Münir Nurettin Selçuk

Münir Nurettin Selçuk — Biography

Münir Nurettin Selçuk was born around 1900 in Istanbul's Sarıyer quarter, though sources also give 1899, 1901 or 1902. As a young man his family sent him to Hungary to study agriculture, but music pulled him back; on his return he trained at Darülelhan under teachers such as Zekaizade Ahmed Efendi and Ahmet Irsoy.

He cut his first records for the Sahibinin Sesi label in 1928, then travelled to Paris to study voice technique, a trip that left his singing marked by the influence of bel canto. His 1930 concert at what is now the Ses Tiyatrosu is regarded as Turkish music's first solo vocal recital; performing standing, in a tailcoat, with a choir behind him, he established the very idea of a solo singer in the genre. He later spent decades on the performance staff of the Istanbul Municipal Conservatory and privately tutored Alaeddin Yavaşça.

Known for compositions set to poems by Yahya Kemal Beyatlı, including Aziz İstanbul and Rindlerin Akşamı, he also appeared on screen in films such as Allah'ın Cenneti and Kahveci Güzeli. His marriage to Enise Selçuk in 1928 produced a daughter, Meral, while his relationship with Şehime Erton gave him two more children, the composer Timur Selçuk, plus a second son, the jazz drummer Selim Selçuk. He was buried at Aşiyan Cemetery after his death at home in Istanbul on 27 April 1981.