Samim Bilgen

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Samim Bilgen: Turkish attorney and musician (1910–2005)

Ahmet Samim Bilgen was born on April 12, 1910, in Thessaloniki, then part of the Ottoman Empire. He studied at Haydarpaşa German Primary School and Kabataş High School before studying law at Istanbul University, graduating in 1931. He later studied international law at Harvard Law School in 1961–62. Bilgen worked as a lawyer for the State Forestry Administration and, later, as a legal advisor at the Ministry of Finance. He died on September 9, 2005, in Ankara, Turkey.

Music was a central part of Bilgen’s life. He learned piano from his mother and taught himself the violin, studying at the Istanbul Municipal Conservatory. He played first violin with the Istanbul City Orchestra and later with Cemal Reşit Rey’s Istanbul Conservatory Orchestra. In 1933, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk attended a performance of Bilgen’s operetta Othello in Ankara and admired the work. In 1935, two of his songs won prizes in a Cumhuriyet newspaper contest, with judges including Dmitri Shostakovich and Paul Hindemith; Eugene Borrel of the Paris Conservatory praised Bilgen’s Turkish Folk Songs collection. Bilgen dedicated himself to promoting polyphonic music in Turkey and served on the consulting board of the Sevda Cenap And Music Foundation from 1973.

Works

- Operettas and stage music: Kadinlar mi erkekler mi? (1932); Bu yaz böyle geçti (1935); Othello (stage music, 1930); Merihten gelen telsiz (stage music, 1930); Ilgaz (1931); Köye dönüs (1932).
- Music for voice and piano: Turkish folk airs (1935); Five folk songs (1939); Ten folk songs (1960–80); Souvenirs (1930–35); Nocturne (1980); Ballade (1980).
- Published works: Souvenirs; Turkish folk songs; Folk songs from yesterday to tomorrow; Marches; Two lieds (Merdiven).
- Unpublished tango music created with his brother Tarık Rona (1914–1985).

Books

- Bilgen, Ahmet Samim (1986): Dünden Yarına Türküler Çokseslendirilmiş On Halk Türküsü.

Personal life and legacy

Bilgen was married to Hidayet Bilgen and had children Üstün Bilgen-Reinart, Gülsün Bilgen-Konuray and Semih Bilgen. His song Ilgaz became a household tune in Turkey and is known even in China.