Veda Busesi - Yusuf Nalkesen - 20th Century Turkish Music

Details

Description

"Veda Busesi" (Farewell Kiss) is a Turkish classical music piece composed by Yusuf Nalkesen with lyrics by Orhan Seyfi Orhon. The song is composed in the Muhayyerkürdi makam (mode) and uses the Semai usul (rhythm).

Yusuf Nalkesen (1923-2003) was a Turkish composer and ud player. He was born in the town of Istip in Skopje, but his family migrated to Izmir, Turkey due to ethnic oppression. After finishing primary and middle school, he was accepted into the Necati Bey Male Teacher Training School without an exam. Nalkesen listened to TRT radio broadcasts and attended music performances at cafes while in school. He learned to play the ud by himself using an old instrument he found. In 1952, he passed the Izmir Radio Stringed Instrument Player exam and joined the TRT staff. Nalkesen continued to balance his job as a teacher with his passion for music, and in the 1970s, he began to focus on composing. His "Veda Busesi" composition, created in 1951, became a hit and established his name in the music industry. After retiring from teaching in April 1970, Nalkesen became more active in artist unions, but this led to a falling out with TRT management, and he was dismissed in August 1973. Nalkesen won a lawsuit against TRT, which provided him with financial compensation and severance pay, but he did not return to work for the organization. He was married to Meliha Nalkesen in 1948 and had four children, but he lost his eldest daughter, Inci, in 1982. In 1998, Nalkesen was granted the title of State Artist by the Ministry of Culture and became one of the most significant figures in Turkish art. He passed away on January 1, 2003, due to a heart attack in Izmir. Alongside Avni Anıl, Nalkesen was one of the most prolific and important composers of the 1960s and 70s. He had a unique style and wrote most of his lyrics. Nalkesen described his process of composing, saying, "I think I'm embarrassed, so I waited ten years. Then a journalist friend told Zeki Müren about it. He read it and liked it. Until this year, I have made a total of 583 compositions and about 1,000 lyrics. I have never sung a song and never played an instrument anywhere... When I create my compositions, it's like dancing with words. I work with all the beauty around me with love and passion."

Turkish Lyrics

Hani o bırakıp giderken seni,
Bu öksüz tavrını takmayacaktın.
Alnına koyarken veda busemi,
Yüzüme bu türlü bakmayacaktın.

Gelse de en acı sözler dilime,
Uçacak sanırım birkaç kelime.
Bir alev halinde düştün elime,
Hani ey gözyaşım akmayacaktın.

English Translation

When you were leaving me behind,
You weren't supposed to adopt this orphaned attitude.
As I placed a farewell kiss on your forehead,
You weren't supposed to look at me like this.

Even though the most bitter words come to my tongue,
I think a few words will fly out.
You fell into my hand like a flame,
You weren't supposed to drop, oh my tears.