Dimitrie Cantemir was born in 1673 in Silisteni, the son of Constantin Cantemir, governor of Moldavia, which was classified as a privileged state in the Ottoman administrative system. When his father, coming from a modest village family, was elected governor by the Moldavian boyars, Cantemir's life entered a new period. Learning Greek and Latin from the monk Yeremiye Kakavelas, the young Cantemir educated himself in philosophy and literature and entered the intelligentsia of the period. When his first political endeavor ended in failure (as did his last), he came to Istanbul, where he was to spend a major portion of his life.

In this city, where he lived until 1710, he continued his education in the Ottoman Palace as well as in the Greek Patriarchate. Cantemir clearly achieved a wide circle of acquaintances during this time, and of the teachers he studied with, some of the first to come to mind include philosopher and geographer Meletius of Arta, his Arabic teacher Nefioglu, and his mathematics and Turkish teacher Esad Efendi of Ioannina. He was known to be very talented in language, and studying the eastern languages, he also learned the subtleties of eastern music from Kemani Ahmet Efendi.

Thus, Cantemir soon became a sought-after personality and a sine qua non in the artistic circles of Istanbul. Having participated with the Moldavian units of the Ottoman forces in the war of Zenta, Cantemir was appointed governor of Moldavia upon the war with the Russians which began in 1710.

During the course of his governorship, pursuing a dream for which the political reality was not yet ripe, he went into collaboration with the Russians in 1710. The extinguishing of this dream in Prussia in 1711 set the stage for the dramatic last period of his life. He died on August 21, 1723, a famous man, not only for his political personality that took shape under the unique conditions of the period, but also as a man of culture.

But what most distinguishes him historically is the fact that he notated many musical pieces, thus contributing to the knowledge of the East in Europe. Cantemir's writings on the East reached the second largest reading public after the works of Paul Rycaut on Ottoman history, published in London in 1668. His work, written in Medieval Latin, was the first systematic treatise on the Ottoman State. In his work, Incrementa atque decrementa Aulae ot homanicaet, he brought a new approach to the philosophy of history, and brought attention to the fact that the rise and fall of states followed a natural course parallel to that of living beings. Thus he submitted that states experience a period of rise and of decline.

As a result of Prince Cantemir's contributions as an Orientalist, the registry for his membership in the Berlin Academy of Science, for June 11, 1714, read: "Residing in Istanbul for twenty years, he learned the eastern languages, wrote poetry in the Turkish style, composed music, and won the love of the Sultan, Vezir, and others of high rank."

Another aspect of the historian Cantemir that inspired him as a man of culture was his passion for eastern music, and the works he produced on the subject. In the musical dictionary titled Historisch-biographische der Tonkünstler, published in 1790 by Ernest Gerber, he is mentioned by name, an indication of the importance of his works on music. He inherited his musical talent from his father Constantin, who in his spare time played Moldavian folk songs on the flute. Dimitrie passed a similar love for music on to his children as well. His oldest daughter Maria played harpsichord, and his son Antioche was a singer in Moscow and composed several works.

According to what we know today, the first master from whom he learned the basic concepts of music was the Cretan Kakavelas, who was also a composer. His musical talent was not noticed only by his teachers; he did not escape notice of anyone he met. So when he visited the Polish ambassador Raphael Leszczynski visited Ias, he noticed the young Cantemir's musical talent. The fact that in Istanbul, he studied eastern music for fifteen years under Kemani Ahmet is a clear indication of his level of interest in the subject.

At the same time, he took lessons from the well-known composer and tanburi, Anjeliki.

Cantemir composed thirty-six pieces, including two pesrevs, eleven saz semais, two aksak semais and one beste. When Sultan Ahmet II appointed him governor of Moldavia, he composed a semai in the makam Neva dedicated to the Sultan, and received various presents as a reward. Among the works attributed to Cantemir is a Mevlevi ayin that was performed by the Galata Mevlevi dervishes and was the subject of much debate during its time. The monk Toderini states that this piece was written by Cantemir under the influence of old Turkish literature, in the fashion of examples in the possession of the French Ambassador M. Ferriol, in the European notation system. Another musicologist who believed the ayin was Cantemir's, Georges Brezaul, arrived at this conclusion based on pieces he determined were from various parts of Moldavia. According to the same writer, the Mevlevi ayin influenced the music for one of the ballets in Mozart's opera Abduction from the Seraglio. "It appears that Mozart became acquainted with the Mevlevi ayin, from F.J. Sulzer, who recorded this ritual into history. This view is shared by other Romanian historians. De Ferriol however, considers this music to be by Sieur Chabert, who was a master of music and who laid the foundation of this art." Actually, this claim was not so untenable, as De Ferriol, who was known to be interested in eastern culture, had asked the musician Chabert to notate this dervish ayin. Similarly he had asked the painter Vanmour to paint his picture, now on exhibit in the Amsterdam National Museum. It is possible that Cantemir, who knew De Ferriol, had connections with the French embassy in Istanbul and at the same time had a deep interest in eastern music, helped Chabert.