COMPOSERS AND PERFORMERS

OSMAN ZEKİ ÜNGÖR

(1880-1958) Born in Üsküdar, Istanbul, Osman Zeki Üngör graduated from the Besiktas Military College and then enrolled in the Mizika-i Hümâyûn, where he studied basic music with D'Aranda Pasa and violin with Hüseyin Bey, Pepini Giato and Vondra Bey. He went on to become a student of Saffet Atabinen, and played first violin in the orchestra he directed. He also taught music at the Istanbul Men's College, known at that time by the name Istanbul Erkek Dârü'l-Muallim. In 1917 and 1918, as director of the Palace orchestra, he traveled to Vienna, Berlin, Dresden, Munich, Pest and Sofia and performed the works of composers such as Beethoven, Wagner and Weber. In February 1918 he began arranging weekly public concerts. After the declaration of the Republic, he was appointed director of the newly-opened Music Teachers' College. The composer of the Turkish National Anthem, Osman Zeki Üngör retired at the age of 54, appointing Ahmet Adnan Saygun as conductor of the orchestra, and Salahaddin Bey as director of the Music Teachers' College.