From kbuyukat@mail.coin.missouri.edu Tue Mar 4 11:16:45 1997 Date: Mon, 2 Dec 1996 06:58:01 -0600 (CST) From: Kaya Buyukataman To: ** ITUMD ** ISTANBUL TEKNIK UNIVERSITESI MEZUNLARI DERNEGI ULUSLARARASI KURULUSU Subject: PETEK c2 s3 1 AralIk 1996 [4/6] (fwd) _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ _/ To: ITU Alumni Scattered All Around The World _/ _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ _/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/ _/..ITU-MD................ ISTANBUL TEKNIK UNIVERSITESI _/ _/........ /\ /\ ..... _/ _/..... / | / | .... Mezunlari Dernegi-Alumni Association _/ _/.. / // | ... _/ _/. ^'^'/ / / .235 E River Dr.Ste-1502 E.Hartford,CT,06108,USA_/ _/. /()|'`--/ _ / .. Ph-Fax : (860) 282-0251 _/ _/. \_'/' '` \_' .. E-mail TR: _/ _/.. '//`--' '\ .. E-mail Int: _/ _/... || //--/ ' \ .E-mail DagItIm: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.2 Hammami-zade Ismail Dede Efendi'nin 150. Olum Yildonumu -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Turk bestekarlarinin en buyugu Ismail Dede Efendi 9 Ocak 1778'de Istanbul'da Sehzadebasi'nda dogmustur. Bu donem 1. Abdulhamid'in (l778-l789) ilk saltanat yillari donemidir. Bestekarin babasi Suleyman Aga'dir. Suleyman Aga, uzun yillar Vezir Cezzar Ahmed Pasa'nin muhurdari goreviyle Lubnan, filistin ve diger ulkelerde hizmet vermis daha sonra gorevinden istifade ederek Istanbul'a yerlesmistir. Sehzadebasin'da Acemoglu hamamini isletmistir. Bu yuzden ogluna Hamamizade lakabi verilmistir. Dede Efendi'nin annesinin ismi Rukkiye Hanim'dir. Ismail Dede Efendi Kurban Bayrami'nin ilk gunu dogdugu icin kendisine bu isim verilmistir. Ismail, Hekimoglu Ali Pasa Camii yanindaki Camasirci okulunda ilk ogrenimini tamamlamis ve bu okulda muzik yetenegi ve sesinin guzelligi ile ilahicibasi olmustur. Ismail ilk okuldan sonra, Uncu-zade Mehmed Emin Efendi'nin evinde musiki derslerine baslamistir. Yedi yil boyunca Uncu-zade'den musikinin butun makamlarini ve usullerini ogrenmistir. Ayni zamanda haftada iki gun Yenikapi Mevlevi-hanesine devam ederek, Seyh Ali Nutki Dede'nin grubuna katilmistir. Nutki Dede'nin elyazisiyla yazdigi Defter-i Dervisan'a gore Temmuz l798'de Mevlevi cilesine baslamis, Mart l799'da cilesini tamamlayarak Dede unvanini almistir. Ismail, Dede unvanini aldigi zaman 21 yasindaydi. Ismail cilesi sirasinda "Zulfundedir benim baht-i siyahim" adli buselik sarkiyi bestelemis ve bu eser kendisine ilk sohreti kazandirmistir. Sarki Saray'da da buyuk yanki yapmis ve Ismail sarkinin meski icin Saray'a davet edilmistir. III. Selim'in huzurunda sarkisini okumus, Padisah'in buyuk takdirlerini kazanmistir. III. Selim'in Ismail'le yakindan ilgilenmesi uzerine, Seyh Nutki Dede Ismail'in Mevlevi cile suresini kisaltmistir. Ismail'in cilesi on ay kadar surmustur. Esasinda bu sure 3 yil kadardir. Padisah'in takdirinden sonra. Ismail Dede Saray fasillarina hanende olarak katilmis ve " Ey cesm-i ahu " adli Hicaz nakis Bestesi ile sohretini arttirmistir. Bu donem icersinde Padisah'tan buyuk destek goren Ismail Dede, minnettarligini " Mustak-i cemalin " adli Suzinak Bestesiyle dile getirmistir. Ismail Dede Efendi l802 yilinin ilk aylarinda, 24 yasindayken evlenmistir. Bu evlilikten iki oglu, uc kizi olmustur. Bu yillarda Dede'yi manevi yonden sarsan pekcok olay olmustur. Ilk cocugu Salih'i 3 yasindayken kaybetmistir. Bu Dede'yi cok sarsmis, duygularini "Bir gonca-femin yaresi vardir cigerimde" adli beyati bestesiyle yansitmistir. Bu uzucu olayi III. Selim'in tahttan indirilisi takip etti. Bir yil sonra III. Selim 27 Temmuz l808'de sehit edildi. Bu olaydan sonra "derdim bana kar eyledi, dermana el ermez" adli arazbar nakis yuruk semaisini bestelemistir. Dede'yi sarsan son buyuk uzucu olay ikinci cocugunu kaybetmesidir. Oglu Mustafa 1810 yilinda bir hastaliktan dolayi alti yasindayken vefat etmistir. Dede Efendi, iki ogulunu da kaybettikten sonra bubn sevgisini hayatta olan uc kiziyla paylasmistir. Kizlarinin isimleri Ayse, Fatma ve Hatice idi. Dede'nin ikinci kizi Fatma hanim, Valide-sultan'in ve cariyelerinin musiki ogretmenligini yapmistir. III. Selim'in yerini alan IV. Mustafa'nin bir yillik saltanatindan sonra II. Mahmud tahta cikmistir. II. Mahmud'un 31 yillik saltanati boyunca, Dede Efendi donemin en gozde bestekari ve sanatcisi olmustur. Bu donemde sarayin muezzinbasiligina getirilmistir. Dede'nin buyuk koruyucusu II. Mahmud oldugu zaman, Dede 61 yasindaydi. II. Mahmud'un oglu I. Abdulmecit tahta gectigi zaman henuz 16 yasindaydi. Bati muzigi ogrenimi gormus ve bu muzige karsi buyuk ilgi duyan genc padisahin Turk Muzigine karsi fazla bir ilgisi yoktu. Buna ragmen Dede'ye buyuk saygi gostermis ve O'nu Saray'da muhafaza etmistir. Ismail Dede Efendi, l846'da hacca gitmeye karar verdi. Ogrencilerinden Dellal-zade Ismail ve Mutaf-zade Ahmed Efendi'yi de beraberinde goturdu. Aci kader, Dede orada koleraya yakalanarak hayatini kaybetti. Dede vefat ettiginde 68 yasindaydi. Turk Muziginin bu buyuk bestekari bugun Hicaz'da Mekke sehrinde yatmaktadir. "Buyuk Dede" lakabiyla anilan Hammami-zade Ismail Dede Efendi, Turk Muziginin yetistirdigi en buyuk bestekarlardandir. Hayati boyunca 500'den fazla eser bestelemistir. 300'e yakin eseri gunumuze kadar gelebilmistir. Bunlarin 50 tanesi dini digerleri din disi eserlerdir. Dede Efendi, en agir bestelerden, en hareketli sarkilara kadar her turlu eser bestelemis ve bu bestelerinde cok basarili olmustur. Eserlerinin pekcogu Turk Muzigi'nin nadide saheserleri arasindadir. Dede, bestelerinde hemen hemen butun makamlari kullanmistir. Ayrica araban-kurdi, hicaz-buselik, saba-buselik, neveser ve sultaniyegah makamlarini ilk O bulmus ve gelistirmistir. Dede inanilmaz muzik dehasiyla, kendisinden sonraki bircok besteci ve icraciyi etkisi altinda birakmistir. Yetistirdigi ogrencilerden Dellal-zade Ismail Efendi ve Zekai Dede Efendi en meshurlarindandir. Zekai Dede Efendi eserlerinin gunumuze kadar gelmesinde buyuk yardimci olmustur. Dede'nin diger meshur ogrencileri; Haci Arif Bey, Nikogos Aga, Hasim Bey, Azmi Dede, Hafiz Hamdi Efendi, Hasan Efendi ve Rifat Bey'dir. Buyuk bir dahi olan Dede Efendi ayni zamanda Neyzen ve buyuk bir ses ustadiydi. Ismail Dede Efendi'yi bu 150. olum yildonumunde rahmet ve saygi ile aniyoruz. Olumsuz eserlerinin sonsuza kadar, butun dunyada zevk ve ilgiyle dinleneceginden kuskumuz yoktur. Ayla Varol Clark (MA,T.M.Konservatuvari, '88) ITU - MD Uyesi, U.S.A. Kaynaklar: S.Ezgi, Y.Oztuna, Turk Bestecileri Ans. ve kendi kisisel arastirmalarim. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.3 Choral Music in Turkey -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Asia Minor, a meeting ground of Asiatic and European civilizations, received numerous imprints left by the peoples who occupied it. Since the end of six hundred years of rule in Europe and the Middle East by the Ottoman Turkish dynasty in 1924, musicians and historians in the modern Turkish republic have attempted to preserve substantial elements of their rich Ottoman heritage under heading of a single repertoire, borrowing the notions of "classical music" (klasik muzik) and "art music" (sanat muzigi) from Europe to distinguish these from "folk" and "popular" forms. Their motivation for this was, in part, political; if preservation of these repertoires was to succeed, it would be necessary to separate them from the discredited Ottoman political system and from Islam. One further similarity between the Turkish and European classical repertoires should also be mentioned: both survive, even thrive, only with help of private and governmental subsidy rather than through the market place. Despite the elite status which clings to them, when measured in financial terms or as a portion of total record sales, both must be seen as minority repertoires within their respective cultures. In the classical European music certain basic principles of composition have united a wide variety of styles for the last four hundred years. These are constructed from a widely-shared tonal language in which melodies are understood to be supported by a sturdy lattice of tones called chords which are assumed to be present even if they are not actually sounded. Similarly, uniting the present day Turkish classical music is an equally sturdy and developed language, consisting of rhythmic modes (usul) and melodic modes (makam) based on a theoretical division of the whole tone into nine equal parts. (Note that on piano the whole tone is divided into two parts.) These musical principles are passed on primarily through oral tradition and provide the framework for all composing and improvising. Although the music coming out of the Ottoman tradition is strictly melodic in its structure and relies not at all on harmony for its development, in one way, at least, it might be compared to Western jazz: in both traditions, mastery of the art of improvisation according to a traditional discipline (in Turkish: Taksim) is considered equal in importance to the mastery of a large repertoire of composed music. The major elements of Turkish classical music are the Ottoman Court music and the Mevlevi whirling ceremony music. The musicians of the latter were closely associated with the most educated stratum of Ottoman society and closely intertwined with the Ottoman court music. Turkish folk music consists of urban folk music and village music. As opposed to the urban folk music which relies on makam, Turkish village music, except the influences of a few makams, is not created in a makam environment. Thus, it is in considerable contrast to the Turkish art music. The urban folk music is occasionally performed at the end of art music performances; Turkish village music is less incorporated. Small choruses appeared first in the early 18th century in the Ottoman Court as part of fasil (suite in a given makam) where both men and woman were allowed to sing. However, this music was not made available to the society, making the formation of choruses difficult. For 20th century players of Turkish music the Court musician Tanburi Cemil Bey (1871-1916) has been considered a major bridge between the old court-patronized Ottoman musician and the modern concert performer for the middle class. He was a legendary player of numerous stringed instruments, and is credited with broadening the scope of makam composition and improvisation through the influence of Turkish village music and European concert music. Although during the early years of the Republic, a "Presidential Fasil Group" was established which performed Turkish classical music, Tanburi Cemil's son Mesut Cemil Bey was the first to establish a large chorus, similar to the European counterparts, at the Ankara State Radio in 1937. This new chorus interpretation of the Turkish classical music soon spread to Istanbul and Izmir radios. The Istanbul Municipality Chorus was established in the 1940s. Today in Turkey the following cities host state supported Turkish classical music choruses: Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Bursa Edirne, Samsun, Elazig, Diyarbakir, and Konya. These 50- or more-member choruses give concerts in the concert season, and in summer they participate in the music fairs held in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. Two additional choruses, one in Konya and one in Istanbul specialize in Sufi music. The Izmir chorus attempts to incorporate polyphonism to its performance on a trial basis. The Istanbul State Chorus consists of 25 female and 25 male vocalists. Typically, four violins, three kemenches (small fiddle), four neys (end-blown flute), two violoncellos, 3 tanburs (long necked lute), 3 uds (short necked lute), 3 kanuns (zither) and two yayli (bowed) tanburs (long necked lute) accompany the singers. This is the most published chorus having numerous CDs and music cassettes issued in Turkey. In 1991 UNESCO issued the CD "Turkish Classical Music" (UNESCO D8303) by this chorus as a tribute to Yunus Emre, an Anatolian poet/singer/minstrel on the occasion of his 750th birthday. A considerable number of Turkish classical music choruses are supported by private enterprise, municipalities, and musical societies. For example, in Istanbul it is estimated that the number of such choruses is 85. Although the state conservatories educate most of the musicians, the contribution of these private choruses have been significant. In particular, Uskudar Musical Society and Advanced Turkish Music Society have been in existence for approximately 55 years. Almost all 30 universities throughout the country have both Turkish and European classical music and Turkish village music choruses. These are well received by the society and thriving. Although village music is sung in small groups in rural areas at any time, large village music choruses were also first established in the early 1940's within Ankara and Istanbul state radios. Their success is comparable to that of classical choruses. Today the state supports Turkish village music choruses in the following cities: Istanbul, Ankara, Sivas, Sanliurfa, Malatya and Bayburt. The private support of the Turkish village choruses is comparable to that of Turkish classical music. The European classical music choruses in Turkey are thriving along with Turkish classical, village and sufi music choruses. Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and Adana have symphony orchestras. The state supports five opera and ballet choruses. Turkish Radio and Television Establishment and the State both have polyphonic choruses. The other choruses in European classical music are: ten choruses in conservatories, thirty choruses in the music departments of higher education, another thirty choruses in universities, five choruses belonging to the Ankara-based Polyphonic Choruses Association, polyphonic choruses of Ankara and Mersin, chorus of the Blind Citizens Society, and other private choruses. Numerous high school and private school choruses, youth and childrens choruses also exist in Turkey. There are Turkish classical and village music choruses in Western European countries, USA and Canada. It is clear that Turkish society appreciates choral music in both European and Turkish classical, and in Turkish village forms. For further information about the European classical music choruses in Turkey contact: Polifonik Korolar Dernegi, (Polyphonic Choruses Association), 364 Sokak No.118, Batikent 06370 Ankara, Turkiye, Tel: (312) 354-2895, or to their branch at: Gokdelen 13/1311, Kizilay 06650 Ankara, Turkiye, Tel: (312) 418-8820 or (312) 418-5437, Fax: (312) 425-9690. The author is grateful to Irfan Dogrusoz, Robert Labaree, Frederick Stubbs and Gurel Aykal for useful discussions. Prof. Turgay Erturk Turgay Erturk is a master saz player of Turkish village music. He plays ud, violin an yayli tanbur in a 30-member Connecticut-based Turkish classical music chorus, and is a member of Vermont-based Istanbul Ensemble. Currently he is a Professor of Materials Engineering at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, MA 01854. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.4 AtatUrk ve Tasavvuf MUziGi - HatIralar -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bir Turk Musikisi sanatcisi olarak, buyuk Ataturk'un huzurlarInda bulunmus Riyaseti Cumhur Fasil Heyetinde yIllarca gorev yapmis bazI degerli muzisyenleri tanimak Serefine nail olmustum. Bu nedenle sizlere konuyla ilgili bazI hatIralarI ve derlemeleri takdim etmek istiyorum. Amerika'da New Jersey eyaletinde 10 KasIm 1996'da Dunya Turkleri Konseyi Baskani Dr. Ata Erim'in tertib konusmalarla filimlerle ve bilhassa okunacak bir mevlidi Serif ile saygI, sevgi dua ve rahmet dilekleriyle anacagiz. 1950'li yIllarda tanidigim musiki hocam rahmetli HafIz Yasar Okur Binbasi rutbesiyle Riyaseti Cumhur FasIl Heyetindeki gorevinden emekli olmustu. Kendisi yIllar Once Ataturk'un emriyle bizimde su andaki kulaklarImIzda olan "Turkce ezan" BeyazIt Camiinde ilk defa okuyan degerli bir muzisyen ve hafIzdI. Ataturk'le muzik toplantIlarInda gorevi nedeniyle uzun yIllar beraber bulunmustu. Zaman zaman Ataturk'ten hatIralar anlatIrdI. Ataturk'un mUziksiz bir gunu gecmezdi. Her turlu muzigi batI muzigini de sever, mesela Toska operasInI sIk sIk dinlerdi. En buyuk arzusu, Turk Muzikisinin dunyaca tanInmis, sevilmis ve takdir edilmis olmasiydIi. Hocam Merhum HafIz Yasar Okur'un anlattigi bir hatIra soyle; Iran SahI RIza Pehlevi Ataturk'u ziyarete gelir. Verdigi bir ziyafette Ataturk rahmetli "Yasar Okur Hocaya" tanItIr. "Simdi benim hafIzIm size bir Seyler okuyacak" der. Hoca Soyle devam eder "Once kuran-I kerimden bir sure okudum, sonra da SUleyman Celebinin mevlidinden bir bahir, en sonda da BeyatI Ayinin bir kIsmInI... O gece Sehinsah Hazretlerinin iltifatIna nail olmustum. Hoca devam ediyor "Ataturk zaman zaman bana kuran-I kerim ve Mevlidi Serifi bilhassa rast makamInda okuturdu... Yasin suresini dinlemeyi sever, bazende sesi gUzel olan manevi kizi Nebile'ye aynI sureyi okutur, dinlerken cok mUtehassis oldugu gorulurdu.. Ataturk mizika veya fasIl heyetinde, resmi gorevli olan hafIzlara, Ramazan'da eger camilerde mukabele okuyorlarsa izin verir, musiki gecelerindeki fasillarda bulunmalarI hususunda asla Israrli olmazdi... Rahmetli hocamIn baska bir hatirasI da su; "Ataturk zaman zaman Istanbul'daki camilerin hocalarInI hafIzlarI saraya davet eder, onlarla dini sohbetlerde bulunur bazende kuran'dan bir sureyi yazdIrIp soz ve sesle okumalarInI isterdi. Sonunda surenin ayetlerinin Turkce aciklamalarInI ister, eger aciklamalarda bir eksiklik, yanlislik olursa cok uzulurdu..... Hocalardan vaazlarInda, dini telkinlerinde bilincli olmalarInI, cemaati oylece gerekli, iyi bir sekilde aydInlatmalarInI bilhassa isterdi... Oyle beklerdi" AynI musiki heyetinde 12 yIl kadar muzisyen olarak gorevli baska bir buyugumuz hocamIz rahmetli Ferit Tan Ataturk'un masasInda Kuran-I Kerim'i gordugunu dikkatle okudugunu anlatmIstI. Buyuk Bestekar merhum Yesari AsIm Arsoy milliyetci iman dolu bir insandI, ogrencisi Dr. Bulent Gundem BestekarIn Ataturk de ilgili duygularInI soyle anlatIyor. SIk sIk Mustafa Kemal'i anlatIr. Bilhassa Kocatepe'de cekilen resmi uzerinde durur ve soyle soylerdi. "O resme dikkat et, dizleri kIvrIk, elicenesinde dusunur hali ile "IlhamatI Rabbaniye'yi" topluyor. Onu cenabI hak memleketi kurtarmasI icin secti, vazifelendirdi diye eklerdi..." Kendisini hayatInIn son yIllarInda tanidigim buyuk bestekar merhum Saadettin Kaynaktan bir hatIra... "Bir Turk musikisi gecesinin sonunda Ataturk benden mevlidi Serifi her mIsrasInI ayrI bir makamda olmak uzere okumamI istedi, sazlar da, seni takip edecekler dedi, emirleri uzerine ilk bahri okudum, dikkatle dinledi... Takdir etti... Sonra da kuran-I kerimin muhtelif surelerinden bolumler ayetler okuttu... Hatta arkadasi Nuri Conker'den de kuran okumasInI istedi... O da bildigi Tebbet suresini okudu, Ataturk butun bunlardan cok memnun olmustu." YukarIdaki hatIralardan anlasildigi uzere; Ataturk Turk Musikisini, dini muzigi, kuran-I kerim'i dinlemeyi cok sever ve fakat bilhassa bilincli olarak Turkce tefsir edilmesini isterdi... Dini muzigimiz, Mevlid ilahi, ezan, sala, tekbir ayIn gibi formlarla buyuk bir zenginlik arzeder... KuranI kerimin "kIraat" diger eserlerin musiki kurallarI icerisinde guzel seslerle okunmasI, bizi ilahi duygulara ulastirir, ruhlarimiza surur verir... Suphesiz bizleri iman dolu birer musluman ve haksinas iyi insanlar olmaya dogru yonlendirir.. goturur. Vatan kurtaran, kuran, buyuk onder Ataturk'u bu duygularla rahmetle aniyoruz. 25-10-1996 Dr. Irfan DoGrusOz -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6.5 Ataturk - Beethoven - Einstein -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bu yazI, Amerika AtatUrk Dernegi'nin (ASA) yayIn organI "Voice of ASA"nIn 1 KasIm 1996 gunlu ilk sayIsInda cikmistir ve PETEK'te, ASA'nIn izniyle yayImlanmaktadIr. PETEK YayIn Kurulu ----- Ataturk - Beethoven - Einstein One of the walls of my office is graced with the pictures of Ataturk, Beethoven, and Einstein placed side by side. Occasionally visitors, when they enter, inquire about this triad of immortality in statesmanship, in classical music, and in physics. The fundamental premise for this inspiring portrait was based on the common qualities of the three giants of all time who have either changed the world or made profound impacts on the lives of people everywhere and on science. It was Beethoven who composed the Emperor Concerto which of course transcends politics and science. However, there is also the physics of music where sound waves with a certain spectrum of frequencies and amplitudes, when superposed together constitute information to be processed by the brain and then perceived as music. There would, of course, be no music if the brain was to process only the frequencies of sound separately. Beethoven did not know physics, but he composed, for example, the opera Fidelio. It must, of course, be realized that one could also mention the politics of music when one hears the national anthem or a martial music. Einstein disliked military solutions for national and international disputes and was quite emotional for choosing peaceful solutions of problems between nations. It was Einstein who changed the world and physics with his theory of relativity and his famous E = m*(c**2)equation, while Ataturk as a super statesman transformed Turkey, at the time described as the "sick man of Europe", into a dynamic society commensurable with contemporary progressive countries' standards of a democratic and secular system of government. Ataturk laid the foundations of a democratic system which would include multi-party structure after the consolidation of the revolution so that the country is not taken over by the old establishment. His laicism has, in its contents and applications, far exceeded the secularism of the member nations of today's European union which, ab initio, do not admit Turkey to their economic and political organization. The pre-medieval era of the crusader's spirit is still well-placed not to include a secular country with Islamic religion like Turkey in a Christian club. Ataturk's political doctrine states that "sovereignty belongs, unconditionally, to the people of a nation" which was further enhanced by his profound desire for "peace at home, peace in the World." He removed women's veils and men's fezzes and declared total suffrage to include women of Turkey to vote and to be equal to men in every way including employment by all organizations, be it social, economic, or political positions. He further decreed to change from an Arabic to a Latin alphabet to use a different parity of writing (i.e., from left to right rather than from right to left). Ataturk, as a man of great vision, initiated a new system of education throughout the country, brought in Western art and music, opened conservatories for state opera and theater. He declared a national mobilization on modern education in all fields of human endeavor. He was not a scientist, but he told his nation, "Real enlightenment can only come from science and learning." He dedicated the destiny and the future of the republic when he said, "Turkish youth, your primary duty is ever to preserve and defend the national independence of the Turkish Republic. That is the only basis of your existence and your future." Ataturk was, inter alia, a great soldier. For example, a page from history reads as follows: Winston Churchill, as the First Lord of the British Admiralty, was the principal architect who proposed and organized a joint attack by military and naval forces on Gallipoli and Dardanelles. The 1915 combatants included (besides the British) the French, Indians, Australians, and New Zealanders. Churchill had often argued that the best means of defense was offense. His Dardanelles proposal was given greater urgency by a message received from the Grand Duke Nicholas, the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian forces, appealing for a demonstration against Turkey to relieve the pressure of the Turkish army in Caucasus. The Turks fought with great heroism to defend not only the Gallipoli and Dardanelles but Istanbul itself, then the capital city of the Ottoman Empire. The Commander-in-Chief of the Turkish Forces Mustafa Kemal Pasa (later renamed as Ataturk) gave to his soldiers the order, "I am not asking you just to attack but I am asking you to die." The entire 1915 Churchill's Dadanelles project failed miserably. The more than five hundred thousand allied naval and land forces were decisively defeated. Most of the areas in Dardanelles and Gallipoli were converted to cemeteries for the fallen tens of thousands of soldiers of mostly Australians followed by the Indians, French, and British. There were also many thousands of fallen Turkish soldiers. Many of the Allied ships were sunk and the remaining Allied forces were withdrawn expediently. Churchill lost the war in Dardanelles and resigned his post at the Admiralty. The Turkish victory in Gallipoli was not enough, as just one battle, to win the war. When my train entered Syria from Southern Turkey on May 4, 1945, just four days before the end of the Second World War in Europe, on my way to England for study abroad, I felt a transition from 20th century of Ataturk's Turkey to a distant past in history. This was my feeling about the Syrian city of Halab where people were wearing fez and here was an air of backwardness in the city environment. It was then that a young Turk witnessed the vindication of the great Ataturk Revolution in Turkey. I often wondered what would have been my future if I were born in a country without Ataturk. Surely, I would not have been on my way to England for higher education in the field of Physics. In the same way I say, "What would the world be like without Beethoven's 9th Symphony or Einstein's Relativity Theory of Gravitation?" I am of course, cognizant of the fact that the 9th Symphony has only been composed by Beethoven, but it was quite possible that general relativity may have been discovered much later by another physicist. But the fundamental fact remains --neither was the Symphony composed by several composers nor was the relativity theory discovered by several physicists. They were the creations of individuals just as Ataturk's Revolution as the result of his statesmanship, genius, devotion, and dedication to his country, which will be propagated from generation to generation to span all of time and it will continue to impact other countries who aspire to reach economic and political standards of contemporary civilization. I had no opportunity or was too young to have met Ataturk. While Beethoven's music enriched my soul, I was very lucky to have met Einstein in his home in Princeton, New Jersey, in 1953. After a few hours of conversation, on his and my versions of the unified field theories, the subject was changed and he asked me about my plans when I returned to Turkey in 1955. I explained that after doing my military service, which is obligatory for all male Turks, Ataturk's Turkey would afford me a fertile environment for continuing my research efforts in one of the universities and looking for opportunities to travel to international meetings on subjects of interest to my field. Einstein agreed. It was nearly six o'clock in the evening and Einstein wanted to listen to the United Nations' discussions of the new State of Israel, even though he refused the offer from Israel to serve as its President. I bade goodbye and left Princeton for Cornell University where I was a research associate. Terminal aspects of these conversations with Einstein will appear in my book "THE ASCENT OF GRAVITY: Einstein's Triumph, Paradigms, and Contemporary Physicists," which will be published in 1997. I have tried to convert, to some extent, my own thoughts on how to portray the impact of one great individual on one's life as compared to the impacts of two others, even though they share immortality only as their common sublime quality. Prof. Behram Kursunoglu ================================================================================