The Notes taken by İsmail Müştak Mayakon at Atatürk’s Dinners

Abstract

Atatürk's dinners were an academic ambience where statesmen, scientists and artists got together and discussed the problems of the country and the world, and talked the scientific issues. After listening to all the participants in these dinners, Atatürk used to make synthesis with his own thoughts and the things others said. Most of the time, İsmail Müştak Mayakon recorded these debates. One of these records was taken at the Park Hotel on Sunday, 2/3 October 1937. The title of the note was Bir Gecenin Hatırası-Memoirs of a Night. It included Atatürk's responses to the opinions of some of the woman aviators -Naciye Toros, Yıldız Uçman, Perihan Eldeniz-, Saim Ali Dilemre and Saadettin Kaynak about music. The examination of these notes makes it possible to discover not only Atatürk's approach to art and music but also how he appreciated human intelligence.