Who is Müzeyyen Senar?

Müzeyyen Senar (Date of birth 16 July 1918; Gököz, Keles, Bursa - Date of death February 8, 2015, İzmir) Turkish Classical Music artist. It is also known as the "Court of the Republic".

It is claimed that Müzeyyen Senar, who was born in Bursa in 1918, was adopted at a young age. According to R. Erkan Alemdaroğlu, Senar was born in the Hilmiye village of İnegöl as Zeliha Eren. His father's name is Reşit and his mother's name is Fatma.

Müzeyyen Senar started her musical education at the Anatolian Music Society under the supervision of Kemal Niyazi Seyhun Bey, the master of kemençe, and her udi Hayriye Hanım. As the reputation of this girl, who has a strong voice, spread, important masters of the period such as hafız Sadettin Kaynak, Selahattin Pınar, Lemi Atlı, Mustafa Nafiz Irmak gave her lessons, and helped her to teach and sing her own compositions as well as the popular songs of the time.

Senar, who started singing with Kemal Niyazi on Istanbul Radio, made a name for himself with this program, which was watched with great interest on Thursdays. Among those who listened to Senar in this program was İbrahim Dervişzâde, owner of the 10th Year Belvü Casino, one of the most important music halls of Istanbul, and took Müzeyyen Senar to the stars program of the summer season of 1933. Senar also took the stage in other famous casinos in Istanbul in the following years.

Müzeyyen Senar's talent attracted the attention of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic and a great fan of Turkish art music, and the artist sang many times in his presence, at special assemblies. The artist, who gave concerts in the presence of Atatürk five times between 1936 and 1938, performed his first concert on December 5, 19 at Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul. Afterwards, Müzeyyen Senar, who gave a concert at Çelik Palas Hotel in Bursa, gave a concert at the Republic Ball on the Aegean Ferry in Mudanya in 1936. Müzeyyen Senar, who gave her last concert in June 1937 on the Savarona Yacht, made her first encounter with Atatürk in the book titled Müzeyyen Senar Legend 'He was a giant, he overthrew it' written by Radi Dikici, “We arrived at the palace after the journey that seemed like a century to me. When I entered, the splendor I had not seen before, almost blinded my eyes. I was even more puzzled. We followed the boy. I saw Atatürk as soon as I entered the hall where the table was set. On the one hand, my knees were stranded, but I felt like I was flying. I thought, 'This is Atatürk, and you see him. Was it a dream? I was saying. No it wasn't. I was going to faint when I saw Atatürk… I couldn't look at his face. " he says. Müzeyyen Senar also states in the book that Atatürk accompanied him in Rumelia folk songs and played a very beautiful zeybek.

He participated in the first broadcasts of Ankara Radio in 1938 and continued to meet with his listeners via radio until 1941. Turkey's famous casinos in his successful stage programs and work with plaque bringing a new breath to the Turkish music Müzeyyen Senar, the last scene gave concerts in Istanbul in 1983 Gazinosu baby. Since then, he sang only at rare moments, at special meetings with music.

In 1998, he released the album Bir Ömre Bedel with Müzeyyen Senar. In this album, he made a work with names such as Sezen Aksu to Nilüfer, Nükhet Duru to Ajda Pekkan, Tarkan and Şebnem Ferah, and as his last album, he made the 2001 Album of My Last Reads. Müzeyyen Senar was selected as a State Artist in 1998. Senar celebrated its 2004nd year of art at the night organized by Sezen Aksu in 72 and attended by artist friends. At the concert at Istanbul Cemil Topuzlu Harbiye Open Air Theater, Müzeyyen Senar was accompanied by famous names such as Emel Sayın, Ajda Pekkan, Sezen Aksu, Sibel Can and Halit Kıvanç on the stage.

Müzeyyen Senar gave her last concert in Sepetçiler Mansion in Sarayburnu, Istanbul on September 5, 2006. Famous names such as his daughter Feraye, Bülent Ersoy, Adnan Şenses, Mediha Şen Sancakoğlu, Feriha Tunceli, Erol Evgin, Ahu Tuğba and Levent Yüksel did not leave the artist who gave a magnificent performance at the farewell concert.

On September 26, 2006, it was announced that the artist, who fell ill at his home in Izmir, had a cerebral infarction and left side of his body was paralyzed. In addition, it was stated that the artist, who was paralyzed by the blood clot in his brain, was not in danger of life. In 2007, he received treatment at the Rehabilitation Center in Darüşşafaka, Istanbul, until the beginning of April. After these treatments, he could step on his left foot. He lived in Bodrum with his daughter Feraye and son Ömer. On February 24, 2008, her daughter Feraye announced that her mother Müzeyyen Senar had lost her voice. Senar did not know that he had lost his voice. On July 22, 2008, it was announced that he was in good health.

On October 30, 2009, Cumhuriyetin Divası: Müzeyyen Senar exhibition was opened by his student Bülent Ersoy, in memory of Müzeyyen Senar's artistic life.

He died at the age of 8 at Ege University Medical Faculty Hospital, where he was treated for pneumonia at 2015:07 in the morning on February 30, 96. The funeral of the unforgettable art music player Müzeyyen Senar was buried in the family cemetery in Zincirlikuyu Cemetery, following the noon prayer at Bebek Mosque on 10 February 2015.

Since his arrival in Istanbul, his studies with Kemal Niyazi Seyhun and Yesarî Asım Arsoy guided his development. His singing in the presence of Atatürk and Ata's approaches made the artist conscious that he would be an outstanding artist from a young age. His stuttering at a young age was one of the phenomena that determined his style. He has performed a wide range of art, from works of the Neoclassical period to folk songs and yeasts. The artist has read the works of Hacı Arif Bey and Şevki Bey and the songs of Yesarî Asım Arsoy in his original style and with a deep feeling. The artist sang the works of Sadettin Kaynak, Selahattin Pınar and Şerif İçli, who are the distinguished composers of his career, with Safiye Ayla for the first time. It should be noted that Senar's style coincides with the works of Selahattin Pınar and Şerif İçli. Senar has also frequently read the works of the last period composers of Turkish Classical Music such as Avni Anıl, Yusuf Nalkesen and Erol Sayan.

The success of the artist regarding Rumelia Folk Songs should be evaluated separately. The enthusiastic melodies and the sad idea that permeate the spirit of the Rumelian Folk Songs and characterize the holistic structure of these folk songs, despite their conflict with each other, skillfully reflected the knitting. It is noteworthy that the artist fused the yeast form with his music.

The musical activity of the artist; It consists of extensive recordings as well as his work on the radio and in nightclubs. He has given various concerts abroad and in the country. Nubar Tekyay, Sadi Işılay, Hakkı Derman, Şerif İçli, Kadri Şençalar, Şükrü Tunar and Selahattin Pınar accompanied him intensely in the first period of his career. Ali Erköse, Ercüment Batanay, Mustafa Kandıralı, İsmail Şençalar and Selahattin Erköse were accompanied by the artist's last distinguished recordings in the 80s and 90s.