AHMED ADNAN SAYGUN. The most important 20th century composers in TURKEY

Ahmet Adnan Saygun (1907-1991) was an important Turkish composer, someone widely thought to be one of the most important composers of the 20th Century. Born in Izmir, Turkey, this composer and musicologist is a key figure in Turkish music history.

Saygun’s music is rooted in a combination of traditionally Turkish songs and Western musical practices. The bulk of Saygun’s work is in the neoclassical form. A prolific composer, he produced five symphonies, five operas, two piano concertos, and a range of chamber and choral works.

Though Saygun’s father bought him a piano while growing up in Izmir, he encouraged his son to find another line of work, one where he could make a living. Saygun began translating articles on music and teaching music at a primary school and then a boy’s lycée. In 1928, Saygun won a Ministry of Education competition, and it was because of this that he was able to study music in Paris.

From here, Saygun studied with Eugène Borrel and Schola Cantorum at the Paris Conservatoire. Here, he learned about Western culture and the cultural policies of Turkish President Atatürk while here. Saygun returned to Turkey in 1931 and taught training college for music teachers until 1934 when Atatürk asked him to write an opera to mark the state visit to Ankara of the Shah of Persia. This was followed by a second commissioned opera, Tas Bebek.
 

In 1939, Saygun was appointed inspector of the Halkevleri, social institutions throughout the country, and this allowed the composer to travel. Because of this, he was able to settle into his research of Turkish folk-music.

It was in 1942 that Saygun completed the oratorio Yunus Emre, which was based on the poems by the thirteenth century Sufi mystic. This is one of Saygun’s most well-known pieces. The piece would go on to be performed in many places, including, in 1958, in the United Nations General Assembly Hall.

From 1946 on, Saygun continued his career at the Ankara Conservatory, investing a great portion of his life in composing and his work as a ethnomusicologist.

Saygun’s ability to combine different musical forms while paying tribute to his country has made him an important figure in Turkish music history. His works, dedicated for the people of his country, are some of the most important in the Turkish canon.

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