Saygun

Saygun is a Turkish surname. The most prominent bearer is Ahmet Adnan Saygun, a Turkish composer and educator who is widely regarded as a leading figure in 20th-century Turkish classical music. He is commonly listed as one of the Turkish Five, a group of composers who blended Turkish folk melodies and modal practices with Western classical forms, helping to establish a national school of composition in the Republic era.

Saygun's best-known work is the oratorio Yunus Emre, a large-scale work based on the life and poetry of the medieval Anatolian mystic Yunus Emre. His oeuvre also includes symphonies, ballets, operas, choral works, and chamber pieces that frequently draw on Turkish folk material and modes, while employing contemporary orchestration and form.

As an educator and organizer, Saygun contributed to the development of music education and institutions in Turkey and mentored younger composers. His music is characterized by a synthesis of Turkish musical elements with European orchestration and forms, reflecting broader cultural currents in Turkey during the mid-20th century.

The surname Saygun is Turkish in origin and may refer to individuals bearing it; in music history, Ahmet Adnan Saygun is the best-known bearer of the name.