Folklore
researcher (b. 1 January
1946, İncirgediği village / Karaisalı / Adana). He has also used the pen name
H. Tufan Mahmutoğlu. He attended Adana Düziçi Primary Teacher Training School
(1965) and graduated from İzmir Buca Institute of Education (1977) and
Eskişehir Anadolu University, Open Education Faculty (1994). He worked as a class and music teacher in Kastamonu,
Diyarbakır, Adana (1965-75), as deputy manager and choir master at Adana,
İstanbul, Eminönü, Kadıköy, Zeytinburnu and İçel Public Education Centers, as a
music specialist at Çukurova University, Department of Fine Arts, as a director
of a culture and arts center and starting from 1990 he served as the Şanlıurfa
State Turkish Folk Music Choir Master under the auspices of the Ministry of
Culture, General Directorate of Fine Arts.
His first work Bozlak Nedir? (What is A
Bozlak*?), was published in Sivas
Folkloru review (1987, Volume: 71). In the following
years, his works were published in Anadolu
Folkloru, İçel Kültürü, Türk Folkloru, Güneyde Kültür, Lider, Ozan, Erciyes,
Sivas Folkloru, Güney Su, Anayurttan Ata Yurda Türk Dünyası, Karaisalı, Folklor
ve Edebiyat, Size, Çağrı, İş Bankası Kültür Sanat reviews. He has written
more than 100 published articles. He contributed to the making of the programs Dilde Telde Çukurova (Çukurova in Speech and Songs), Dadaloğlu
Karacaoğlan Yurdundan (From the Homeland of Dadaloğlu, Karacaoğlan), Yöremiz
Folklorundan (From the Folklore of our District) that were broadcast on the
Turkish Radio and Television Corporation’s Çukurova Radio where he also made
broadcasts on topics about folklore and folk music. He gave conferences about
music at universities. He prepared and presented programs such as Dilde Telde Anadolu” (Anatolia in Speech
and Songs), Ezgi Kervanı (Melody
Caravan), Sanatçı Politikacılar
(Artist Politicians), Kültür Kürsüsü,
(Culture Podium) and Anadolu’nun Dili
(Language of Anatolia) for the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation,
private TV channels and radio stations. Atılgan, who has composed and collected
almost 500 Turkish folk songs, has played and sung on Turkish Radio and
Television Corporation programs and other TV channels. He also donated almost
100 songs, most of which were Çukurova folk songs, to the repertoire of the Turkish
Radio and Television Corporation. Atılgan, who has given concerts in various
parts of country with amateur and professional folk groups who he has trained,
has also participated in congresses, seminars and symposiums related to
national and international folklore, music, folkloric literature and folk
dances at which he has presented nearly fifty papers. In 1987 he won the Turkish Folklore
Research İhsan Hınçer Turkish Folklore Service Award. In 1994 he won the Award
for Service to Turkish Culture given by the Anatolia Folklore Association, also
the Ozan Review (Adana) Award
for Service to Turkish Culture and in 1996 he received the Award for Service to
Turkish Culture given by the İçel Kültürü
Review. In 1999 he won the Award for
Service to Turkish Culture given by the Adana Governorship and the in 2002 he won the
Turkish Language Association Orhan Şaik Gökyay Research Award. Finally, in 2004
he won the Award of Service to Çukurova Culture in addition to some music
awards given by the Tarsus Municipality.
He was
given an honorary degree by the Azerbaijan Vector Sciences Center for his
contributions to Turkic culture. He is a member of the Turkish Folklore
Research Center, the Professional Association
of Scientific and Literary Work Owners of Turkey, the Musical Work Owners Society of Turkey and the Writers Union of
Turkey.
WORKS:
Burası Mersin (Here is Mersin, 1983), Âşık Ferrahî Hayatı Şiirleri Türküleri (The Life, Poems and Folk
Songs of Aşık Ferrahi, 1987), İskenderun (İskenderun,
1988), Aşık Dertli Kâzım (Aşık Dertli Kazım, 4 volumes, 1990, 1995,
1998, 2002), Kısaslı Aşıklar
(Minstrels of Kısas, 1992), Neden Arabesk
(Why Arabesque, 1993), Ceyhanlı Âşık
Ferrahî (Ceyhanlı Âşık Ferrahî, 1999),
Çukurova Türküleri (Çukurova Folk Songs, 1998), Malatya Musiki Folkloru (Malatya Musical Folklore, 1999), İki Taştan İbaret / Abdulvahap Kocaman /
Hayatı Sanatı Şiirleri (Consisting Only of Two Stones/Abdulvahap
Kocaman/His Life Art and Poems, 1999), Harran’da
Bir Türkmen Köyü: Kısas (A Turkmen Village in Harran: Kısas, editing with
Mehmet Acet, 2001), Kurtuluş Savaşında
Kahraman Çukurovalılar (Legendary People of Çukurovali in the War of
Liberation, 2002), Murtçu Folkloru (Folklore
of Murtcu, 2002), Niğde Halk Müziği (Niğde
Folk Music, 2003), Türkülerin İsyanı (Rebellion
Folk Songs, 2003).
In addition, he
collected Geçmişten Günümüze Çukurova
Türküleri (Çukurova Folk Songs from Past to Present) on five cassettes
(1999) and a five CD Set (2004)
