Born in Gallipoli in 1884, Ishak Varon (1884–1962) moved to Salonica with his family and studied law. He became a clerk, first in Kavala, and later in the office of a prominent lawyer in Salonica, then relocated to Istanbul when his patron, Refik Bey, moved there. Upon Refik Bey’s death, Varon returned to Salonica, where he managed a succession of record companies: Pathé, Polydor, and the Ottoman affiliate of His Master’s Voice. He later returned to Istanbul to work in the insurance industry. His business activities supported his true passion, Turkish classical music and the Jewish mafṭiri…