İlhan Usmanbaş, 1957. İlhan Usmanbaş Archives.
Universal Modernism for a Polyphonic Republic
İlhan Usmanbaş (b.1921)
1950s’ modernism penetrated the universal culture fabric through the music of İlhan Usmanbaş. At this point, one can speak of a music production synchronized with the rest of the world. The composer diverged from the Saygun generation; moving away from tonality, he employed the 12-tone technique and took advantage of the possibilities of “abstraction” for the first time. Localness was thus pulled into the background and the Republic began to speak in a pluralistic language.
İlhan Usmanbaş with his elder brother Orhan, 1926. İlhan Usmanbaş Archives.
İlhan Usmanbaş (cello) with Faruk Güvenç (viola), 1960s. İlhan Usmanbaş Archives.
‘Şenlikname (Festival Book)’, İlhan Usmanbaş, 1970. Borusan Arts, İlhan Usmanbaş Archives.
The exhibition Republic: New Individual New Life can be seen free of admissions until 17th May.