Farewell to Müzeyyen Senar, 'Turkish Diva'


Referred as the "diva of Classical Turkish Music," traditional Turkish music singer Müzeyyen Senar died early on Sunday at the age of 97. She had been being treated for pneumonia for quite a while. Due to her mother's age-related diseases, Feraye Işıl placed the esteemed singer in a nursing home in İzmir's Urla district for 24-hour monitoring. Senar was hospitalized after her health began to deteriorate on Februay 2. Her funeral was held on Tuesday after the noon prayer at Istanbul's Bebek Mosque.The Turkish Republic's founder, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who was known for his interest in Turkish traditional music, admired Senar's impressive voice, and she performed various times in his presence. Senar attended the initial recordings of Ankara Radio in 1938 and continued her radio performances until 1941. Introducing a breath of fresh air to Turkish music, she gave her final public concert at Istanbul's Bebek Gazino (music hall) in 1983. Afterward, Senar only performed privately on special occasions.