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

musicologist Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some m ...

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 daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ( ...

'' 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 and early-modern periods. He is widely regarded as his country's greatest composer, and his music is often ...

is to Finland, what

Manuel de Falla Manuel de Falla y Matheu (, 23 November 187614 November 1946) was an Andalusian 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 ...

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 Hu ...

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

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, or Mustafa Kemal Pasha until 1921, and Ghazi Mustafa Kemal from 1921 Surname Law (Turkey), until 1934 ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish Mareşal (Turkey), field marshal, Turkish National Movement, re ...

had replaced the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...

—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 band Ottoman military bands are the oldest recorded military marching band in the world. Though they are often known by the word ''Mehter'' ( ota, مهتر, plural: مهتران ''mehterân''; from "senior" in Persian) in West Europe, that word, pr ...

s, and performances of Western works by

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

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 , image=File:oud2.jpg , image_capt=Syrian oud made by Abdo Nahat in 1921 , background= , classification= * String instruments *Necked bowl lutes , hornbostel_sachs=321.321-6 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded with a plectrum , ...

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 Grande means "large" or "great" in many of the Romance languages. It may also refer to: Places * Grande, Germany, a municipality in Germany *Grande Communications, a telecommunications firm based in Texas * Grande-Rivière (disambiguation) * Arr ...

'' 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 The Schola Cantorum de Paris is a private conservatory in Paris. It was founded in 1894 by Charles Bordes, Alexandre Guilmant and Vincent d'Indy as a counterbalance to the Paris Conservatoire's emphasis on opera. History La Schola was founded ...

where he studied composition with

Vincent d'Indy Paul Marie Théodore Vincent d'Indy (; 27 March 18512 December 1931) was a French composer and teacher. His influence as a teacher, in particular, was considerable. He was a co-founder of the Schola Cantorum de Paris and also taught at the P ...

, theory and counterpoint with Eugène Borrel, organ with

Édouard Souberbielle Jacques Auguste Édouard Souberbielle (17 June 1899 – 29 January 1986) was a 20th-century French organist, Kapellmeister and music educator. Biography Souberbielle first studied with his mother, a former pupil of Émile Delaborde, son of Cha ...

and

Gregorian chant Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed mainly in western and central Europe dur ...

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

. 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, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

and Osmaniye (a region of

Adana Adana (; ; ) is a major city in southern Turkey. It is situated on the Seyhan River, inland from the Mediterranean Sea. The administrative seat of Adana province, it has a population of 2.26 million. Adana lies in the heart of Cilicia, wh ...

), 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 ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...

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 large musical composition for orchestra, choir, and soloists. Like most operas, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias. However, opera is ...

Yunus Emre 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 Yunus Emre. 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 an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...

led by conductor

Leopold Stokowski Leopold Anthony Stokowski (18 April 1882 – 13 September 1977) was a British 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 and his appear ...

with the

NBC Symphony Orchestra The NBC Symphony Orchestra was a radio orchestra conceived by David Sarnoff, the president of the Radio Corporation of America, especially for the conductor Arturo Toscanini. The NBC Symphony performed weekly radio concert broadcasts with Tosc ...

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 or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

performed by the Juilliard String Quartet 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 broadcaster of Turkey, founded in 1964. TRT was for many years the only television and radio provider in Turkey. Before the introduction of commercial radio ...

. Starting in 1972, he taught composition and ethnomusicology at the Istanbul State Conservatory (later connected to the

Mimar Sinan University The Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University ( tr, Mimar Sinan Güzel Sanatlar Üniversitesi, or MSGSÜ) is a Turkish public university dedicated to higher education in the fine arts. It is located in the Fındıklı neighbourhood of Beyoğlu, Istanbul ...

and named "Mimar Sinan State Conservatory" in 1986).Araci, Emre. Ahmed Adnan Saygun: Doğu Batı Arası Müzik Köprüsü: YKY, Istanbul, 2001, p. 177, 210. Following his death, the Ahmet Adnan Saygun Center for Music Research at

Bilkent University Bilkent University ( tr, Bilkent Üniversitesi) is a private university located in Ankara, Turkey. It was founded by Prof. İhsan Doğramacı in 1984, with the aim of creating a center of excellence in higher education and research. It is constan ...

in Ankara, Turkey, was founded where his original manuscripts and archives are also kept. His works were played by orchestras such as

Vienna Philharmonic The Vienna Philharmonic (VPO; german: Wiener Philharmoniker, links=no) is an orchestra that was founded in 1842 and is considered to be one of the finest in the world. The Vienna Philharmonic is based at the Musikverein in Vienna, Austria. It ...

, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Symphony Orchestra,

Munich Philharmonic The Munich Philharmonic (german: Münchner Philharmoniker, links=no) is a German symphony orchestra located in the city of Munich. It is one of Munich's four principal orchestras, along with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Munich Ra ...

Bavarian Radio Orchestra The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (german: Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, BRSO) is a German radio orchestra. Based in Munich, Germany, it is one of the city's four orchestras. The BRSO is one of two full-size symphony orchest ...

NDR Radiophilharmonie The NDR Radiophilharmonie is a German radio orchestra, affiliated with the Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) in Hanover, the capital of Lower Saxony. The orchestra principally gives concerts in the ''Großer Sendesaal'' of the '' Landesfunkhaus Nieder ...

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 Emre * Emre Altuğ (born 1970), Turkish musician * * Emre Aracı (born 1968), Turkish music historian, conductor, composer * Emre Aydın (born 1981), Turkish rock singer * Emre Aşık (born 1973), Turkish footballer * Emre Zafer Barnes (born ...

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 ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 1 ...

Works

Operas

*Op. 9 '' Özsoy'' (one act), 1934 *Op. 11 '' Taşbebek'' (one act), 1934 *Op. 28 '' Kerem'' (three acts), 1947–52 *Op. 52 '' Köroğlu'' (three acts, based on the

Epic of Koroghlu The ''Epic of Koroghlu'' ( az, , tr, ; tk, , uz, ) is a heroic legend prominent in the oral traditions of the Turkic peoples, mainly the Oghuz Turks. The legend typically describes a hero who seeks to avenge a wrong. It was often put t ...

), 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.

006 Alec Trevelyan (006) is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the 1995 James Bond film '' GoldenEye'', the first film to feature actor Pierce Brosnan as Bond. Trevelyan is portrayed by actor Sean Bean. The likeness of Bean as Ale ...

Ahmed Adnan SAYGUN (1907-1991): Complete String Quartets
(review). ''Music Web International''.

External links

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