Ahmed Adnan Saygun

Short bio Ahmed Adnan Saygun

Birthday: 1907 in Izmir, Turkey

Died: 1991 in Istanbul, Turkey

Genre: Classical,Avant-Garde

Period: Modern

Full biography Ahmed Adnan Saygun

Ahmed Adnan Saygun was a prominent Turkish composer and ethnomusicologist who lived from 1907 to 1991. He is considered one of the most important composers in Turkey's music history and was a pioneer in bringing western classical music to Turkish audiences.

Born in İzmir, Turkey, Saygun studied at the Ankara State Conservatory and later in Paris with renowned composers such as Nadia Boulanger and Paul Dukas. In addition to his classical music training, he was also deeply interested in Turkish folk music and began researching and collecting traditional melodies from various regions of Turkey.

Throughout his prolific career, Saygun composed a vast array of works including symphonies, operas, chamber music, and more. He drew inspiration from a wide variety of sources, from Turkish folk music to European classical music, and incorporated these influences into his compositions.

Saygun's most famous works include his "İnci's Book", a collection of piano pieces inspired by Turkish folk melodies, the "Yunus Emre Oratorio", which was inspired by the poetry of the famous Turkish Sufi mystic Yunus Emre, and "Özsoy", a symphonic poem based on an ancient Turkish legend.

Saygun was also an accomplished teacher, serving as a professor of composition and ethnomusicology at the Ankara State Conservatory for over 20 years. He was a champion of Turkish music and worked tirelessly to promote its unique sound and style to the rest of the world.

Today, Ahmed Adnan Saygun is remembered as one of Turkey's most important composers and a vital cultural figure who helped shape the country's music history. His innovative compositions and dedication to preserving traditional Turkish music have left a lasting impact on the music world.

Compositions featuring Ahmed Adnan Saygun

#	Name	Duration	Genre	Year
1	String Quartet No. 4, Op. 77 (fragment)	12:40 min	Chamber Music	1990
2	Piano Sonata, Op. 76	22:46 min	Keyboard	1990
3	Cello Concerto, Op. 74	24:33 min	Concerto	1987
4	Symphony No. 5, Op. 70	23:32 min	Symphony	1984
5	Chamber Concerto ("Oda Konçertosu"), Op. 62	20:42 min	Orchestral	1978
6	Symphony No. 4, Op. 53	24:18 min	Symphony	1976
7	Sketches (10) on Aksak Rhythm, Op. 58	19:17 min	Keyboard	1976
8	Violin Concerto, Op. 44	33:13 min	Concerto	1967
9	Preludes (12) on Aksak Rhythms, for piano, Op. 45		Keyboard	1967
10	String Quartet No. 3, Op. 43	29:21 min	Chamber Music	1966
11	Etudes on Aksak Rhythms, for piano	16:22 min	Chamber Music	1964
12	Partita for violin, Op. 36	27:47 min	Chamber Music	1961
13	Symphony No. 3, Op. 39	38:55 min	Symphony	1961
14	String Quartet No. 2, Op. 35	19:45 min	Chamber Music	1958
15	Symphony No. 2, Op. 30	27:28 min	Symphony	1958
16	Suite for violin & piano, Op. 3	14:45 min	Chamber Music	1956
17	Suite for violin & piano, Op. 33	15:29 min	Chamber Music	1955
18	Symphony No. 1 ("Birinci Senfoni"), Op. 29	27:51 min	Symphony	1953
19	Anadolu'dan (From Anatolia), Op. 25	8:38 min	Keyboard	1945
20	Violin Sonata, Op. 20	24:30 min	Chamber Music	1941
21	Inci'nin Kitabi (Inci's Book), for piano, Op. 10	8:31 min	Keyboard	1934
22	Suite for orchestra, Op. 14	11:23 min	Orchestral	1934
23	Theme and Variations, for piano	4:51 min	Keyboard	1931
24	Variations on A Theme for Chorus		Choral	-
25	Yunus Emre, oratorio	64:51 min	Choral	-
26	Viola Concerto, Op. 59	30:51 min	Concerto	-
27	Poem, for 3 pianos, Op. 73	14:56 min	Keyboard	-
28	Partita for solo cello, Op. 31		Chamber Music	-
29	String quartet, No 1, Op 27	29:42 min	Chamber Music	-
30	Sonatine for piano, Op 15	9:40 min	Keyboard	-
31	Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 34	28:04 min	Concerto	-
32	Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 71	25:35 min	Concerto	-
33	Preludes (12) on Aksak Rhythms for piano, Op 45	23:37 min	Keyboard	-

Albums featuring Ahmed Adnan Saygun

#	Name album	Year	Music label
1	Bartók / Mitropoulos / Saygun / Enescu, Can Çakmur – Without Borders	2022	BIS
2	Joachim Eijlander, Ahmed Adnan Saygun, Kadir Sonuk, Izhar Elias, Helena Basilova, Vincent van Amsterdam – Dark Fire	2020	TRPTK
3	Ahmed Adnan Saygun, Osnabrueck Symphony Orchestra, Osnabrueck Youth Choir, Birgül Su Ariç, Aylin Ateş, Aydın Uştuk, Tevfik Rodos, Naci Özgüç – Yunus Emre(CD, Album, Reissue)	2019	Dreyer Gaido
4	Saygun, Türkmen, Cetiz, Ellen Jewett – Turkish Music For Solo Violin(CD, Album)	2019	Naxos
5	Saygun,, Manav, Uçarsu, Usmanbaş - Dilbağ Tokay, Emine Serdaroğlu – Turkish Music for Cello and Piano(CD, Album, Stereo)	2016	Naxos
6	Ahmed Adnan Saygun, Birgül Su Ariç, Aylin Ateş, Aydın Uştuk, Tevfik Rodos, Osnabrücker Symphonieorchester, Osnabrücker Jugendchor, Johannes Rahe, Clemens Breitschaft, Naci Özgüç – Yunus Emre(CD, Album)	2015	A.K. Müzik
7	Borusan Quartet – Erkin / Aykal / Saygun – String Quartet / String Quartet / String Quartet No. 1(CD, )	2013	lilamüzik
8	Zum 100. Geburtstag (1907-1991)(CD, Compilation, Promo)	2007	cpo
9	Ahmed Adnan Saygun, Gülsin Onay, Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, Howard Griffiths – Piano Concertos 1 & 2(CD, Album)	2007	cpo
10	Béla Bartók, Ahmed Adnan Saygun – A European Encounter(CD, Album)	2007	Profil Edition Günter Hänssler
11	Ahmed Adnan Saygun - Tim Hugh · Mirjam Tschopp · Bilkent Symphony Orchestra · Howard Griffiths – Cello Concerto Op. 74; Viola Concerto Op. 59(CD, Album)	2007	cpo
12	Ahmed Adnan Saygun ‒ Quatuor Danel – Complete String Quartets(2×CD, Album)	2006	cpo
13	Symphony No. 4 / Violin Concerto / Suite(CD, )	2005	cpo
14	Ahmed Adnan Saygun, Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, Ari Rasilainen – Symphonies 3 & 5(CD, Album)	2004	cpo
15	Ahmed Adnan Saygun, Bilkent Symphony Orchestra, Rengim Gökmen – Yunus Emre(2×CD, Album, Promo, Stereo, Mono, Box Set, )	2004	Bilkent Music Production
16	Ahmed Adnan Saygun - Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, Ari Rasilainen – Symphonies 1 & 2(CD, Album)	2002	cpo
17	Ahmet Adnan Saygun - Northern Sinfonia, Howard Griffiths – Birinci Senfoni Op. 29 (First Symphony / Sinfonie Nr. 1) / Concerto Da Camera Op. 62(CD, )	2000	Koch Schwann Musica Mundi
18	Ahmed Adnan Saygun - Hande Dalkılıç – Ahmed Adnan Saygun - Hande Dalkılıç(CD, Album)	1999	Bilkent Music Production
19	Ahmed Adnan Saygun – Gülsin Onay, Rundfunkorchester Hannover, Gürer Aykal – Piano Concertos No. 1 & 2(CD, )	1994	Koch Schwann
20	Ahmed Adnan Saygun, Ulvi Cemal Erkin – String Quartets(CD, )	1992	Hungaroton
21	Yunus Emre	1991	ANKARA STATE OPERA
22	A. Saygun / A. Arutyunyan – Symphony No. 3 / Festive Overture(LP)	1990	Мелодия
23	Ahmed Adnan Saygun / Edward Elgar – Rusen Günes, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Gürer Aykal – Viola Concerto / Overture “In The South”(LP)	1989	Koch Schwann Musica Mundi
24	Yunus Emre	1989	Hungaroton
25	Gülsin Onay - Chopin / Debussy, Saygun – Chopin · Debussy · Saygun(CD, )	1988	Aperto
26	Gürer Aykal, Gülsin Onay, Ahmed Adnan Saygun, Ulvi Cemal Erkin, Cumhurbaşkanlığı Senfoni Orkestrası – A. A. Saygun: 1. Piyano Konçertosu, Op. 34 (Piano Concerto No .1, Op. 34 )/ U. C. Erkin: Senfonik Bölüm ( Symphonic Movement)(LP)	1986	Nonesuch
27	Erkin, Saygun, Akses, Tüzün – Dört Türk Orkestra Eseri = Four Orchestral Works From Turkey	1976	Qualiton
28	Akhmed Adnan Saihun, State Symphony Orchestra Of Cinematography , Conducted By Niyazi – Contemporary Turkish Music. Concert Of Turkish Composers(LP, Mono)	1963	Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga
29	Leopold Stokowski, Ahmed Adnan Saygun – Yunus Emre: An Oratorio For Soli, Chorus And Orchestra(LP, Album, Limited Edition, Promo)	1955	Turkish Information Office
30	Gülsin Onay, Béla Bartók, Ahmed Adnan Saygun – Béla Bartók/Ahmed Adnan Saygun(CD, )	-	Koch Schwann