1. TURKISH MUSICAL COMPOSERS
Dede Efendi
Hammamizade İsmail Dede Efendi (1778-1846) was a composer of Turkish classical music. He was born on 9
January 1778, in Istanbul, Şehzadebaşı. He started studying music with Mehmed Emin Efendi, at the age of
eight. He attended rituals at Yenikapı Mevlevihanesi, a place of Mevlevi gathering. He studied with Ali Nutki
Dede and learned to play ney, in Yenikapı Mevlevihanesi. He became "Dede" in 1799. Dede Efendi's music was
well appreciated by Sultan Selim III and then he performed his works at the palace. He had composed hundreds
of songs and mevlevi rituals. In 1846 he pilgrimaged to Mecca, but in Mina contracted cholera and died. His
grave is now in Mecca.
Dede Efendi gave lessons in Turkish music to Hamparsum Limonciyan who developed the Hamparsum notation,
the dominant notation for Turkish music.
One of the greatest Turkish composers, he has created masterpieces in all forms and modes of Turkish music.
He has also developed the composite musical modes of "sultanî yegâh", "nev-eser", "saba-buselik", "hicaz-
buselik" and "araban kürdî". His greatest works are the seven Mevlevi pieces for Samah. More than two hundred
of his compositions are available today.
Haci Arif Bey
(1831-1885) was a Turkish composer from Istanbul, most known for his compositions in the şarkı form, the most
common secular form in Turkish classical music. He was a very prolific composer, who on some days, composed
more than 6-7 songs.
He was born in the Eyüp district of Istanbul. He was taught by the famous Dede Efendi. After Sultan
Abdülmecid I became aware of his beautiful voice, he was admitted to the Muzika-yi Humayun, which was the
Imperial Military Music School in the Ottoman Empire. Due to his closeness to the Sultan, he was responsible for
teaching music to the women in the harem. He fell in love with one of the concubines, Çeşm-i Dilber, and had
two children with her. He composed several songs after she left him for a merchant. His next wife from the
harem also met with a tragic death from tuberculosis, also a cause for several songs by Arif Bey. He was
elected the head singer in the palace, and married a third time with Nigârnik Hanım, and stayed with her until
his death.
Toward the end of his life, Haci Arif Bey had a fall out with the emperor Abdul Hamid II at the time, and was
jailed for about 50 days. While there, he composed several songs, which were later appreciated by Abdul
Hamid II, and he was forgiven. He taught at the Imperial Music School for the rest of his life.