Cemal Reşit Rey

Cemal Reşit Rey (; 25 October 1904 – 7 October 1985) was a Turkish composer, pianist, script writer and conductor. He was well known for a string of successful and popular Turkish-language operettas for which his brother Ekrem Reşit Rey (1900–1959) wrote the librettos.

He was born on 25 October 1904 in Jerusalem and died on 7 October 1985 in Istanbul. He was one of the five pioneers of Western classical music in Turkey known as ' The Turkish Five' in the first half of the 20th century. Notable students include Yüksel Koptagel, a Turkish composer and pianist.

Works

Operas
* La Geisha (adapted from Sydney Jones)
* Yann (Jann) Marek (1920)(Libretto by Xavier Fromentin)
* Faire sans dire (1920)(Libretto by Alfred de Musset)
* Sultan Cem (1922–23)(Libretto by Ekrem Reşid Rey)
* L'Enchantement (1924)(Libretto by Ekrem Reşid Rey)
* Zeybek("Zeibek") (1926)(Libretto by Ekrem Reşid Rey)
* Köyde Bir Facia (a Tragedy in the Village) (1929)(Libretto by Ekrem Reşid Rey)
* Çelebi (1942–73)(Libretto by Ekrem Reşid Rey)

Operettas
* Le Petit Chaperon rouge (1920)
* Üç Saat (Three Hours, 1932)(poems by Nazım Hikmet)
* Lüküs Hayat ( The Luxurious Life, 1933)(Text by Ekrem Reşid Rey)
* Deli Dolu (Alive and Kicking, 1934)
* Saz Caz (1935)(Text by Ekrem Reşid Rey)
* Maskara (1936)(Text by Ekrem Reşid Rey)
* Hava Cıva (1937)(Text by Ekrem Reşid Rey)
* Yaygara 70 (1969–70)(Play by Erol Günaydın)
* Uy! Balon Dünya (1971)(Play by Erol Günaydın)
* Bir İstanbul Masalı (1972)(Play by Erol Günaydın)

Musical revues
* Adalar Revüsü (1934)
* Alabanda (1941)
* Aldırma (1942)

For theatre, film and radio
* Özyurt (prologue for soloist, chorus and orchestra)
* For Shakespeare's ''Macbeth''
* For Shakespeare's ''Hamlet''
* For Shakespeare's ''King Lear''
· For Shakespeare's "Tempest"
* Lafonten Baba (children's play with music and dance)
* Bataklı Damın Kızı Aysel (film)
* Benli Hürmüz (Radio)

Orchestral works
* ''La Legende du Bebek'' (symphonic poem)
* ''Scènes turques''
* ''Karagöz''
* ''Paysages de soleil''
* ''Instantanes'' (impressions for orchestra)
* ''Initiation'' (symphonic poem)
* Symphony No. 1
* ''L'Appel'' (symphonic poem)
* ''Fatih (Le Conquérant)'' (symphonic poem)
* ''Scherzi symphoniques''
* Symphonic Concerto
* Symphony No. 2
* ''Türkiye'' (symphonic poem) (1971)
* ''Ellinci Yıla Giriş'' (symphonic poem commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Turkish Republic)

Concertos and concertantes
* "Introduction et Dance" for cello and orchestra
* "Concerto Chromatique" for piano and orchestra
* Poème for Ondes Martenot (or flute) and strings
* Violin Concerto
* "Pieces Concertantes" for Violoncello and Orchestra (dedicated to Pierre Fournier)
* Variations on an Old Istanbul Folk Song (Katibim) for piano and orchestra(dedicated to Samson François)
* "Andante et Allegro" for violin solo and string orchestra (dedicated to SUna Kan)
* Guitar Concerto (dedicated to Alirio Diaz)
* Concerto for piano and orchestra

Voice and orchestra
* Chants d'Anatolie (four songs, 1926)
* Two Songs (1930)
* Two Anatolian Folk Songs (1930)
* Mystique (Tenor and Orchestra) (1938)
* Vocalise–Fantaisie (1975)(dedicated to Suna Korad)
* Three Anatolian Folk Songs (1977)
* Arrangements of Schubert, Brahms, Scarlatti, Paisiello for voice and strings

Choral works
* Çayır İnce (four-voice a capella)
Two Pieces on Poems by Yunus Emre
* Anatolian Folk Songs (1926)
* Ten Folk Songs (four-voice chorus and piano, 1963)
* Two Songs (a capella women's chorus, 1936)

Voice and piano
* Je me demande (1919)
* Three Melodies (1920)
* Initiales sur un banc (1921)
* Chanson du printemps (1922)
* Au jardin (1923)
* L'Offrande lyrique (eight melodies, 1923)
* Nocturne (1925)
* Twelve Anatolian Folk Songs (1926)
* Folk Songs (1928)
* Twelve Melodies (1929)
* Vatan (1930)
* Four Melodies (1956)
* Paris Sokakları("Le Pecheur de Pergame")(Streets of Paris, 1981)

Chamber Music
* Impressions of Anatolia for violin and piano
* Piece for woodwind quintet
* String Quartet
* Short Piece for violin and piano
* Piano Quartet
* Sextet (piano, voice and string quartet)
* Instrumental Dialogue (flute, harp, 2 horns and string quartet)

Solo Piano
* Waltz (1912)
* Sonata (1924)
* Sarı Zeybek (1926)
* Scènes turques (1928)
* Souvenirs d'automne (?)
* Sonatina (1928)
* Paysages de soleil (1930–31)
* Sonata (1936)
* Pélerinages dans la ville qui n'est plus que souvenir (1940–41)
* Fantaisie (1948)
* Two Pieces (1959)
* Ten Folk Songs (1967)
* Improvisation (1983)
Music for Two Pianos
12 Preludes and Fugues (1968)

Marches
* Himaye-i Etfalin (Children's Protection March)
(Tenth Anniversary March of the Republic, 1933)
* Navy March (1935)
* Yedeksubay Marşı (1940)
* Atatürk's 100th Birthday March (1981)

Legacy

Cemal Reşit Rey Concert Hall in Istanbul is named after him.

References

Notes

Further Reading
* Aydin, Yilmaz (2002). ''Die Werke der 'Türkischen Fünf' im Lichte der Musikalischen Wechselbeziehungen zwischen der Türkei und Europa.'' Europäische Hochshculschriften, Peter Lang Publisher.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rey, Cemal Resit
1904 births
1985 deaths
The Turkish Five
State Artists of Turkey
Turkish classical composers
20th-century classical composers
Male classical composers
Turkish opera composers
20th-century conductors (music)
20th-century male musicians