Ruhi Su (read Turkish version here | listen to music samples)
Introduction
Ruhi Su is one of the names that most concretely demonstrates how a bass-baritone trained in opera discipline can carry the deep folk songs of Anatolia to a universal language. The artist, who performed as a leading soloist at the Ankara State Opera, made his place in the pages of music history as one of the first voices to bring folk music together with the understanding of classical music through the programs he presented on Ankara Radio. This journey, which began after he completed his conservatory education in 1942, tells the story of music becoming a social tool of expression, along with the imprisonment process he experienced due to his political views and the return following it in 1960.
The long-play records he released in the 1970s and the Dostlar Korosu he founded in 1975 have become one of the transformative forces of Turkish music. Su, who interpreted the works of many Anatolian bards from Yunus Emre to Karacaoğlan, from Pir Sultan Abdal to Köroğlu, and the poems of Nazım Hikmet with his compositions, reflected not only his musical accumulation but also his political stance in his voice. The fact that the funeral ceremony held after his death was recorded as the first large mass demonstration of the 12 September period shows that the artist's influence had long gone beyond the limits of music. Although there are differences in sources regarding some biographical details, it is documented that he released 16 45s and 11-12 long-play records. His legacy continues to live as one of the most important vocal legacies of Turkish cultural history, including the major record award he received in France.
Biography
Mehmet Ruhi Su is a versatile bass-baritone artist recognized as one of the rare voices in Turkish music history that brought together the opera discipline with folk music. Born in Van in 1912, Ruhi Su lost his family during the First World War and spent his childhood at the Adana Orphanage. He continued his education at the conservatory with voice studies instead of playing the violin and graduated from the Ankara Music Teacher School in 1936. Following this education, the artist graduated from the Opera Department of Ankara State Conservatory in 1942 and began his leading soloist career at the Ankara State Opera in the same year. Serving at the State Opera between 1942 and 1952, Ruhi Su, during this period, continued to be an audience not only on the opera stage but also to the public with the program he presented on Ankara Radio between 1943-1955, "Basbariton Ruhi Su Türküler Söylüyor" (Bass-Baritone Ruhi Su Sings Folk Songs).
One of the turning points of his artistic career is his arrest in 1952 due to his political views and beginning a five-year imprisonment process. The artist, who married Sıdıka Su during the prison process, also developed important relationships that guided his music during this period. After his release in 1960, Ruhi Su returned to stage life in Istanbul, continued his preparations until 1971, and released his first long-play records. The artist's repertoire, which blends Turkish Folk Music, Classical Western Music, and Opera genres; encompasses the works of Anatolian bards such as Yunus Emre, Karacaoğlan, Pir Sultan Abdal, and Köroğlu, the poems of Nazım Hikmet, and the *Kuvayi Milliye Destanı* (Epic of the National Forces) on the subject of the National Struggle. Known for works such as "Mahsusmahal", "Evlerinin Önü", and "Ankara'nın Taşına Bak", the artist has signed many albums such as "Seferberlik Türküleri Ve Kuvayi Milliye Destanı", "Yunus Emre", "Karacaoğlan", "Pir Sultan Abdal", "Köroğlu", "El Kapıları", and "Ekin İdim Oldum Harman".
Ruhi Su, who founded the Dostlar Korosu in 1975, released a total of 16 45s and 11-12 long-play records by the end of the 1970s. The artist, who also recorded his voice in film music and documentaries, sang folk songs in the films "Karacaoğlan", "Barbaros", and "Lale Devri", and was also the subject of the documentary "Hero's End (The End of the Hero)" directed by Ara Güler (1973-1975). Ruhi Su, who passed away on September 20, 1985, was awarded a major record award in France after his death with the record "Ekin İdim Oldum Harman". The funeral ceremony turning into the first large mass demonstration of the 12 September period ensured that the artist was remembered not only as a musician but also as a social symbol. While sources state that the identities of his biological family are not definitively known, the artist's legacy has found a place in Turkish music memory through his political stance, the folk bards he processed with opera discipline, and the choirs he founded.
Musical Style and Interpretation Language
Ruhi Su's musical universe was built on a unique and distinct synthesis he established between the discipline of opera and the depths of Anatolian folk culture. Having graduated from the Ankara State Conservatory Opera Department and served as a leading soloist at the Ankara State Opera between 1942 and 1952, the artist used this technical infrastructure as a tool in traditional folk music interpretations. The voice color mentioned in the title of the program "Basbariton Ruhi Su Türküler Söylüyor" he presented on Ankara Radio between 1943-1945 is a strong and authoritative bass-baritone tone. This voice character, carrying a classical perfectionism and a deep emotional load while performing the poems of Anatolian bards, was the most distinctive feature that separated him from other performers of his time.
The works he interpreted and the repertoire he chose clearly reveal the social and literary references of his musical personality. The artist, who brought the words of great folk bards of Anatolia such as Yunus Emre, Karacaoğlan, Pir Sultan Abdal, and Köroğlu to music, blended his political stance and ideals of humanity into his voice by composing the poems of Nazım Hikmet. Ruhi Su, who included the spirit of the National Struggle in his musical narrative with themed works such as *Kuvvayi Milliye Destanı* and *Seferberlik Türküleri*, was one of the pioneering names who reached this literary legacy to the masses with long-plays titled *Yunus Emre*, *Karacaoğlan*, *Pir Sultan Abdal*, and *Köroğlu*. Works such as *Mahsusmahal*, *Evlerinin Önü*, and *Uyur İken Uyardılar* are the cornerstones that solidified this style in the social memory.
Along with the Dostlar Korosu he founded in 1975, the artist, who transformed from a single voice into a collective melody and performance, created an interpretation language that combines Turkish Folk Music, Opera, and Classical Western Music disciplines with his discographic works in the 1970s. Returning to stage life in 1960 after political pressures and difficult processes and the albums he released after 1971 strengthened the meaning loaded onto his music. The major record award he received in France after his death is an important reflection showing that this music found a universal language and crossed borders. Ruhi Su's style, combining technical competence with the ideal of being the voice of the people, offers a musical experience that is not only listened to but also lived and not forgotten.
Songs and Interpretations
Ruhi Su's musical identity reveals itself in his interpretation where he combines the bass-baritone voice trained in opera discipline with the heritage of Anatolian folk music. The artist created a repertoire known and engraved in memories by the masses with his first long-play records released in 1971. The cornerstones of this repertoire include works such as Mahsusmahal, Kuvvayi Milliye Destanı, Evlerinin Önü, Ankara'nın Taşına Bak, and Uyur İken Uyardılar.
The interpreter has built his works on the literary heritage of great bards. The work Seferberlik Türküleri Ve Kuvayi Milliye Destanı published in 1971 was followed by Yunus Emre (1972), Karacaoğlan (1972), Pir Sultan Abdal (1974), Köroğlu (1977), and El Kapıları (1977) albums. It is also recorded in the artist's discography that he composed the poems of Nazım Hikmet. His discography includes 16 45s and between 11 and 12 long-play records according to sources.
Ruhi Su received a major record award in France after his death with the Ekin İdim Oldum Harman album published in 1987. The artist's works were not limited to records; he also left a mark in the cinema world by singing folk songs in films such as Karacaoğlan, Barbaros, and Lale Devri. This versatile artist, who continues to have a place in social memory with the Dostlar Korosu he founded in 1975, created an original voice character by combining operatic formation with folk music.
Context
Mehmet Ruhi Su is one of the rare voices standing at the intersection points of Turkish music history; he is a cornerstone that blends the discipline of classical Western music with the heritage of Anatolian folk music. The artist's career is based on the leading soloist period that began at the Ankara State Opera after he graduated from the Ankara State Conservatory Opera Department in 1942 and lasted for ten years. The program "Basbariton Ruhi Su Türküler Söylüyor" he presented on Ankara Radio between 1943 and 1945 was an important musical bridge that brought folk music to the masses in an operatic format.
The 1970s correspond to the period when the artist returned to stage life in Istanbul after his process of solitude and released long-play records carrying his own signature. During this process, Ruhi Su, who stood out with his composer identity by composing not only the works of Anatolian bards such as Yunus Emre, Karacaoğlan, Pir Sultan Abdal, and Köroğlu but also the poems of Nazım Hikmet, presented these works to a wide audience through 16 45s and between eleven and twelve long-play records. The Dostlar Korosu he founded in 1975 is a concrete reflection of his works that combined music with a social movement.
Ruhi Su's musical legacy continued to live as a political and cultural symbol even after his death in 1985. The fact that the funeral ceremony was recorded in history as the first large mass demonstration of the 12 September period proves that he had a social impact beyond his music. However, there are contradictions between sources regarding the artist's biographical details; death cause, place of death, birth date, and some marriage dates appear differently in different documents. Despite such biographical uncertainties, the synthesis Ruhi Su created in the fields of Turkish Folk Music, Opera, and Classical Western Music and his place in social memory provide a context showing that his position in Turkish music history is unquestionable.
Legacy
Ruhi Su is an interpreter who left deep traces on the repertoire and social memory of Turkish Folk Music with his bass-baritone voice trained in opera education. With his first long-play records released in 1971, he archived the voice of Anatolia for a wide audience by blending the words of Anatolian bards such as Yunus Emre, Karacaoğlan, Pir Sultan Abdal, and Köroğlu and the poems of Nazım Hikmet with his music. The Dostlar Korosu he founded in 1975 is an important institutional legacy that reflects his desire to transform his musical activities into a structure that unites social solidarity and culture.
The artist's life story and political stance witnessed Turkey's recent history. The funeral ceremony held after his death on September 20, 1985, turned into the first large mass demonstration of the 12 September period, and this event proved that Ruhi Su was not only a musician but also an important symbol in the social memory of that period. The major record award he received in France after his death with the "Ekin İdim Oldum Harman" record ensured that his recordings were valued at an international level. Information stating that he released a total of 16 45s and 11-12 long-play records reveals the volume of the artist's recorded legacy. His life journey starting from the Adana Orphanage, his adventure from the Ankara State Opera to imprisonment processes and stage life, keeps Ruhi Su's place in memory as one of the most striking figures of 20th-century Turkish music.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Ruhi Su's musical identity and style? Ruhi Su is a bass-baritone artist who graduated from the Ankara State Conservatory Opera Department. By bringing together the opera discipline with Anatolian folk songs, he carried the voice of Anatolia to a universal language. He served as a leading soloist at the Ankara State Opera and presented folk music with the classical music understanding with the program "Basbariton Ruhi Su Türküler Söylüyor" on Ankara Radio.
What works and albums is he known for? The artist interpreted the works of Anatolian bards such as Yunus Emre, Karacaoğlan, Pir Sultan Abdal, and Köroğlu and the poems of Nazım Hikmet with his compositions. He is known with long-play records such as "Seferberlik Türküleri Ve Kuvayi Milliye Destanı", "Yunus Emre", "Karacaoğlan", "Pir Sultan Abdal", "Köroğlu", "El Kapıları", and "Ekin İdim Oldum Harman" published from 1971 onwards. Works such as "Mahsusmahal", "Evlerinin Önü", and "Ankara'nın Taşına Bak" have found a place in social memory.
What is known about the total number of records in his discography? In the records, it is documented that Ruhi Su released a total of 16 45s and 11-12 long-play records varying between 11 and 12 in sources. With the Dostlar Korosu he founded in 1975, he also presented a collective musical structure.
How was his death and the subsequent funeral ceremony evaluated? Ruhi Su passed away on September 20, 1985. The funeral ceremony held after his death was recorded as the first large mass demonstration of the 12 September period. This situation shows that the artist's influence went beyond the limits of music and he became a social symbol.
Is there consistency in the sources regarding the artist's biographical details? No, there are contradictions between sources. As mentioned in the Context section; biographical details such as birth date, death cause, place of death, and some marriage dates appear differently in different documents. Also, sources state that the identities of his biological family are not definitively known.