 Three Folk Songs for Four Harps, 1983 *Op.78 String Quartet No.4-two movements, 1990

Instrumental

*Op. 31 Partita for Cello, 1954 *Op. 36 Partita for Violin, 1961

Piano

*Op.2 Suite for Piano, 1931 *Op.10/a ''İnci's Book'', 1934 *Op.15 Piano Sonatina, 1938 *Op.25 ''From Anatolia'', 1945 *Op.38 Ten Etudes on "Aksak" Rhythms, 1964 *Op.45 Twelve Preludes on "Aksak" Rhythms,1967 *Op.47 Fifteen Pieces on "Aksak" Rhythms, 1967 *Op.58 Ten Sketches on "Aksak" Rhythms, 1976 *Op.51 ''Short Things'', 1950–52 *Op.56 Ballade (two pianos), 1975 *Op.73 Poem for Three Pianos, 1986 *Op.76 Piano Sonata, 1990

Choral

*Op.5 Folk Song, 1933 *Op.7 ''Çoban Armağanı'', 1933 *Op.18 ''Dağlardan Ovalardan'', 1939 *Op.22 ''Bir Tutam Kekik'', 1943, last section variations on Kâtibim *Op.42 ''Impressions'' (three female voices), 1935

Vocal

*Op.32 Three Ballades, 1955 *Op.48 Four Melodies, 1977

References

* Anon. .d.
Ahmed Adnan Saygun
(Bilkent University Faculty of Music and Performing Arts) * Burton, Anthony. 2002. "Saygun, A. Adnan." In ''The Oxford Companion to Music'', edited by Alison Latham.
Oxford Music Online
', (accessed February 26, 2009). (Subscription access) * Orga, Ateş.

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"" (review). ''Music Web International''.

External links

Catalog
from JPC
Saygun Piano Music
from Albany Records {{DEFAULTSORT:Saygun, Ahmed Adnan 1907 births 1991 deaths Musicians from İzmir The Turkish Five Turkish opera composers Ballet composers State Artists of Turkey 20th-century Turkish classical composers Schola Cantorum de Paris alumni Turkish male classical composers 20th-century Turkish male musicians Academic staff of Ankara State Conservatory