Ferit Alnar

Composer, conductor (B. 1906, Istanbul – D. 1978, Ankara). His full name is Hasan Ferit Alnar. Under influence of his mother who played oud and kanun he started his music career playing kanun at early ages. He took lessons of harmony from Hüseyin Sadeddin Arel and counterpoint and fugue lessons from Edgar Manas. He played kanun in Darüt Talimi Musical Society in the same time. While he was a student in Istanbul Sultani he composed his first song (1922). Later he started architectural education but then quit and went to Vienna. In Vienna Conservatory he took lessons of composition from Joseph Marx and conducting lessons from Oswald Kabasta at State Music and Visual Arts Academy (1927-1932). When he returned he served as a teacher of history of music in Istanbul Municipality Conservatory and as a conductor at Şehir Tiyatroları.

He was appointed as assistant conductor of Presidential Philharmonic Orchestra in 1936 and piano companion at Ankara State Conservatory, accordingly settled to Ankara.  One year later he started to give lessons of composition in Ankara State Conservatory (1937). Together with Praetorius and Carl Ebert he organized his first opera performance in Ankara State Conservatory Performance Scene. Upon the death of Praetorius he was appointed conductor of Cumhurbaşkanlığı Filarmoni Orkestrası'nın Presidential Philharmonic Orchestra (1946-52). Since his health condition was not suitable he left this position and he gave lessons of harmony and score in Ankara State Conservatory for some years. He conducted Vienna Symphonic, Munich Philharmonic and Stuttgart Radio Orchestras as a guest conductor in Vienna where he lived between the years 1955-64.Upon his return he settled to Ankara and conducted State Opera and Presidential Symphonic Orchestra from time to time.

Alnar was one of the first generation composers known as “Turkish Fives” together with Cemal Reşit Rey, Ulvi Cemal Erkin, Ahmet Adnan Saygun and Necil Kâzım Akses. He was the only composer in the group whose first period of musical education passed in Classical Turkish Music environments. Although he was largely inspired by Turkish music in melodic foundations and rhythmic structures of his works, aside from the folk songs he composed, he did not leave traditional music forms of the West. He did not use any local instrument in his works except for a kanun concerto. He is one of the first generation of Turkish composers, who had the least difference between his old and new works in terms of composing techniques and musical understanding and hardly changed.

MAIN WORKS:

Teksesli bir operet (1922), On saz semaisi (1926), Türk Süiti (1930), Ro­mantik Uvertür (1932), Prelüd ve Dans (1935), İstanbul Süiti (1937- 1938), Trio Fantazi (1929), Süit (1930), Yaylı Dörtlü (1933), Viyolons Konçertosu (1943), Üç Türkü (soprano ve orkestra için, 1948), Kanı Konçertosu (1944-1951), Yalova Türküsü (1932), Sarı Zeybek (1932), Goethe’nin Faust'u İçin Müzik (1944), İstanbul Sokakları (1931), Namık Kemal (1949).