Emin Ongan

Composer (B. 14th December 1906, Edirne –D. 2nd February 1985, Istanbul) He went to Ravza-i Terakki School and completed his secondary and high school education at Edirne Sultanisi (T.N. High School). After then, he moved to Istanbul with his family and settled in Üsküdar. He began to work at the department of Accounting Investigation, Tobacco General Directorate of Tekel in 1936 and he got retired when as the Analysis Department Supervisor there in 1951.

His music life began with his brother Nedim Ongan’s violin, which he secretly played covertly. His family didn’t approve of him embarking a musical career at first, but when they saw how interested Emin Ongan was in music, they supported him. At Anadolu Sports Club, he enrolled in musical community conducted by Tamburi Süreyya Bey, who was a student of Mildanzade Niyazi Bey, in 1925. He took his first music lessons from Mızıkalı Celal Bey when he entered the Darülfeyz-i Musiki Cemiyeti (Üsküdar Musical Community) in 1927, after having settled in Istanbul. He got maqam, tempo and repertoire courses from Bestekâr Ziya Bey. He worked with Hanende Arap Cemal and Edip Nazım Bey. In 1928 he went onstage at İnşirah Bahçesi, Üsküdar and worked at several music casinos.  In 1938, he became the conductor of the community. He began to work at the Musical Ensemble of Istanbul Municipality Conservatory as a conductor and a virtuoso violinist in 1945. He had worked at İstanbul Radio for a long time and lastly he became a lecturer at İstanbul Technical University State Conservatory.

  Ongan gave practice lessons and he helped the Üsküdar Musical Community to turn into a small conservatory. He supported traditional meşk (T.N. practice lesson) with insistence. On 19^th October 1987; the name of Üsküdar Music Community was changed as Emin Ongan Üsküdar Musical Community. Songs and fantasias constituted the majority of the works of Emin Ongan, who has a special place among Turkish composers. He composed saz semais as well.

MAIN WORKS:

Sen benim gönlümde açan son gülsün (Nihavend), Bugün yine gönlümün bahçesinde gezindim (Nihavent song), Bahar meltemidir başımda esen (Nihavent fantasia), Gittin bıraktın beni gurbet ellerde (Kürdîlihicazkâr), Bunca çevrinle gönül ülkesi virane olur (Kürdîlihicazkâr song), Nihal-i gülşen-i hüsn-i ezel­sin (Suzinak song), Hasretle yanan kalbi­me yetmez gibi derdim (Suzinak şarkı), Ömrümün güzel çağı, içimdeki bin heves (Buselik song), Gittin bırakıp sevgimi soldurmadı yıllar (Rast song), Gönlümün bir hali var ki gam değil kasvet değil (Uşşak song), Gonca açmaz gül olmaz baharı yok gönlümün (Hicazkâr song).

REFERENCE: Avni Anıl / Anılar ve Belgelerle Musikimiz (1981), Mehmet Nazmi Özalp / Türk Musikisi Tarihi (1986), Büyük Larousse (c. 14, s. 8848, 1986), Ana Britannica (c. 17, s. 118-119, 1987), Yılmaz Öztuna / Büyük Türk Musikisi Ansiklopedisi (1990), Fehamet Ünsal / Ömrünü Musıkiye Adamış İnsan: Emin Ongan (2000), Emin Ongan / Bugün Yine Gönlümün Bahçesinde Gezindin (tsz), Ahmet Şahin Ak / Türk Musikisi Tarihi (2002), Vural Sözer / Müzik Ansiklopedik Sözlük (2005), İhsan Işık / Resimli ve Metin Örnekli Türkiye Edebiyatçılar ve Kültür Adamları Ansiklopedisi (2006, 2007) - Ünlü Sanatçılar (Türkiye Ünlüleri Ansiklopedisi, C. 5, 2013) - Encyclopedia of Turkey’s Famous People (2013).