Kemani Serkis Efendi (read Turkish version here)
Introduction
In the misty pages of the Classical Turkish music archives, there is another master whose name and life story sometimes conflict in sources but who stands out with the clarity of his works: Kemani Serkis Efendi. Educated at the Makruhyan Armenian School in Beşiktaş, this composer, whose real name is sometimes recorded as Sarkis Sucuyan and sometimes as Suciyan, is one of the rare names who changed geography along with music during the transition period extending from the late days of Istanbul to the early years of the Republic.
The artist's greatest legacy is undoubtedly the "Rast-Kürdi" makam he contributed to the repertoire by adding the Kürdi tetrachord to the Rast makam. However, this technical success is crowned with works that still resonate today, such as "Kimseye Etmem Şikâyet", "Alem-i Aşkda Benim Yoktur Eşim", or "Bahar Oldu Açtı Sünbül". While it is known that his settlement in Paris varied between 1921 and 1930, and his death occurred in the mid-1940s, there are inconsistencies in sources regarding exact dates and the number of compositions. Nevertheless, his grave in Bois-Colombes Cemetery in Paris and the kemân still kept by his family remind us that this artist's trail can be tracked. Despite records filled with uncertainties, Kemani Serkis Efendi continues to be remembered as a groundbreaking composer of Classical Turkish music.
Biography
One of the important names who marked the Classical Turkish music repertoire and witnessed the late Ottoman period and the early Republican period is Kemani Serkis Efendi, who was born as Sarkis Sucuyan (or Suciyan). The artist, born in the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul on September 18, 1885, first revealed his musical talent during the years he continued his education at the Makruhyan Armenian School in Beşiktaş. As an important milestone in his musical journey, he took private violin lessons from the famous violinist Kemani Aleksan Ağa during that period.
One of Serkis Efendi's most lasting contributions to the music world is accepted as the innovation he brought to the structure of makams. He created the Rast-Kürdi makam by adding the Kürdi tetrachord to the Rast makam. This invention has a significant place in the expansion of the Classical Turkish music repertoire. The artist, known with his identity as a composer, has his work count specified with different sources varying between 30 and 100. Pieces such as "Kimseye Etmem Şikâyet" (Nihavent), "Alem-i Aşkda Benim Yoktur Eşim" (Kürdilihicazkar), and "Bahar Oldu Açtı Sünbül" (Ferahfeza) are among the representative works of his repertoire that have reached us. Works such as "Bir Gün Olacak Ben Gibi Naçar Olacaksın", "Çeşm-i Mestin Lûtf Edip Kılsın Nigâh", "Efendim Gönlüm Sendedir", "Emelimle Sevdim Seni", and "Seni Sevmek Kabahat mi Güzelim" are also known by music lovers.
The final period of the artist's life is noted with a geographical relocation. Although it is stated that he settled in Paris with his family in 1921, some sources pass this date as 1930. Throughout his life spent in France, he continued to represent Istanbul's musical legacy in Europe. There are also differences in sources regarding the year of death, recorded as December 12, 1944, or 1943; in addition to these dates, there are information stating his age at death was 58 or 59. Kemani Serkis Efendi was buried in Bois-Colombes Cemetery in Paris.
The artist's memory is preserved by his family through his personal belongings and musical instruments. The kemân found in Paris is kept by Suzanne Soudjian, the second wife of his son Vagharchag Sassoun Soudjian. However, no information appears in reliable source documents regarding album names, filmography information, and awards reached in records today. These deficiencies are explained by the existence of recordings from the analog period and the limitations of biographically focused sources. Nevertheless, he maintains his place in the history of Classical Turkish music with his makam expansion studies and the works he left behind.
Style
Kemani Serkis Efendi has taken his place in music history as an artist who stands out with his identity as a composer in the Classical Turkish Music repertoire and brings an innovative touch to traditional makams. His musical personality presents a structure blending the late Ottoman texture of Istanbul with the traces brought by the post-migration process in Paris. Although the private lessons he received from kemân master Aleksan Ağa and his education at the Makruhyan Armenian School indicate a solid technical infrastructure in his approach to music, there is no detailed information in current sources about the artist's vocal character and performance style. This data deficiency makes it necessary to proceed with the evaluation primarily through his composition and interventions on the makam.
His repertoire is shaped around a poetic language based on themes of love, longing, complaint, and lament. Works such as "Kimseye Etmem Şikâyet", "Alem-i Aşkda Benim Yoktur Eşim", and "Bahar Oldu Açtı Sünbül" are the main reflections of this emotional world. Although there are differences in sources regarding the number of works he contributed to the repertoire throughout his composing career (figures varying between 30 and 100), the most defining element of his style is the design of his own "Rast-Kürdi" makam by adding the Kürdi tetrachord to the traditional Rast makam. This innovation shows that he is not only an artist who performs existing compositions but also a composer who expands the musical form.
Continuing his compositions while adhering to the traditional form of Classical Turkish Music even during the period he settled in Paris proves that his style was nourished by local roots even in a universal geography. The melodic structure and makam selection in his works reflect the delicacy of his emotional world and his technical knowledge. Due to the scarcity of recordings from the analog period and the focus point of biographical sources, the specific characteristics of his voice or details of his stage performance cannot be clearly defined today. However, the fact that his kemân is kept by his family and his works continue to find a place in the repertoire is the most concrete indicator that his musical style has resisted the erosion of time.
Songs and Compositions
Kemani Serkis Efendi's musical legacy is remembered with the compositions he contributed to the Classical Turkish Music repertoire. Although different data varying between 30 and 100 are found in sources regarding the total number of works, the titles "Kimseye Etmem Şikâyet" and "Alem-i Aşkda Benim Yoktur Eşim" stand out among the artist's famous pieces. Especially "Kimseye Etmem Şikâyet", composed in the Nihavent makam, is an important example reflecting the artist's approach to themes of complaint and longing.
Looking at the makams of his works, "Çeşm-i Mestin Lûtf Edip Kılsın Nigâh" and "Alem-i Aşkda Benim Yoktur Eşim" in the Kürtîlihicazkar makam, "Bahar Oldu Açtı Sünbül" in the Ferahfeza makam, and "Bir Gün Olacak Ben Gibi Naçar Olacaksın" in the Hüzzam makam constitute the cornerstones of the repertoire. Alongside the work titled "Efendim Gönlüm Sendedir" in the Hüseyni makam, his compositions with poetic touches such as "Emelimle Sevdim Seni" and "Seni Sevmek Kabahat mi Güzelim" also take place in his repertoire.
There is no clear information in source documents regarding specific album names or published record recordings about the artist's works. It is understood that the known compositions were recorded during the analog period, but the archive data reaching us remains biographically focused. Therefore, there are source conflicts regarding the complete list of his works and recording details. Kemani Serkis Efendi continues to be kept alive in the memories of classical Turkish music lovers through his compositions.
Context
Kemani Serkis Efendi is one of the rare composers who migrated from Istanbul to Paris, representing culture in Europe, during the transition process extending from the late days of the Ottoman Empire to the early years of the Republic in Classical Turkish Music history. The artist, educated at the Makruhyan Armenian School in Beşiktaş in 1885 and trained with private lessons from Kemani Aleksan Ağa, enriched his music not only with the stage but also with makam inventions. One of his best-known contributions is creating the Rast-Kürdi makam by adding the Kürdi tetrachord to the traditional Rast makam.
Although there are contradictions in sources between 1921 and 1930 regarding the year of the artist's settlement in Paris, it is stated that he went to France with his family, spent the rest of his life there, and passed away in Paris in 1944, although the year 1943 is also prominent in some records. Although there is no clear data regarding the exact number of compositions contributed to his repertoire, it is estimated that he left between 30 and 100 works. Works such as Kimseye Etmem Şikâyet, Alem-i Aşkda Benim Yoktur Eşim, and Bahar Oldu Açtı Sünbül are important pieces of the Classical Turkish Music repertoire dealing with lovers' themes of longing and complaint.
However, uncertainties in biographical data stem from the analog nature of recordings and publications from this period. There is no information in source documents regarding album names, his filmography, and awards. In addition, there are inconsistencies in the writing of the artist's name (Sucuyan/Suciyan) and age at death (58 or 59). Apart from the information that he was buried in Bois-Colombes Cemetery in Paris and that his kemân and family heritage were preserved, some details regarding his music career remain unclear. Nevertheless, he is remembered as a name that left a mark on the Classical Turkish Music repertoire with the Rast-Kürdi makam and his compositions.
Legacy
Kemani Serkis Efendi is mentioned as a composer still remembered for the original works he contributed to the Classical Turkish music repertoire. Especially the Rast-Kürdi makam he created by adding the Kürdi tetrachord to the Rast makam is one of the most distinct traces between his technical and aesthetic contributions. Although there are data varying between 30 and 100 regarding the number of compositions in sources, works such as "Kimseye Etmem Şikâyet", "Alem-i Aşkda Benim Yoktur Eşim", and "Bahar Oldu Açtı Sünbül" maintain the vitality of the repertoire by resisting the test of time.
In a transition extending from the Ottoman to the early Republican period, the master who increased his expertise through education from the Makruhyan Armenian School in Beşiktaş and lessons from Kemani Aleksan Ağa settled in Paris between 1921 or 1930 and spent the final days of his life there. Serkis Efendi, who passed away in Paris on December 12, 1944, was buried in Bois-Colombes Cemetery. Not only his works but also the kemân he used, kept by his son Vagharchag Sassoun Soudjian's second wife Suzanne Soudjian, carry the nature of a musical heritage passed from generation to generation.
When examining biographical data, source overlaps stand out in points such as the year of death (1943 or 1944), the date of Paris settlement (1921 or 1930), and the number of works. The diversity in name writing (Sucuyan/Suciyan) is also a reflection of the archiving difficulties of this period. Nevertheless, these uncertainties do not overshadow the importance of Serkis Efendi's musical legacy and the Rast-Kürdi makam he contributed to the repertoire.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: Is there consistency in sources regarding Kemani Serkis Efendi's real name and spelling? Answer: No, sources sometimes pass as Sarkis Sucuyan, and sometimes as Suciyan.
Question: What is the most original musical innovation the composer brought to the Classical Turkish Music repertoire? Answer: Creating his own "Rast-Kürdi" makam by adding the Kürdi tetrachord to the Rast makam.
Question: What are the known compositions that are still in the repertoire today? Answer: Works such as "Kimseye Etmem Şikâyet", "Alem-i Aşkda Benim Yoktur Eşim", and "Bahar Oldu Açtı Sünbül" stand out.
Question: Can exact information be reached regarding the years of settlement in Paris and death? Answer: No; settlement in Paris appears in sources conflictingly as 1921 or 1930, and death as 1943 or 1944 (December 12, 1944).
Question: What are the archive and legacy information regarding the artist's recordings, awards, and personal belongings? Answer: There is no information in reliable sources regarding album names, filmography, and awards; however, his grave is in Bois-Colombes Cemetery in Paris and his kemân is kept by his family.