Mehmet Ruhi Su (1912 – 20 September 1985) was a Turkish

opera singer Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libretti ...

, Turkish folk singer and saz

virtuoso A virtuoso (from Italian ''virtuoso'' or , "virtuous", Late Latin ''virtuosus'', Latin ''virtus'', "virtue", "excellence" or "skill") is an individual who possesses outstanding talent and technical ability in a particular art or field such as ...

of probable

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

Ruhi Su ölümünün 25. yılında anıldı
Etkin Haber Ajansı. 21 September 2010. Retrieved 31 October 2013 origin.

Early life

Mehmet Ruhi Su was born 1912 in Van. He later expressed his situation: "He is one of the children desolated by the

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

." After he lost his family during World War I at a very early age, he was taken from Van to

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, Adana province, it has a population of 2.26 million. Adana lies in the heart ...

and given to a childless poor family. After living with the family, he was taken to Dârüleytâm, an orphanage that was built in Adana for the Armenian orphans. He graduated from the

Kuleli Military High School Kuleli Military High School was the oldest military high school in Turkey, located in Çengelköy, Istanbul, on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus strait. It was founded on September 21, 1845, by Ottoman Sultan Abdülmecid I. After the 2016 Tur ...

in 1931.

Musical background

He started playing violin at the age of ten. In 1936 he graduated from the Teacher's School of Music and in 1942 from the Opera Department of State Conservatory in

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 ...

. The following ten years, he performed at the State Opera in Ankara as a celebrated

bass baritone A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing thr ...

, appearing in operas such as ''

Madame Butterfly ''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is based on the short story " Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Lut ...

'', ''

Fidelio ''Fidelio'' (; ), originally titled ' (''Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love''), Op. 72, is Ludwig van Beethoven's only opera. The German libretto was originally prepared by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of Jean-Nicolas Bouilly, with ...

'', ''

Tosca ''Tosca'' is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1 ...

'' and ''

Rigoletto ''Rigoletto'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi. The Italian libretto was written by Francesco Maria Piave based on the 1832 play ''Le roi s'amuse'' by Victor Hugo. Despite serious initial problems with the Austrian censors who had cont ...

''. During his contemporary music education, he also studied

Turkish folk music Turkish folk music (''Türk Halk Müziği'') is the traditional music of Turkish people living in Turkey influenced by the cultures of Anatolia and former territories in Europe and Asia. Its unique structure includes regional differences under ...

and consequently made regular radio programs, playing saz and singing folk songs, while he worked at the opera.

Political arrest

In 1952 he was arrested, accused of being a member of the banned Turkish Communist Party, and

imprisonment Imprisonment is the restraint of a person's liberty, for any cause whatsoever, whether by authority of the government, or by a person acting without such authority. In the latter case it is "false imprisonment". Imprisonment does not necessari ...

for five years, which ended his career in the opera. After serving his sentence for a "thought crime", he dedicated himself to folk music in his unique way.

Folk studies

While he roamed all over

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 ...

from one village to another, he started compiling numerous folk songs. Ruhi Su combined his efforts of creating a national awareness of the rich Anatolian culture with his compositions based on texts of

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...

poets

Yunus Emre Yunus Emre () also known as Derviş Yunus (Yunus the Dervish) (1238–1328) (Old Anatolian Turkish: يونس امره) was a Turkish folk poet and Islamic Sufi mystic who greatly influenced Turkish culture. His name, ''Yunus'', is the Muslim ...

and

Pir Sultan Abdal Pir Sultan Abdal (born Haydar) is an important religious figure in Alevism, who is thought to be of Turkmen origin and to have been born in the village of Banaz in present-day Sivas Province, Turkey. He is considered legendary among his follower ...

and other Anatolian poets like Köroğlu (see

Epic of Köroğlu 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 to ...

Karacaoğlan Karacaoğlan was a 17th-century Anatolian Turkish folk poet and ashik. His exact dates of birth and death are unknown but it is widely accepted that he was born around 1606 and died around 1680. He lived around the city of Mut near Mersin. His ...

, and

Dadaloğlu Dadaloğlu (Veli) (1785 ?–1868 ?) was a Turkish Ottoman (bard), a folk poet-singer, known as ''Ozan''. Background Two distinct literatures existed in the Ottoman Empire. Literature of the palace, so called divan literature used Ottoman Turk ...

Choir effort

He established and trained a choir in the 1970s and conducted them in many concerts and recordings. The Friends Choir (Dostlar Korosu) that he established in 1975 continues to keep his voice, his music of the heart and his songs alive.

Views

His approach in bringing forth the ignored suffering of the oppressed and his love of humankind in his musical work has gained a great respect and support from his audience and had a deep effect on many musicians, who paved the path to a more open-minded society. He told people's longings in their own language and he conveyed the fire in their heart to everyone and the society with his instrument and his avid voice throughout his life, he was considered dangerous and treacherous. He loved his people in a way unsuitable to government. Because he was a socialist and the cold war began. It was different then. People who saw and spoke of 40 years ago, what everyone sees and tells today were considered dangerous and treacherous. The laws and the mechanisms of Cold War grinded those who adopted a socialist outlook of life. Though dangerous and treacherous, Ruhi Su was not alone. Ruhi Su was a member of Turkish Workers Party (TİP). He married Sidika Su during his 5 years in prison. He became a father in exile.

Death

Ruhi Su died on 20 September 1985 and was buried at the

Zincirlikuyu Cemetery __NOTOC__ The Zincirlikuyu Cemetery ( tr, Zincirlikuyu Mezarlığı) is a modern burial ground residing on the European part of Istanbul, Turkey. It is administered by the Metropolitan Municipality. Many prominent figures from the world of polit ...

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, ...

. His wife Sıdıka Su died on 18 October 2006. His son Ilgin Ruhi Su lives in Istanbul. In 2009, his gravestone was shot by unknown parties.

Albums

#(1972) ''Seferberlik Türküleri Ve Kuvayi Milliye Destanı'' #(1972) ''Yunus Emre'' #(1972) ''Karacaoğlan'' #(1972) ''Pir Sultan Abdal'' #(1974) ''Şiirler – Türküler'' #(1974) ''Köroğlu'' #(1977) ''El Kapıları'' #(1977) ''Sabahın Sahibi Var'' After his death #(1986) ''Pir Sultan'dan Levni'ye'' #(1987) ''Kadıköy Tiyatrosu Konseri I'' #(1987) ''Kadıköy Tiyatrosu Konseri II'' #(1988) ''Beydağı'nın Başı'' #(1988) ''Dadaloğlu Ve Çevresi'' #(1989) ''Huma Kuşu Ve Taşlamalar'' #(1990) ''Sultan Suyu "Pir Sultan Abdal'dan Deyişler"'' #(1990
Ruhi Su performs Sufi Hymns by Yunus Emre and Pir Sultan Abdal
#(1991) ''Dostlar Tiyatrosu Konseri'' (Sümeyra Çakır İle Birlikte) #(1992) ''Ankara'nn Taşına Bak'' #(1993) ''Semahlar'' #(1993) ''Çocuklar, Göçler, Balıklar'' #(1993) ''Zeybekler'' #(1993) ''Ezgili Yürek'' #(1993) ''Ekin İdim Oldum Harman'' #(1993) ''Uyur İken Uyardılar'' #(1994) ''Barabar'' #(1995) ''Aman Of''

References

Notes

*Ahmet Günlük 1990 HITEK Traditional Turkish Folk Music Through The Centuries �

External links

* Ruhi Su ile Birlikte Kırk Yıl: Sıdıka Su �

{{DEFAULTSORT:Su, Ruhi 1912 births 1985 deaths Burials at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery Turkish folk poets 20th-century Turkish male opera singers Turkish Marxists Deaths from cancer in Turkey Deaths from prostate cancer People from Van, Turkey