Turkish classical music performer (B. July 16th, 1918, Keles,
Bursa – D. April 9th, 2011, Izmir). His father Mehmet Bey,
nicknamed “Surgeon”, had a coffeehouse. His mother was Zehra Hanım, who had a
very beautiful voice and she would read the Koran, performe ghazal (a poetic
form) and play the tambourine. His family moved to Istanbul due to financial
difficulties. Müzeyyen Senar was able to sing songs impeccably at the age of
six and she performed at weddings and family gatherings. She suffered from
stammering for a while but she recovered.
Müzeyyen left his father
at the age of twelve and moved to his mother’s home in Üsküdar. She attended the
19th Mekteb-i Fakir. Her teacher there took notice of her voice.
In 1931 she joined the Üsküdar
Music Society. She took tempo, note and mode lessons from Emin Ongan and Necati
Tokyay. One year later, she took lessons from Hayriye Örs and Kemal Niyazi Bey
at Şark Music Society. Meanwhile, she met some composers like Selahattin Pınar,
Yesari Asım Arsoy, Osman Nihat Akın, Lem’i Atlı. In 1932 she entered the
Istanbul Radio. Senar, who performed with Kemal Niyazi Bey at Istanbul Radio,
began to make a name herself there with a program aired on Thursdays.
İbrahim Dervişzâde, the
owner of the 10th Year Belvü Music Hall, one of the most important
music halls of Istanbul, was one of those who listened to Senar on the radio
and in 1933 he offered Senar to work at his music hall in star program for the
summer season. She accepted that offer with a condition; she wouldn’t attend in fasıls (a musical act) and she would perform
alone, as a soloist singer. Thus, she was the first soloist of the history
of Turkish music halls. Her first performance at the music hall was followed by
the first gramophone record. The first song she performed was “Ümitlerim hep kırıldı, yârim artık
gelmeyecek” by Yesari Asım Arsoy. Senar, who left the radio in 1941, took
to the stage at many music halls in Istanbul.
In 1934 Müzeyyen Senar
got engaged to Dr. Mahir Kürklü, who taught her songs, but they didn’t get
married. She married Ali Senar who gave her his surname “Senar” in 1935. She married Ercüment Işıl in 1943, Tevfik
Hamze in 1953. She had one child from her first marriage and two children from
her second marriage. She didn’t have a happy life with his first two marriages
but she was happy with her third husband Tevfik Hamza Bey, the ambassador of
Saudi Arabia
Müzeyyen Senar, the most
successful singer of the 1950s, began her art life on the stages. She sang
songs with Münir Nurettin Selçuk for dubbings of Arabic movies. She performed
Sadettin Kaynak’s songs and recorded them. She played in movies like “Kerem ile Aslı”, “Kahveci Güzeli.” Instead of the songs performed by Ümmü Gülsüm, the
Egyptian singer in the original versions of the movies, new pieces were
composed for Müzeyyen Senar. She continued to sing movie songs in the following
years. She appeared in movies like “Binbir
Gece”, “Balıkçı Osman Bağdat’ta.”.
She
breathed a new life into Turkish music with the songs she performed. Later in
her career, she left the radio and began to perform on the stages only. In 1938
she attended the first broadcasts of Ankara Radio and continued to meet her audience
via radio till 1941. She gave a new spirit into Turkish Classical Music with
her successful performances on the stages of the famous music halls of Turkey and
with her recordings. Müzeyyen Senar left the radio upon the offer from Kristal
Music Hall and “the fame wind of Müzeyyen Senar” began in Istanbul. She
appeared at Maksim Music Hall, Istanbul Music Hall, Tokatlıyan Hotel, Çakır’s
Music Hall and at Tepebaşı Music Hall and became more and more famous.
She was the first singer
who gave a concert abroad in
Müzeyyen Senar had 500
recordings and albums. The giant voice of Turlish Classical Music, the State
Artist Müzeyyen Senar spent her life in music on concerts, recordings and
albums. She had gramophone records and 45-rpm disc and then Long Plays and
cassettes and CDs. She had around a thousand gramophone records for Odeon Music
Company. She was given the title of State Artist in 1998.
Senar fell sick on
September 26th,