CAHİT KOPARAL

25 June 1928 (Erzurum, Türkiye)  – 2 September 2001 (Marmaris, Türkiye)

1945 – 1952 Ankara State Conservatory Wind Instruments Flute Department

1954–1963 Performer at the Ankara State Opera and Ballet

1963–1967 Austrian Music Academy (student of Prof. Hans Reznicek)

1967–1978 Performer with the Presidential Symphony Orchestra, Ankara

1971 – 1974 Gazi Education Institute (now Gazi University) Flute teacher, Ankara

1978 – 1995 Izmir State Conservatory Flute and Music Notation Teacher

1995 – 2000 Adana Çukurova University State Conservatory

As can be seen from the above biography, Cahit Koparal worked as a flutist in state orchestras for over 25 years and as a teacher in institutions that train flutists and music notation writers for a similar period of time. Koparal’s students played a very important role in his professional life. Most of his students are still working in our orchestras and institutions. (…)

In 1958, I completed my studies in Germany and returned to my country. I passed the audition held by the Ankara Opera Orchestra and joined the orchestra. Cahit Koparal had been the principal flutist of the orchestra since 1954. The first impression the orchestra left on me was the perfection it had achieved. While some members were more satisfied than others, the common trait among the majority of the orchestra members was their mastery of their instruments and their diligence. 

The fire of striving for the better and the perfect, which began everywhere with the revolution of 27 May 1960*, also engulfed our institution. Some friends got together and started talking. We saw that there were many shortcomings and arbitrariness in many things, from the chairs we sat on, to the lights that illuminated our notes, to the salary amounts in our contracts that were re-determined every year. A six-member committee was elected within the orchestra, including Koparal and myself. We began to draft a regulation that would address many of the shortcomings and irregularities in our orchestra. During this work, our friendship deepened and strengthened. Our families met and became friends. (…)

One of Cahit Koparal’s remarkable qualities was his mastery of music notation. He had great manual skill—he could repair flutes—and his handwriting was beautiful. Over time, he refined his ability to write scores and began notating the works of Turkish composers. He became so proficient in this field that, in later years, he received offers from European publishing houses.

In 1963, he was sent to Vienna by the State Opera, where he underwent four years of intense flute training. During this demanding period, his wife, Sevim Koparal, accompanied and supported him.

Upon returning to Turkey in 1967, Koparal passed the entrance exam for the Presidential Symphony Orchestra with an exceptionally high score. Around that time, he met pianist Gülay Uğurata, with whom he briefly collaborated. Koparal was deeply impressed by Uğurata’s talent and musicality on the piano.

Our friendship in Ankara was strengthened by the fact that our homes were close, our wives were friends, and—above all—by our shared love of music and pursuit of excellence. This bond continued even after 1978, when Koparal was appointed flute and notation instructor at the İzmir State Conservatory and I left for Germany in the same year.

Koparal had previous teaching experience from his time at Gazi Education Institute in Ankara, but after moving to İzmir in 1978, he dedicated himself even more fully to teaching. In one of our conversations, he told me that when he began teaching at the İzmir Conservatory, he attended the classes of our dear colleague, cello instructor Aziz Gürerk, and took inspiration from him.

Of course, his students are the ones who best understand what kind of teacher he was. The fact that he trained so many outstanding musicians is proof of his excellence as an educator. From my perspective as a friend, I observed how deeply devoted he was to his students. He always cared for them, shared in their successes, and felt their joys and sorrows as his own. He embodied all the qualities of a true teacher—knowledge, the ability to convey it, dedication, patience, a strong sense of duty, love for people, and a disregard for material concerns.

Cahit Koparal had experience teaching flute at the Gazi Education Institute in Ankara. However, in Izmir, he devoted himself more to this work after 1978. In one of our conversations, he mentioned that when he started teaching at the Izmir Conservatory, he listened to the lessons of our dear friend, cello teacher Aziz Gürerk, and took him as an example. Naturally, Koparal’s students know best what kind of teacher he was. After all, raising such valuable students is a testament to his teaching. What I observed as a friend was his extreme devotion to his students. He always thought about them, rejoiced in their successes, and shared in their sorrows and joys. He possessed all the qualities of an educator: knowledge, teaching ability, dedication, patience, a sense of duty, love for humanity, and disregard for material things.  

The Izmir State Conservatory was established with Koparal’s move to Izmir and graduated its first students in 1986. Musical notation in line with European standards began in our country with him and continued with the students he trained.

Now I would like to talk a little about Cahit Koparal’s flute playing, his teaching, and the pursuits that shaped his personality and which he continued throughout his life.

His interest in notation must have begun with his talent for beautiful handwriting. While writing beautiful notation, he discovered all the rules of this art in depth. Being a musician helped him to deepen his knowledge.

He was skilled at everything he did, he cooked well, and he repaired broken and damaged things. With this repair skill, he first repaired his own flutes, then those of his students and friends. He earned great admiration by quickly repairing the instrument of a famous flutist who came to our country.

Although he did not talk about it much, he was very talented at writing poetry. He admired his teacher at the conservatory, Cahit Külebi. They were acquainted, and when the opportunity arose, he would read poetry to him. 

Koparal also had a passion for the sea. He spent most of his time in Izmir during the school year and in Marmaris, which he loved very much, during the summer months. (…)

In recent years, we had often discussed how Marmaris had all the potential to sustain and develop a state conservatory. (…)

Cahit Koparal, you fulfilled all your duties in life as a father, husband, teacher, and citizen to the best of your ability. You may not have been able to play Bach in Ephesus, but you passed on your true artistic spirit to your students. They will carry on this beautiful legacy.

Ermukan Saydam (Cahit Koparal’s friend of 42 years)
Violinist
Turkey Philharmonic Association Art Magazine
December 2001 – Issue 162

*T.N.: 1960 Turkish coup d’etat