Münir Nurettin Selçuk

Münir Nurettin Selçuk, one of the masters of Turkish traditional music, caught people’s attention with his exceptional voice as early on as his elementary school years. When he was 11, he started to attend Darülfeyzi Music School with the guidance of recognized violinist Nuri Bey. He received music lessons in vocals and mannerism from prominent musicians such as Hafiz Ahmet Efendi and Hoca Ziya Bey. Selçuk gave his first concert with his peers in the music school at the age of 14 in the Apollon Theater. He then began attending the renowned conservatory of his time, Darülelhan. In 1918, he became the co-founder of the Sark Musiki Cemiyeti (Eastern Musical Society). Between 1923 and 1928, he worked in the Riyaset-i-Cumhur Musical Society in Ankara, and went to Paris for his musical education in 1928. He gave his first solo concert in the Istanbul French Theater in 1930. Representing a fresh example of a new style of music, this concert is considered as the beginning of the new classical era in the history of Turkish music. In 1953, Selçuk assumed consultancy and teaching positions at the Istanbul Radio, and started conducting the Orchestra of the Municipality of Istanbul. By adding technical skills and a particular musical mannerism to his voice, he became a unique vocalist, and paved the way for a new and fresh era in the Turkish singing tradition. He composed more than ninety songs, and earned a position for himself among the most important neoclassical composers of Turkey. He died on April 27, 1981 in Istanbul.