no image
Timeline
23 events▣ Album 20◦ Birth 1★ Debut release 1✦ Award 1
1940s
1970s
· Debut release
Debut release: Şu Samsun'un Evleri / Osman Pehlivan
First documented Single in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
1980s
1990s
2000s
2020s
Biography
English biography716 words · 6 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1367220662
Biography
Arif Sağ (born 1946) is a Turkish singer, bağlama virtuoso, and leading figure in modern Turkish folk music. A former academic, he was also a member of the Turkish parliament from 1987 to 1991.
Early years
Arif Sağ was born to a miller at Dallı village of Aşkale district in Erzurum Province, eastern Turkey.
At the age of five, he learned to play the kaval, a simple traditional flute. One year later, he became interested in phonographs and phonograph records. He learned to play the bağlama in Erzincan when he was six years old. Until he was fourteen, he learned the ashik tradition, and started to sing folk poems.
He then moved to Istanbul and took lessons from folk music artist Nida Tüfekçi at Aksaray Music Association. He was able to successfully build his musical understructure.
He is friend with Iranian musician Abdollah Alijani Ardeshir.
Music career
The 1960s and 1970 were for Sağ the years of style searching. During this period, he focused on commercial and official musical application rather than on music for social movements. He continued with commercial music activities as a bağlama artist at TRT Radio Istanbul, where he began working in the late 1960s.
Sağ accompanied diverse artists and also sang his own compositions with other artists during this time. He recorded music he played and sang. The genre of his music is classified in the music terminology today as Arabesque-Phantasy music, which contained folk-music motifs. This indicates that Sağ could not break off with folk music.
Sağ recorded a number of cassette tapes with other musicians in addition to more than ten solo recordings. The serial album titled Muhabbet ("Small talk"), which he recorded with Musa Eroğlu, Muhlis Akarsu, and later Yavuz Top, helped introduce Turkish folk music to broad masses after 1980.
Markoff comments on one of his performances that "Sağ has been consistent in his truly creative approaches to refashioning standard baglama repertoire. His performance in 1982 of the Ankara dance piece "Yandim Seker" provoked objectionable responses when he performed it in a solo recital at the San theater in Istanbul."
Sağ survived the 1993 Sivas massacre, in which 37 were killed and 51 injured. He had gone to the city to attend a conference of left-wing Turkish intellectuals.
With the support of Roman Herzog, then President of Germany, Sağ gave a concert together with Erdal Erzincan and Erol Parlak, accompanied by the Cologne symphony orchestra, at the Kölner Philharmonie on 5 May 1996. This performance played an important role in introducing Anatolian music by bağlama to the West. Between 21 January and 5 February 2000, Sağ went on a concert tour in twelve European cities with the Spanish roma flamenco guitarist Tomatito.
Academic career
In 1976, Sağ was appointed instructor at the newly-established State Conservatory for Turkish Music at Istanbul Technical University. He left this position in 1982 to devote himself to private activities. He co-authored the textbook Bağlama Metodu ("Method of Bağlama") together with Erdal Erzincan.
Political career
Sağ entered politics in the 1985-founded Social Democratic Populist Party (SHP), and became a Deputy of Ankara Province in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey following the 1987 general election. He served as the first Turkish artist in parliament until 1991.
Together with some parliament members of the SHP, he was a founder of the pro-Kurdish political party People's Labor Party (HEP) in June 1990. The party was banned in July 1993.
Sağ, himself an Alevi, was harshly criticized by Alevi organizations for his participation in a workshop addressing political solutions for Alevi issues and for democracy, which was organized by the Government of Erdoğan in Istanbul in 2010. He responded that "the problems of Alevis can only be solved with diplomacy".
Personal life
Sağ married Yıldız Bayşu, daughter of composer Abdullah Nail Bayşu, in July 1970. The couple had a son and daughter. His wife died of cancer at the age of 60 on 18 October 2016.
In May 2017, Sağ was diagnosed with lung cancer. After some treatment, his physician advised him to go to Cuba. In December 2017, he was treated in Cuba for five days with medication in the form of sublingual drops. Following his return to Turkey, he said that he felt better.
On 15 March 2018, he underwent an open brain surgery on a brain tumor at a private hospital in Istanbul.
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 11 | 61.8th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 25 | 88.9th |
| Studio albums | 21 | 96.7th |
| Awards recorded | 1 | 89th |
| Timeline events | 23 | 95th |
| Recording span (years) | 52 | 92.5th |
| Genres | 5 | 88.3th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (25 release groups · 21 studio albums)
Albums · 21
1976 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 13 tracks
A1Şeker OğlanA2MisketA3Koyunları Suya İndirmeA4Antalya'nın Mor ÜzümüA5ZeybekA6Yayla YollarıB1MemberiB2Topal KoşmaB3Samsun'un Evleri (Açış)B4Samsun'un EvleriB5Aslan MustafaB6Fidayda (Açış)B7Fidayda1983 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 11 tracks
A1Ayrılık HasretlikA2Bugün Bize Pir GeldiA3Yarim İçin ÖlüyorumA4Şu Diyarı Gurbet EldeA5Gönül Ne GezersinB1İnsan Olmaya GeldimB2Ervahı EzeldenB3İnsana Muhabbet DuyalıB4Kipriğin KaşınaB5Çığrışır BülbüllerB6Kaşların İnce Mince1984 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 14 tracks
A1Pancar Pezik Değil miA2Menekşe Koymuşlar Gülün AdınıA3Ankara Divan AyağıA4Su Sızıyor Kaşların ArasındanA5Topal Oyun HavasıA6Su Gelir Güldür GüldürA7Yandım ŞekerB1MisketB2Badı SabahB3Yaylanın ÇimenineB4İrfani (Silifke)B5KonyalıB6Anamur YollarıB7Fidayda1984 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 10 tracks · 29:59
1Ağam Yar Paşam Yar2:002Ben Senin Kahrını Çekemem3:573Dost Bağı3:414Gel Bari Bari1:165Hü Yarim2:456O Yana Dönder Beni2:067Tutam Yar Elinden3:268Yar Geldi Yar Geldi2:089Zühtü3:0110Şeker Oğlan5:391986 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 14 tracks · 54:02
1Başına Döndüğüm4:492Gökyüzünde Bölük Bölük4:123Bu Kadar Cevretme3:054Şu Yüce Dağların Karı Eridi3:305Emmi Kızı2:256Arpa Çayı2:527Güzel Seni Gözlerin İçin Severim6:148Bahçeye Bağa Girmişem3:519Bu Yıl Bu Dağların Karı Erimez4:4310Çoktan Beri Yollarını Gözlerim3:3411Karam3:0912Sıra Sıra Gelen5:0313Ey Erenler3:1614İşte Gidiyorum3:191986 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 10 tracks · 45:38
1Gitme Turnam3:192Erenler4:323Sivas Ellerinde Sazım4:484İmam Hüseyin3:445Baş Yastığa6:566Duaz-ı İmam4:377Hey Erenler3:408Mevlam Bir Çok Dert Vermiş3:429Ya Muhammed4:0210Tahtacı Semahı6:181986 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 10 tracks · 42:22
1Gurbeti Ben mi Yarattım3:592Sunam (Uzun Hava)5:483İşte Geldim3:564Ezel Bahar Olmayınca2:575Bir Dost4:306Evlerinin Önü3:167Dosttan Haber Geldi3:468Yara Bende5:169Gitme Turnam2:3510Derdi Güzel (Uzun Hava)6:191990 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 14 tracks · 1:04:14
1Kurşun Türküye Ne Eyler6:162Gül Yüzlü Sevgilim4:353Nedir Bu Telaşın?5:334Söz Etme Gönül3:525Ay Dağlar3:276Biz İnsanlar (Halk Marşı)4:307Badı Sabah4:478Yar Seninle3:589İnsan Olan Nura Çevrilir2:3110Kerbela6:3511O Yar Gelir5:3512Ben Bu Derdin Hangisine Yanayım6:2913Duaz-ı İmam3:0814Eşşeği Saldım Çayıra2:581990 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 17 tracks · 1:15:33
1Duygular Dönüştü Söze4:172Bülbül Havalanmış4:163Asker Ağam (U.H.)5:204Erzurum´da Bir Kuş Var3:415Memleketten Haber Bekleyenim Var3:536Gönülden Bir Kelam7:007Medet Pirim2:448Nazar Kıl2:569Güzel Seni Cok Özledim4:1310Dolap6:4111Altım Üstüm2:1812Bugün Bize Pir Geldi (2)3:5713Ürgüp3:3714Ali Dost4:1815Çıktım Yücesine4:0016Uca Dağlar4:1017Halay8:121993 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 10 tracks · 50:22
1Bir Güzelin Aşığıyım5:362Deli Gönül7:073Altım Üstüm Kaç Kuruşluk7:424Üç Kız Bir Ana2:555Urfa Semahı4:346Dersim3:207Direniş9:298Yaralı Ördek3:459Odam Kireçtir Benim3:2910Gelin Canlar Bir Olalım2:251995 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 11 tracks · 49:08
A1Yol Ver Dağlar3:30A2Bilene Danış3:33A3Dostun Cemali4:23A4Yola Çevirdiler3:53A5Benim Kurbanlarım3:35A6Dillerde Kaldım3:40B1Umut10:17B2Gel Efendim Gel4:21B3Öyledir Deli Gönül3:40B4Dağlar3:56B5Ötüşün Kuşlar4:201996 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 11 tracks · 44:46
1Seher Yıldızı3:522Sarı Gelin4:463Şu Dağlar5:124Dostun Dergahı3:265Yar Delisiyim (Münhasıran)4:326Dostlarım3:487Mektup6:118Kırklar Kapısı3:309Yavaşça2:2910Sevgi Mengisi3:5611Yeşil Ördek3:041997 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 10 tracks
1Gurbet2Serenler3Duaz-ı İmam4Mengi5Ceviz Arasında6Avşar Bozlağı7Arzu Kamber8Cezayir9Gül Fidanı10Kaytağı1998 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 6 tracks · 43:48
1Part 1: Serenler Zeybeği (Anonim)6:032Part 2: Music by Erdal Erzincan3:263Part 3: Yandım Şeker (Anonim5:514Part 4: a. Music for clarinet (Cengiz Özdemir) b. Music by Erol Parlak9:525Part 5: a. Music by Arif Sağ b. Music by Arif Sağ c. Music by Arif Sağ6:036Part 6: Music by Dertli Divani12:331998 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 13 tracks · 59:28
1Kula Kulluk Yakışır mı5:342Gurbeti Ben mi Yarattım4:353Kimsesi Yok Garip5:264Gezdim Şu Alemi3:375Bülbül Ne Ötersin3:106Gitme Durnam4:107Dersim Dört Dağ İçinde3:228Her Seher Her Sabah5:219Deli Gönül7:0510Baydiğin Başı4:2211Bugün Bayram Günü Derler4:2512Açılın Kapılar4:1313Beni Hor Görme4:081998 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 14 tracks · 42:12
1Burası Muştur2:352Allı Turnam6:333Su Sızıyor1:594Maçka Yolları2:525Portakalım Tekerlendi2:166Terekeme (Azeri Oyun Havaları)2:237Dramanın İçinde2:378Çökertme4:259Dersim Dört Dağ İçinde2:4110Hudey Hudey2:5111Kaşların İnce Mince2:5112Mavilim Mavişelim2:1813Pınara Varamadın Mı2:2614Kalbimin (Azeri)3:251999 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 14 tracks · 59:43
1Çiçekler Ekiliyor3:502Bahriye Çiftetellisi2:513Tek de Yavrum9:254Badi Sabah3:085Yaylalar4:216Kara Kaşlı Yar2:597Metelik3:128Mandilli3:559Konyali3:4910Madımak8:4711Arap Oyun Havası2:4812Derule3:4813Aguş3:3914Azerbeycan, Tamzara3:112002 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 14 tracks
1Serçeşme2Söğüdün Erenleri3Gül Yüzlü Sevdiğim4O Kaş O Göz5Nurhak Semahı6Sümmani7Feridem8Açış9Hop Çerke10Dost Yarası11Erisin Dağların Karı12Bu Yola Talip Ol13Pencereden Daş Gelir14Güzeller Bezenmiş2004 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 14 tracks · 57:17
1Koca Arap Zeybeği3:402Elazığ Dik Halayı5:033Azeri Potpori8:364A Gızım2:485Çorum Halayı3:006Çiftetelli1:547Portakalım Tekerlendi3:248Halay5:359Adanalı3:1310Osman Ağa2:2911Dokuzsekiz3:5712Erzincan Düz Halayı3:4413Horon4:5914Dimme4:552021 · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 19 tracks · 1:10:08
1Ona Dön4:272Telli Sazım3:573Aşk Mabedi4:254Bundan Sonra5:015Lambaya Püf De3:286Şaşkın3:287Bad‐I Sabah3:398Arap Oyun Havası5:339Hey Onbeşli2:5210Kız Meryem3:0511Bahriye Çiftetellisi4:1012Mandilli – Silifke Oyunu2:3613Madımak3:1514Derule – Karadeniz Oyunu4:3915Konyalı3:0516Aguş – Trakya Oyunu3:2517Kars Oyunu3:1518Tamzara2:3319Yekte3:15— · studio album
Search SpotifySearch YouTube Music
Tracklist · 12 tracks
1Bülbül Havalanmış2İşte Gidiyorum3Badi Sabah4Asker Ağam (Uzun Hava)5Güzel Seni Çok Özledim6Mavilim7Nedir Bu Telaşım8Kerbela (Şehit Düştüm)9Çoktan Beri Yollarını Gözledim10Gülyüzlü Sevdiğim11Ayrılık Hasretlik12Ey Erenler
Single · 2
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Şu Samsun'un Evleri / Osman PehlivanSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 2 tracksAŞu Samsun'un Evleri (Kolbastı) BOsman Pehlivan (Püf De) | 1973 | ||
| 2025 | Silivri No:9Search SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 1 track · 3:341Silivri No:93:34 | 31 December 2025 |
Album · 2
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Turkish Folk Songs and Instrumental MusicSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 16 tracks1ウシュクダラ 2バーラマ独奏 3鶴はさびしく空を飛ぶ 4チェチェンの娘 5ジュラ独奏 6異国のうぐいす 7桜が咲く 8メイとダウル 9高原から来た娘 10アゼルバイジャン民謡「私の心〜さようなら」 11タールとダウル 12ベシリ・ホイラート 13ディワンとホイラート 14ズルナとダウル 15カヴァールとダウル 16アレビー派の踊り「セマー」 | Compilation | 21 April 1988 | |
| 2021 | Electric AnatoliaSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 16 tracks · 46:39A1Samsun'un Evleri3:43 A2Osman Pehlivan3:49 A3Misket3:04 A4Topal2:57 A4Arzu Kızım3:20 A6Halkalı Şeker2:46 A7Salın Da Gel1:57 A8Dıv Dıv2:14 B1Dımbıllı3:13 B2Hüdayda4:36 B3Emmioğlu2:59 B4Çubuk2:46 B5Berber2:06 B6Metelik2:54 B7Sarı Zeybek2:18 B8Dahlek1:57 | Compilation | 28 September 2021 |
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Arif Sağ head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 11 | 61.8th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 25 | 88.9th |
| Studio albums | 21 | 96.7th |
| Awards recorded | 1 | 89th |
| Timeline events | 23 | 95th |
| Recording span (years) | 52 | 92.5th |
| Genres | 5 | 88.3th |
Awards & honours
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Presidential Culture and Arts Grand Awards | won |
Where this record comes from
aliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/a731be0c-51f6-497c-b2fd-f9ac34477f97discography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/a731be0c-51f6-497c-b2fd-f9ac34477f97core—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q660599genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q660599seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arif_Sa%C4%9Fbiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arif_Sa%C4%9F
Why this artist is in the database
- List of folk musicians
- List of Turkish musicians
Tier rule: curated genre/region list
Image: no portrait (not displayed: the licence credit is missing)
Wikidata: Q660599 · MusicBrainz: a731be0c-51f6-497c-b2fd-f9ac34477f97
Similar artists
Browse every Tier 3 artist →Ranked from this record's own data: shared genre tags (rarer tags weigh more), era, home country and comparable fame. Every card lists the signals that placed it — no editorial picks.
Tarkan
Turkey · Person
from Turkey
6M listeners · 66 wikis
Sezen Aksu
Turkey · Person
debut 1975, 2 years apart · from Turkey
6.1M listeners · 53 wikis
Ebru Gündeş
Turkey · Person
from Turkey
6.6M listeners · 19 wikis
Manifest
Turkey · Group
from Turkey
6.2M listeners · 14 wikis
Blok3
Turkey · Person
from Turkey
9.3M listeners · 4 wikis
Lvbel C5
Turkey · Person
from Turkey
8.2M listeners · 7 wikis
Yalın
Turkey · Person
from Turkey
6.5M listeners · 10 wikis
Hande Yener
Turkey · Person
from Turkey
80 wikis