He was born on 11/03/1906 in Istanbul. His inclination towards music was evident at a young age, as he played kanun at the age of twelve and began composing at the age of sixteen. He studied kanun, harmony and Ottoman music with composer Hüseyin Sadettin Arel at the Istanbul Conservatory. He then studied advanced theory and obtained a fugue diploma with Edgar Manas. In 1927, at the urging of his professor Sadettin Arel, he began studies in composition at the Vienna State Academy of Music with Joseph Marx, as well as orchestral conducting studies with Oswald Kabasta. From 1932 he taught music history at the Ankara State Conservatory. Four years later he became assistant conductor of the Symphony Orchestra of the Prime Ministry in Ankara, whilst from 1955 to 1960 he was artistic director of the Ankara Opera House. From 1964 he taught music history and orchestration at the Ankara State Conservatory. He was a member of the Turkish Five, which contributed to the introduction of western classical music in Turkey. He composed many pieces in the western style, using both melodic and rhythmic elements of Ottoman monophonic music: Turkish suite for orchestra (1930), Five Dance Pieces for piano (1932), Quartet for Strings (1933), Six Pieces dedicated to Bülent Arel (1935), Concerto for cello and chamber orchestra (1943), and his most famous piece the Kanun Concerto (1944-1951). This work is his first composition that combines the traditional Turkish musical idiom with the western one. At the Greek National Opera, he conducted the production of Madama Butterfly (1948-1949). He died on 30/07/1978 in Ankara. // Last update of the biography: October 2023 - The list of productions below is complete.