Ayten Alpman (10 October 1929 – 20 April 2012) was a Turkish jazz and pop singer who gained fame in the 1970s with the song "''Memleketim''" ("My Country") during the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation.

Biography

Born in

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

, in 1929, Alpman worked as a soloist for Istanbul Radio after finishing high school. She began her singing career during the 1950s and was encouraged by Turkish producer

Arif Mardin Arif Mardin (March 15, 1932 – June 25, 2006) was a Turkish-American music producer, who worked with hundreds of artists across many different styles of music, including jazz, rock, soul, disco and country. He worked at Atlantic Records for ...

to sing

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

songs in the first years of her career. She released her first record, "''Sayonara/Passion Flower''", in 1959. In 1972, Alpman released her song "''Memleketim''" ("My Country") which became immensely popular in

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ...

and

in 1974 during the

Cyprus conflict The Cyprus problem, also known as the Cyprus dispute, Cyprus issue, Cyprus question or Cyprus conflict, is an ongoing dispute between Greek Cypriots in the south and Turkish Cypriots in the north. Initially, with the occupation of the island b ...

. She rarely entered the recording studio, and had released only two

LPs LPS may refer to: Science and medicine * Lipopolysaccharide (Endotoxin) * Levator palpebrae superioris muscle Schools * Leighton Park School in Reading, England * Lexington Public Schools, a school district in Massachusetts, USA * Lincoln P ...

throughout her career. Her most notable songs include, "''Sensiz Olmam''", "''Yanımda Olsa''", and "''Ben Varım''". Alpman's latest release was a

compilation Compilation may refer to: *In computer programming, the translation of source code into object code by a compiler **Compilation error **Compilation unit *Product bundling, a marketing strategy used to sell multiple products *Compilation thesis M ...

of her best-known singles released by Ada Music in 1999.

Personal life

Alpman married jazz pianist and composer İlham Gencer in 1953, with whom she had two children. On Friday 20 April 2012, Alpman died of respiratory failure in Istanbul at the age of 82. She was buried on Sunday 22 April 2012, in a funeral attended by her family and friends in Istanbul's Ulus Cemetery following afternoon prayers in the

Teşvikiye Mosque The Teşvikiye Mosque is a neo-baroque structure located in the Teşvikiye neighbourhood of Şişli district in Istanbul, Turkey. History The mosque was originally commissioned in 1794 by Sultan Selim III, but most of the current mosque that st ...

. Turkish Prime Minister

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician serving as the 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as prime minister of Turkey from 2003 to 2014 and as mayor of Istanbul from 1994 t ...

released a message stating that "Alpman's songs will be remembered forever".

References

External links

Official Site
1929 births 2012 deaths Singers from Istanbul Turkish women singers Turkish musicians Turkish jazz singers Turkish jazz musicians Erenköy Girls High School alumni Deaths from respiratory failure Burials at Ulus Cemetery {{Turkey-singer-stub