Tanburi Cemil Bey (1871–1916) was a Turkish
tanbur, yaylı tanbur,
kemençe, and
lavta virtuoso and composer, who greatly contributed to the taksim (improvisation on a makam/maqam) genre in Turkish classical music. His son,
Mesut Cemil, was an equally renowned tanbur virtuoso. Cemil Bey was born in Istanbul in 1871, though his precise birth date is uncertain. He took his first lessons in music from
Kanuni Ahmet Bey and the violin player
Kemani Aleksan, his first instruments thus being the violin and the
kanun. After completing middle school, he continued in a school for civil servants…
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