Safiye Ayla (14 July 1907 – 14 January 1998) was one of the most famous singers of

Turkish classical music Ottoman music ( tr, Osmanlı müziği) or Turkish classical music ( tr, Türk sanat müziği) is the tradition of classical music originating in the Ottoman Empire. Developed in the palace, major Ottoman cities, and Sufi lodges, it traditionally ...

Early life

She was born on 14 July 1907 in Istanbul. Her father, Mısırlı Hicazîzade Hafız Abdullah Bey of

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Med ...

, died before her birth. Her mother, who was a servant at the Imperial Court, died also as she was only three years old. She was sent to the orphanage "Çağlayan Darüleytâmı" in Bebek, where she completed her primary education. Safiye Ayla was then educated at the teacher college in

Bursa ( grc-gre, Προῦσα, Proûsa, Latin: Prusa, ota, بورسه, Arabic:بورصة) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in t ...

. She served a brief time as a teacher, however did not continue in her profession. She began her musical education as a piano student. She studied under Mustafa Sunar, and began to sing as a soloist in some of the most important casinos of her time.

Career

Safiye Ayla worked with some of the most important artists of her time, including Yesari Asım Arsoy, Hafız Ahmet Irsoy,

Selahattin Pınar Selahattin is the Turkish spelling of the Arabic Muslim masculine given name Salah ad-Din ( Arabic: صلاح الدّين ''ṣalāḥ ad-dīn''). Notable people with the name include: People * Selahattin Çolak, Turkish politician * Selahattin ...

, Sadettin Kaynak and Udi Nevres Bey. She performed for

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, or Mustafa Kemal Pasha until 1921, and Ghazi Mustafa Kemal from 1921 until 1934 ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish field marshal, revolutionary statesman, author, and the founding father of the Rep ...

in 1932 and became one of his favorite singers. In 1950, she married the artist

Şerif Muhiddin Targan Şerif Muhiddin Targan (January 21, 1892 – September 13, 1967), also known as Sherif Muhiddin Haydar or Serif Muhiddin Haydar, was a Turkish Arab classical musician and oud player. His instrumental compositions for the oud departed from the tradi ...

(1892-1967). Countless of her concerts were broadcast on Turkish radio, and she made more than 500 recordings. Safiye Ayla became the most famous and successful singer of her time by virtue of her singing style, which was somewhat influenced by western styles. She could reach the highest pitches and paid special attention to pronunciation. Her repertoire included classical, modern, and popular music, so she was able to reach a broad public. By writing "''Seninle doğan gündür bu gönül''" and "''Aşk yaprağına konarak koza öresim gelir''", she showed her own songwriting talent. In 1942, she played Queen Mimoza onstage in the play ''Alabanda''. Safiye Ayla is considered, along with Müzeyyen Senar and Hamiyet Yüceses, to be the "Üç Dev Çınar" (''three great sycamores''). She lived in Istanbul until her death on 14 January 1998. She was laid to rest at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery.

Legacy

A song competition was established in honor of her to promote talented young people.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ayla, Safiye 1907 births 1998 deaths Singers from Istanbul Turkish people of Egyptian descent Turkish classical singers Musicians of Ottoman classical music Musicians of Turkish makam music Burials at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery 20th-century classical musicians 20th-century Turkish women singers