Author: Ali Rifat Çağatay
Born: 1867
Died: 1935
Bio: He was born in Istanbul in 1867. He graduated from Kocamustafapaşa Junior High School in 1886. He started his career as a civil servant in the State Council in 1889 and held various positions. In 1914, he assumed the chairmanship of the Dârülbedayi Music Council and took part in institutional music education activities. In the 1920s, he played a leading role in the institutionalization of musical life by managing the Eastern Music Society, the Turkish Music Club and the Federation of Turkish Music Societies. In 1927, he became a member of the Istanbul Conservatory Classification and Determination Committee and contributed to the publication of many works of classical Turkish music. He defended the idea of modernization of Turkish music. The National Anthem he composed was accepted as the official composition between 1924 and 1930. Among his works composed in various forms, there are also polyphonic ones. Çağatay, whose articles about music were published in many magazines and newspapers, died in Istanbul in 1935.