Haci Arif Bey |
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Haci Arif Bey (1831-1885) was a Turkish composer from Istanbul, most known for his compositions in the şarkı form, the most common secular form in Turkish classical music. He was a very prolific composer, who on some days, composed more than 6-7 songs.
Biography
He was born in the Eyüp district of Istanbul. He was taught by the
famous Dede Efendi. After Sultan Abdülmecid I became aware of his
beautiful voice, he was admitted to the Muzika-yi Humayun, which was
the Imperial Military Music School in the Ottoman Empire. Due to his
closeness to the Sultan, he was responsible for teaching music to the
women in the Harem. He fell in love with one of the concubines, Çeşm-i
Dilber, and had two children with her. He composed several songs after
she left him for a merchant. His next wife from the harem also met with
a tragic death from tuberculosis, also a cause for several songs by
Arif Bey. He was elected the head singer in the palace, and married a
third time with Nigârnik Hanım, and stayed with her until his death. |