Musician, performer and composer (Born 9 April 1912, Beylerbeyi
/ İstanbul - Death 12 November 1970, Ankara).Her mother is Şâhende Hanım, her
father is a religious scholar from Şirvan, Abdülmecid Daryal. She has six
siblings. She received her first music education in primary school by taking
“kanun” (T.N. a similar instrument to zither) lessons from Nazıra Hanım who is
the niece of the composer Şevki Bey. Later she entered Darülelhan Musical
Branch (Girls Teacher’s Training School) upon the suggestion of Nazire Hanım.
She took lessons of kanun from Şeref Hanım and Muazzez Yurcu Hanım; Turkish
music lessons from Mesut Cemil Bey, Ruşen Ferit Kam Bey, Sedat Öztoprak Bey,
ReşatErerBey, Ahmet Irsoy Bey, Rauf Yekta Bey and İsmail Hakkı Bey.
After the closure of Darülelhan in 1926 she entered Çapa Girls
Teacher’s Training School and graduated from there the same year. Afterwards
she took piano lessons in the same place from Madam Heze and Edgar Manas for
three years. She learnt solmization from Muhiddin Sadak, History of Western
Music from Ekrem Besim Tektaş, and harmony from Cemal Reşid Rey. She is the
most famous woman musical artist.
Vecihe Daryal’s art and concert career started in 1926 with her
participation to the concert in Union Française Hall at Beyoğlu on behalf of Darul
Elhan’s Oriental Music Branch. She worked as a kanun player in the radio
channel Türk Telsiz Telefon Inc. which has started broadcasting in 1928 as the
first radio channel of Turkey until the year 1938 with masters of music such as
Mesud Cemil and Ruşen Kam. As the first radio of Istanbul moved from Eyüp to
the Large Post Office at Beyoğlu in 1928, she was taken to the cadre with the
title “Permanent Artist”. Subsequently, she passed to the Radio of Ankara and
worked there until 1953. Then she settled to Istanbul, served in the Radio of
Istanbul and in the Municipality Conservatory’s Performer Group and returned to
the Radio of Ankara in 1966 again. In this way, she performed and taught for 44
years incessantly, participated to official concerts and examining boards. She
joined concerts in Baghdad and Nicosia. In the year 1966 she returned again to
the Radio of Ankara.
Vecihe Daryal married twice for short periods. Her second husband
is. Dr. Halil Nadaroğlu, an academic member of Istanbul Economic and Commercial
Sciences Academy. She has two daughters from each of her marriages.
Vecihe Daryal passed away on the 12th of November 1970
in Ankara after a diabetic coma. Her corpse was brought to Istanbul and inhumed
on the 14th of November 1970 into Istanbul Merkez Efendi Cemetery… Daryal’s
collection of notes was purchased by TRT Music Office and her library and other
documents were inherited to Dicle University (December 1995). She was not
closely involved with composition; however a song of her titled “Gül yüzün soldukça ömrümden siler her neşeyi”
whose lyrics are written by Hikmet Münir Ebcioğlu and which is at “Nishaburek”
maqam and an instrumental work are known.