COMPOSERS AND PERFORMERS

HALİL BEDİİ YÖNETKEN

Halil Bedii Yönetken was born in Bursa. He first began playing clarinet in his childhood, studying with Mustafa Rahmi Otman. In 1928 he was sent to Prague Conservatory in order to shore up his knowledge of western music. From there he went on to continue his musical education in Paris and Berlin, returning to Turkey in 1933. In Ankara he served in a variety of organizations as a teacher and administrator, including the Music Teachers’ College. He translated many opera librettos into Turkish.

From 1937 to 1954 he, along with Muzaffer Sarısözen, was one of the most important figures in the Anatolian folk music collections conducted by the Ankara State Conservatory, and was involved in the collection of nearly 8,000 folk melodies. He collected the impressions he gained during the course of these collection into a book, “Derleme Notları (Collection Notes). In addition to his efforts as a composer and collector, he has also made important contributions to musicology. His articles on politics of music and folkloric music in particular still serve as important reference works in the field.

Books:

Derleme Notları I-II