Cengiz Onural (read Turkish version here | listen to music samples)
Introduction
In the recent evolution of Turkish music, Cengiz Onural stands out as one of the most important composers who blends traditional tones with contemporary forms. Onural, who integrates an engineering diploma into the complex structure of music, brings a disciplined technical foundation together with artistic passion in a rare synthesis. Having marked the development of pop culture by joining the Yeni Türkü group in the mid-1980s, the artist embarked on a journey delving into the depths of music in the second half of his career.
After taking a break from his engineering career and focusing entirely on music in 1997, he reimagined Classical Turkish Music makams with an updated language through the "Aria" project he established with Bora Ebeoğlu and the "İncesaz" project launched with Murat Aydemir featuring Derya Türkan. Onural, who comfortably uses a wide range of instruments such as guitar, classical kemençe, rebab, cura, and bouzouki, seeks not only melodic but also structural richness in his compositions.
Onural's signature does not only resonate on album covers but also in the background of the cinema and television world. He reached a broad audience by composing music for prominent productions such as *Masumiyet*, *Issız Adam*, and *Dedemin İnsanları*, as well as series engraved in the national memory like *Akasya Durağı*. The artist, who produces international compositions with commissions from institutions like Logo Yazılım and Türk Hava Yolları, continues to bring modern interpretations to historical heritage such as Dimitri Cantemir works. While keeping the enduring compositions of Yeni Türkü alive on one hand, and expanding his own archive and contemporary classical works on the other, Cengiz Onural is a living proof of music composed with an engineering mind.
Biography
Mustafa Cengiz Onural, born in Istanbul in 1961, stands out for starting his music career with a technical foundation that also includes engineering discipline. Onural, who completed his higher education in the Mechanical Engineering department of Boğaziçi University, graduated in 1984 and continued his academic career, earning an Industrial Engineering Master's degree at Istanbul Technical University in 1987. During this period, he continued his membership in the Yeni Türkü group from 1985 to 1997, making significant contributions to the group's musical identity. Alongside the group's intense activity, he decided to end his engineering career in 1996 to focus full-time on music and composition work.
Onural, concluding the Yeni Türkü period, diversified his musical production by participating in two different projects in 1997. He established the "Aria" group with Bora Ebeoğlu, and in the same year brought the "İncesaz" project to life with Murat Aydemir and Derya Türkan. Onural, who blends Classical Turkish Music makams with contemporary formats through the İncesaz group, is known for having released ten albums with this group. In addition, he left his mark on the Turkish popular music memory of the 1980s and 1990s with his works featured in the Yeni Türkü period, which has an archive of 9 albums.
During the period he focused on solo composition and production work, he published his solo album titled "Bir Nefes Hayat" between 2006 or 2007 with the Kalan Müzik label. Onural, who used his composition skills in national and international projects, composed a work in concerto grosso form on a special commission from Türk Hava Yolları in 2009. In 2015, he wrote a symphonic work titled "WIR" with a commission from the city municipality of Mannheim, Germany, and in 2021, he composed Dimitri Cantemir works with a Logo Yazılım commission. The artist, who also contributes to the cinema and series world with his music; signed *Masumiyet*, *Hiçbiryerde*, *İssız Adam*, and *Dedemin İnsanları*, and gained a nomination at the Golden Orange Film Festival in 2015 with the 2015 film "Saklı".
Onural, who conducts studies supporting the academic and traditional aspects of music, taught a composition course at the Baden-Württemberg Pop Music Academy in 2016, and took on teaching and management duties at the Assos Makam Music Camp in 2017. The artist, who can play various instruments such as guitar, classical kemençe, rebab, cura, and bouzouki, continues to meet with both traditional and popular audiences with works such as "Tereddüt" belonging to the Evcâra Makam, "Bana Bir Masal Anlat Baba", and the theme music of "Akasya Durağı".
Style
Cengiz Onural's musical personality is shaped at the point where a technical foundation meets the liberation of traditional tones. The artist, who integrates the disciplined approach brought by his engineering education into composition and performance practice, outlines a versatile producer profile that bridges Classical Turkish Music and popular music. While the productions of the Yeni Türkü group from the 1985–1997 period introduced him as a composer and performer established in Turkey's popular music memory; he showed the courage to reinterpret makam music in contemporary formats with projects like Aria and İncesaz. This transition is one of the strongest proofs showing that he is not just a group member, but also the architect of tones.
His repertoire covers a wide range from the "Bir Nefes Hayat" solo work published in the early 2000s to symphonic works produced with national and international commissions. In the musical world of productions like Akasya Durağı, Masumiyet, and Issız Adam, he uses an atmospheric and structural language focused on the character's inner world. In works like "Sırlar Dünyası" and "Tereddüt", he blends traditional references such as the Evcâra Makam with contemporary composition techniques, offering a synthesis that appeals to both traditional music enthusiasts and contemporary audiences.
The artist's instrumental identity is also the cornerstone of this richness. Being able to play different instruments such as classical kemençe, rebab, cura, and bouzouki, in addition to the guitar, directly feeds the timbral richness of his compositions. This polyphony has been the tool used to bring ancient makams to the contemporary listener, especially in the İncesaz and Aria projects. His emotional world extends from the depth of a story-teller to dark tones dealing with elements of hesitation and mystery. In his composition, a respect carrying traces from the past, such as Dimitri Cantemir, combined with modern demands as seen in Logo Yazılım and Turkish Airlines commissions, reveals that the artist has developed a musical personality transcending time and space.
Songs and Works
It is difficult to precisely define Cengiz Onural's composition works with exact dates and numbers due to contradictions in existing sources. However, within the artist's musical production, there are pieces that have become part of the popular memory, such as "Bana Bir Masal Anlat Baba". In addition to the works he pursued with the Yeni Türkü group between 1985 and 1997, thanks to the Aria and İncesaz projects he established after 1997, he brought pieces composed on the Evcâra makam such as "Tereddüt" together with the classical music legacy in updated forms.
His compositions in the field of visual arts also constitute an important part of the repertoire. The theme music of the series "Akasya Durağı" and the "Sırlar Dünyası" theme show his proficiency in series music. The solo album "Bir Nefes Hayat", published in 2006 or 2007, was recorded as a work containing the artist's individual compositions. Additionally, works in concerto grosso form composed on corporate commissions from institutions like Turkish Airlines and Logo Yazılım, and the "WIR" symphonic work prepared for the Mannheim Municipality indicate the international dimensions of his composition activities. Although there are various album recordings during the İncesaz and Yeni Türkü processes, the exact numbers and date information belonging to these periods vary among sources.
Artist Context
Cengiz Onural is positioned as a versatile composer and musician who brings together popular culture and traditional tones in Turkish music. The career journey of the artist, born in Istanbul in 1961, points to an interesting intersection of the discipline of the engineering education he received at Boğaziçi University and Istanbul Technical University with the aesthetic pursuits of music. His participation in the Yeni Türkü group between 1985 and 1997 allowed him to witness a production process that marked the transformation years of Turkish popular music. While pieces like "Bana Bir Masal Anlat Baba" included in the group represent his success in the popular music language, ending his engineering career in 1996 and focusing full-time on professional music is considered one of the main breaking points in the artist's life and production understanding.
Since the late 1990s, the "Aria" and "İncesaz" projects he founded constitute the cornerstone of Onural's effort to reinterpret the Classical Turkish Music legacy with contemporary forms. Conducted in collaboration with musicians like Murat Aydemir, Derya Türkan, and Bora Ebeoğlu, these studies hold an important place in the renewal movements of Turkish music by blending makam music with contemporary composition techniques. Works like "Tereddüt" and "Sırlar Dünyası", composed via the Evcâra makam, are among the concrete examples of this synthesis. The artist, who centered his own compositions with the solo album "Bir Nefes Hayat" in the mid-2000s, also reached a wide audience with the music of popular series like Akasya Durağı and Cennet Mahallesi.
Following the 2000s, Onural, whose composition expanded with cinema and international art projects, stood out in the field of film music with music used in productions like "Masumiyet", "Issız Adam", and "Saklı"; he achieved a nomination from the Golden Orange Film Festival in 2015 with the film "Saklı". His works composed on commission from institutions such as Türk Hava Yolları and Logo Yazılım, and his commission by the Mannheim City Municipality for the "WIR" symphonic work in 2015, show that his composition is a production accepted not only on a national but also on an international scale. Onural, who combines the analytical approach coming from his engineering background with his mastery over traditional instruments (classical kemençe, rebab, cura, and bouzouki), is accepted as a figure bridging the history of Turkish music.
Legacy and Impact
Cengiz Onural's artistic journey has taken its place in Turkish music literature as one of the rare examples that combine technical discipline with artistic expression. By participating in the Yeni Türkü group rosters from 1985 to 1997, he produced compositions that deeply penetrated the popular cultural memory of the period. Works like "Bana Bir Masal Anlat Baba" carry one of the most distinct traces of Onural's creative contribution within the group's structure with social messages.
After ending his engineering career in 1996 and focusing on professional music, his effort to build a bridge between classical music and contemporary interpretations came to the fore. The İncesaz project he established with Murat Aydemir and Derya Türkan and the Aria study he developed with Bora Ebeoğlu provided important contributions to the renewal movement in this field by blending Classical Turkish Music makams with modern instrumentation and composition techniques. The intense production history in the İncesaz series and the "Bir Nefes Hayat" solo work released in the mid-2000s are key reference points showing the artist's versatile competence.
Since the 2000s, his composition career has reached a wide audience with film and series music. Onural, who became a recognized signature in the cinema and television world with projects like "Masumiyet", "İssız Adam", "Dedemin İnsanları", and "Akasya Durağı", also played an active role in the contemporary composition field with commissions from national and international institutions. The concerto grosso form work composed for Turkish Airlines, his reinterpretation of Dimitri Cantemir works with a Logo Yazılım commission, and the "WIR" symphonic work prepared for the city of Mannheim show that his composition transcends the boundaries of traditional tones.
Onural, whose approach to music is shaped by his engineering background, integrated his competence in various instruments such as guitar, classical kemençe, rebab, and cura into his compositions, bringing technical perfection together with emotional depth. His composition courses at the Baden-Württemberg Pop Music Academy and management duties at the Assos Makam Music Camp also reflect his responsibility for knowledge transfer. Today, with his contributions to the Yeni Türkü repertoire, classical music projects, and music composed for visual media, he has left a multi-layered legacy. The artist is remembered as one of the important representatives of the synthesis between tradition and modernity in Turkish music as long as he continues his life and work.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did Cengiz Onural's technical background and the process of full-time focus on music occur? Onural graduated from Boğaziçi University Mechanical Engineering and Istanbul Technical University Industrial Engineering departments. While he was in the Yeni Türkü group rosters from 1985 to 1997, he ended his engineering career in 1996 and focused completely on music and composition studies from 1997 onwards.
In which projects did he participate besides Yeni Türkü in his music career? After concluding the Yeni Türkü period, he established the "Aria" group together with Bora Ebeoğlu; and brought the "İncesaz" project to life with Murat Aydemir and Derya Türkan. With these projects, he used a contemporary language by blending Classical Turkish Music makams with updated formats.
Is there exact information about the complete dates and album numbers of his compositions? Due to contradictions in existing sources, it is difficult to precisely define the composition works with exact dates and numbers. For example, while there are different information such as 2006 or 2007 regarding the publication year of the "Bir Nefes Hayat" solo album, exact album numbers belonging to the İncesaz and Yeni Türkü processes may vary among sources.
Which instruments does he use and what musical language does he adopt? He comfortably uses a wide range of instruments such as guitar, classical kemençe, rebab, cura, and bouzouki. He seeks structural richness in his compositions by blending the disciplined technical foundation brought by his engineering education with traditional tones in contemporary forms.
What are his contributions in visual media and international projects? He became known by composing music for films like "Masumiyet", "İssız Adam", "Dedemin İnsanları" and series like "Akasya Durağı". Additionally, he established a place internationally by producing concerto grosso and symphonic works with commissions from Türk Hava Yolları, Logo Yazılım, and the municipality of the city of Mannheim, Germany.
Has he done studies on academic and educational activities? The artist taught a composition course at the Baden-Württemberg Pop Music Academy in 2016, and took on teaching and management duties at the Assos Makam Music Camp in 2017.