Sadettin Heper (1899–1980) was a composer of Turkish music considered as an important link to the world of Turkish

Mevlevi The Mevlevi Order or Mawlawiyya ( tr, Mevlevilik or Mevleviyye; fa, طریقت مولویه) is a Sufi order that originated in Konya (a city now in Turkey; formerly capital of the Seljuk Sultanate) and which was founded by the followers of Jalal ...

music before the foundation of the Turkish Republic in 1923.Review of Mevlevi CD
citing Heper's valuable knowledge. He was born in the

Eyüp Eyüp () or Eyüpsultan is a district of the city of Istanbul, Turkey. The district extends from the Golden Horn all the way to the shore of the Black Sea. Eyüp is also the name of a prominent neighborhood and former village in the district, lo ...

neighborhood of

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, ...

as the son of Halit Efendi and Zehra Hanim. Until the religious venues where the

s practiced were closed in 1924 due to the prevailing secular ideology, he played the

kudüm ''Kudüm'' is one of the most fundamental rhythm instruments in classical Turkish music. The person playing it is called ''kudümzen''. It is grouped with the ney, rebap, and halile as one of the four main instruments in Mevlevi music. It consi ...

, a percussion instrument, in Mevlevi religious ceremonies. Later, he worked for the Istanbul Municipality Conservatory. He regularly performed on the ''kudüm'' drum at ceremonies commemorating

Mevlana Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī ( fa, جلال‌الدین محمد رومی), also known as Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Balkhī (), Mevlânâ/Mawlānā ( fa, مولانا, lit= our master) and Mevlevî/Mawlawī ( fa, مولوی, lit= my ma ...

Konya Konya () is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium (), although the Seljuks also called it D ...

when the government lifted the restrictions for these occasions. He published a complete set of Mevlevi ''ayin'' (music and words for the ceremonies), including translations from the original Persian texts into Turkish. He died in Eyüp. He started his musical studies under Ahmed Irsoy, from whom he learned over a thousand religious and nonreligious songs. He learned the

Ney The ''ney'' ( fa, Ney/نی, ar, Al-Nāy/الناي), is an end-blown flute that figures prominently in Persian music and Arabic music. In some of these musical traditions, it is the only wind instrument used. The ney has been played continually ...

from Hakkı Dede. He was educated in the traditional school of Turkish music which was learned from teacher to student. He was against the theoretical approach formed by scholars Arel, Ezgi and Uzdilek (the so-called Arel-Ezgi-Uzdilek system). He composed over 15 songs and taught many important musicians, including

Kâni Karaca Kâni Karaca (1930 – May 29, 2004) was a Turkish singer. Born in Adana, Turkey, he lost his eyesight at the age of 2 and memorized the Quran in elementary school. He came to Istanbul in 1950. He worked with Sadettin Heper Sadettin Heper (1899 ...

, Aziz Bahriyeli, Hüseyin Top, and

Ahmet Özhan Ahmet Özhan (, born August 26, 1950) is a prominent Turkish classic music singer, conductor, and actor. Biography He started singing in Turkish clubs when he was about 18. He performed concerts all around Europe, the US, and the Middle East ...

References

1899 births 1980 deaths People from Eyüp Turkish classical composers 20th-century classical composers Male classical composers 20th-century male musicians Burials at Eyüp Cemetery {{Turkey-musician-stub