Müzeyyen Senar
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Müzeyyen Senar (; 16 July 1918 – 8 February 2015) was a Turkish
classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...
performer, known as the "''Diva of the
Republic A republic, based on the Latin phrase ''res publica'' ('public affair' or 'people's affair'), is a State (polity), state in which Power (social and political), political power rests with the public (people), typically through their Representat ...
''".


Early years

Müzeyyen Dombayoğlu was born in 1918 in the village of Gököz, in
Keles Keles is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of Bursa Province, Turkey. Its area is 617 km2, and its population is 10,955 (2022). Composition There are 42 mahalle, neighbourhoods in Keles District:Bursa Province Bursa Province () is a Provinces of Turkey, province and Metropolitan municipalities in Turkey, metropolitan municipality in Turkey along the Sea of Marmara coast in northwestern Anatolia. It borders Balıkesir Province, Balıkesir to the west, K ...
, in the then
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
. She had two elder brothers İsmet and Hilmi. Her mother Zehra used to sing Senar to sleep. At the age of five, she developed a stutter after returning from a wedding ceremony, which she thought was the result of fear, as she recalled. Her speech disorder lasted until adulthood, though, as is usually the case with performers, it did not affect her singing voice. At six years old, knowing most of the popular folk songs by heart, she sang at family gatherings and wedding ceremonies, to which her mother took her. In her early childhood, she ran away from her father's home in Bursa to Istanbul, where her mother lived. Her father had left his wife after a marriage of 25 years. According to several claims by Turkish media, she was adopted by the Dombayoğlu family. She was born in the village of ''Hilmiye'' in
İnegöl İnegöl (known as , ''Angelokomis'' in the Byzantine period) is a municipality and district of Bursa Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,118 km2, and its population is 302.251 (2024). İnegöl is one of the centers of the Turkish furniture indus ...
to ethnic Georgian parents. Her birth name was Zeliha Eren and her parents were Fatma and Reşit, who migrated from
Batumi Batumi (; ka, ბათუმი ), historically Batum or Batoum, is the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), second-largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, located on the coast ...
to
İnegöl İnegöl (known as , ''Angelokomis'' in the Byzantine period) is a municipality and district of Bursa Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,118 km2, and its population is 302.251 (2024). İnegöl is one of the centers of the Turkish furniture indus ...
.


Career

Senar began her musical career in 1931, entering the ''Anadolu Musiki Cemiyeti'' ("Anatolia Musical Association") in
Üsküdar Üsküdar () is a municipality and district of Istanbul Province, Turkey. Its area is 35 km2, and its population is 524,452 (2022). It is a large and densely populated district on the Anatolian (Asian) shore of the Bosphorus. It is border ...
, where she was educated by
kemenche Kemenche (, Persian language, Persian : کمانچه) or Lyra is a name used for various types of Bowed string instrument, stringed bowed musical instruments originating in the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly in Greece, Armenia, Iran, Turke ...
virtuoso Kemal Niyazi Seyhun and
oud The oud ( ; , ) is a Middle Eastern short-neck lute-type, pear-shaped, fretless stringed instrument (a chordophone in the Hornbostel–Sachs classification of instruments), usually with 11 strings grouped in six courses, but some models have ...
player Hayriye. After starting to perform at Radio Istanbul of TRT, she became well known. In 1933 she debuted on stage in a summer talent show at one of the most important music halls in
Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
. She continued her performances at other renowned music halls. Also in 1933, aged 15, she sang her first song on
78 rpm record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English) or a vinyl record (for later varieties only) is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The gr ...
released by
His Master's Voice His Master's Voice is an entertainment trademark featuring a dog named Nipper, curiously peering into the horn of a wind-up gramophone. Painted by Francis Barraud in 1898, the image has since become a global symbol used across consumer elect ...
. More recordings followed later on
Odeon Records Odeon Records is a record label founded in 1903 by Max Straus and Heinrich Zuntz of the International Talking Machine Company in Berlin, Germany. The label's name and logo come from the Odéon-Théâtre de l'Europe in Paris. History Straus a ...
and other labels. Her singing was also much admired by the founder of the Turkish Republic,
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish field marshal and revolutionary statesman who was the founding father of the Republic of Turkey, serving as its first President of Turkey, president from 1923 until Death an ...
(1881-1938). On several occasions she gave special concerts in his audience. Following an offer of
Mesut Cemil Mesut Cemil (; 1902 – October 31, 1963) was a Turkish composer, and a notable ''tanbur'' lute and cello player. His father was Tanburi Cemil Bey. He participated in the 1932 Cairo Congress of Arab Music. Cemil took cello and violin lessons ...
in 1938, she went to
Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...
to perform at the newly established state-owned local radio station. In 1941 she returned to Istanbul to give concerts at various well-known night clubs. In 1947, Senar gave her first concert abroad in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
,
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
at
Le Lido Le Lido is a musical theatre venue located on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, France. It opened in 1946 at 78 Avenue des Champs-Élysées and moved to its current location in 1977. Until its purchase by Accor in 2021, it was known for its exoti ...
. With her voice and style, she opened a new era of Turkish classical music. She retired from active singing in 1983, appearing in her final show in a popular music hall in Bebek, Istanbul. In the 1940s Senar played the leading role in the movie ''
Kerem ile Aslı Kerem is a Turkish male given name of Arabic origin, for males, and it means nobility, generosity and greatness. People named Kerem include: * Kerem Alışık (born 1960), Turkish actor and television presenter * Kerem Bulut (born 1992), Turkish ...
''. In the 1960s she was featured in the movies ''Ana Yüreği'' and ''Sevgili Hocam''. Her 1976 film, ''Analar Ölmez'' is autobiographical. She dubbed
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
ian singer
Umm Kulthum Umm Kulthum (; 31 December 1898 – 3 February 1975) was an Egyptians, Egyptian singer and film actress active from the 1920s to the 1970s. She was given the honorific title (). Immensely popular throughout the Middle East and beyond, Umm Kul ...
's songs in imported Arabic movies with songs specially composed for Turkish release.


Later years and death

On 26 September 2006 it was reported that she suffered a
cerebral infarction Cerebral infarction, also known as an ischemic stroke, is the pathologic process that results in an area of necrotic tissue in the brain (cerebral infarct). In mid to high income countries, a stroke is the main reason for disability among peo ...
at her home in
İzmir İzmir is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara. It is on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, and is the capital of İzmir Province. In 2024, the city of İzmir had ...
, which paralyzed her left side. In February 2008 it was reported that she had lost her voice. As of 2013, she was living with her daughter, Feraye Işıl, in
Bodrum Bodrum () is a town and district of Muğla Province, Turkey. About 200 thousand people live in the district, which covers 650 km2 and includes the town. It is a port town at the entrance to the Gulf of Gökova. Known in ancient times as Hal ...
. Senar died on 8 February 2015, aged 96. She had been hospitalized with
pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...
at
Ege University Ege University or Aegean University () is a public research university in Bornova, İzmir. It was founded in 1955 with the faculties of Medicine and Agriculture. It is the first university to start courses in İzmir and the fourth oldest unive ...
Hospital in İzmir. On 10 February, she was laid to rest in
Zincirlikuyu Cemetery The Zincirlikuyu Cemetery () is a modern burial ground in the European part of Istanbul, Turkey. It is administered by the Metropolitan Municipality. Many prominent figures from the world of politics, business, sports and arts rest here. The ce ...
, following the religious service held at
Bebek Mosque Bebek Mosque (), officially Hümayûn-u Âbad Mosque ( for: Prosperous Imperial Mosque) is a 1913-built mosque located in Bebek neighborhood of Beşiktaş district in Istanbul, Turkey. Bebek Mosque was designed by Mimar Kemaleddin (1870–1927 ...
in Istanbul.


Accolades

In 1998, she was awarded the
State Artist State Artist (, also sometimes translated as "National Artist") is an honorary title granted to prominent artists by the government of Turkey for their contributions to the Turkish culture. It was established in 1971 by the President of Turkey ( Ce ...
Award, but she declined to accept it. With the initiative of her student, renowned Turkish classical music singer,
Bülent Ersoy Bülent Ersoy (; born Erkoç 9 June 1952) is a Turkish singer and actress. She is known as one of the most popular singers of Turkish music, nicknamed Diva by her fans. Ersoy has many famous hits such as "Ümit Hırsızı" ''(Hope Thief)'', "Gec ...
, an exhibition of photographs of her entitled "Cumhuriyetin Divası: Müzeyyen Senar" ("Müzeyyen Senar, the Diva of the Republic") was held in Ankara on 29 October 2009, the Republic Day of Turkey. On 16 July 2018, Google celebrated her 100th birthday with a
Google Doodle Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Google's homepages intended to commemorate holidays, events, achievements, and historical figures. The first Google Doodle honored the 1998 edition of the long-running annual Bu ...
.


Discography


References


Further reading

*


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Senar, Muzeyyen 1918 births 2015 deaths People from Keles Turkish people of Georgian descent 20th-century Turkish women singers Turkish classical singers Turkish film actresses Musicians of Ottoman classical music Musicians of Turkish makam music Burials at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery Deaths from pneumonia in Turkey