Cemil Özbal was a Turkish doctor and

tambur The ''tambur'' (spelled in keeping with TDK conventions) is a fretted string instrument of Turkey and the former lands of the Ottoman Empire. Like the ney, the armudi (lit. pear-shaped) kemençe and the kudüm, it constitutes one of the four in ...

player, considered as one of the last examples of significant tambur players of the classical style. Cemil was born in 1908 in

Aintab Gaziantep (), previously and still informally called Aintab or Antep (), is a major city and capital of the Gaziantep Province, in the westernmost part of Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia Region and partially in the Mediterranean Region, approximat ...

in 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) ...

to Ayşe and Ökkeş Efendi of the Balhakıkcıoğlu family. He went to

Robert College The American Robert College of Istanbul ( tr, İstanbul Özel Amerikan Robert Lisesi or ), often shortened to Robert, or RC, is a Selective school, highly selective, Independent school, independent, mixed-sex education, co-educational Secondary ...

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

and received medical education there. He married Seher Özbal, who he met during his education. He then returned to his hometown, working in the American hospital as a surgeon between 1946 and 1977. He was regarded as one of the best general surgeons in Gaziantep at the time, later taking charge of the American hospital in the city. Özbal started playing

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

and

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

at an early age. He received musical education for 6 months from the Armenian Kasbar Khoja and Viktorya in his hometown. In Istanbul, he was taught by various musicians of the time in classical and ''mevlevi'' styles. In 1950, he formed the first Turkish classical choire in his hometown.

Works

*''The people of Aintab (Turks)'' (1928)

Compositions

* Acemaşîran İlâhi * Hüzzam Sazsemâîsi * Sûzidil Sazsemâîsi * Hüseynî Sazsemâîsi

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ozbal, Cemil Robert College alumni Musicians from Gaziantep 1908 births 1980 deaths Turkish tambur players Composers of Turkish makam music Musicians of Turkish makam music