Yunus Emre

Yunus Emre, renowned Turkish Poet of the 13th and 14th century, was a Sufi mystic whose poetry and hymns are still revered in his native land. 1991 was announced by UNESCO as "The International Yunus Emre Year" in commemoration of 750th anniversary of his birth, which attests to his influence and legacy. A. Adnan Saygun was widely recognized as the greatest 20th century Turkish composer. He was keenly interested in Turkish folk music and in 1936 he toured Anatolia with Bela Bartok. While much of his solo and chamber music uses rhythmic modes from various Anatolian districts, the language of 'Yunus Emre' (1942), an oratorio that sets a number of Yunus Emre’s poems, is in a late-Romantic style.