Today in History – 25 August

Cello lessons after the age of 50

İsmet İnönü had a special interest in the cello, which is described as “the cry of a man,” as it is the closest sounding instrument to the human voice. Therefore, at an age in which his fingers were stiffening and thus making it difficult to play it, he began taking cello lessons when he was 50 years old. He took his first lesson from Presidential Symphony Orchestra cellist Edip Özsezen. His second instructor was David Zirkin, who had fled Hitler’s Germany and founded the cello tradition in Turkey.

İsmet İnönü’s cello lessons continued for more than a year. With the limited time he could dedicate to the instrument at that age, it was not possible to master the cello and he knew that. To those that said it was impossible to learn how to play an instrument after the age of 50, his response was:

I know as well that I can’t learn how to play at this age. However, touching the stings with my fingers, feeling the resonance of the strings, and understanding how the sounds are produced…this is all making me very happy.