Greek traditional music, or demotic music, varies by region in style, sound and rhythm and has evolved fromByzantine music tradition, which itself evolved from ancient Greek music.[1] Common instruments are theLyra, which is used by the Greeks ofPontus andCrete, the clarinet, which is used all over mainland Greece, as well as trumpets which are used mostly in the northern parts of the country, which has generally replaced the more traditionalzournas.Bagpipes are also used in the regions ofMacedonia andThrace. Other instruments include forms of thefloghera, which are common all over Greece, theQanun which is used amongAnatolian Greeks, the name of which comes from "κανών" ("kanon" rule, law), thetoubeleki.Mirolóyia (laments, or mournful tunes) are mourful songs typically sang by older women in the regions ofEpirus andMani accompanied by no music. In other regions, such as Macedonia, they may only be music without any singing. In Epirus there also is a popularpolyphonic tradition. The oldest Greek demotic song is theDead brother's song, which dates back to the 9th century.[2]
Each genre of traditional music is typically accompanied by a differentdance. There are more than 10,000folk dances from different regions of Greece, along with some pan-Hellenic dances that are catholic and known among all Greeks; although they might slightly differ by region. Most of the Greek dances are usually danced by groups in either a circle or a line, and might be for a specific gender only. Pan-Hellenic dances includeHasapiko (which originated in Constantinople but was later adopted by all Greeks),Syrtaki,Kalamatianos (which originated in southernPeloponnese),Zeibekiko (which originated in the Greek-inhabited regions of westernAnatolia), and others; while known region-specific dances includePentozali (a war dance danced by men in the island ofCrete),Serra (a war dance from Pontus),Leventikos from Macedonia, Berati and Tsamikos from mainland Greece,Ikariotikos fromIcaria, and others.
The ancientGreek religion,mythology andfolklore eventually developed into medieval and later modern Greek folklore and tradition. TheNymphs of ancient Greek mythology survived in modern Greek folklore as the Neraides (single: νεράιδα,neráida)[3][4] who are thefairies of Greek folklore.The name nereids applied only to sea Nymphs, but now applies to all fairies of Greek tradition. Other creatures of Greek mythology, such asLamia have also survived in modern Greek folklore and have many of the old characteristics and attributes.[5] There are also various retellings of the story ofMeleager.[6] Aesop's fables have also survived in different ways and made their way into modern folklore.[citation needed]
^"Greek traditional music".Ινστιτούτο έρευνας μουσικής και ακουστικής - Institute for research on music and acoustics.
^Baud-Bovy, Samuel.La chanson grecque. pp. 163–174.
^Zervas, Theodore G.Formal and informal education during the rise of Greek nationalism : learning to be Greek. New York.ISBN978-1-137-48415-4.OCLC965904300.
^Lawson, John Cuthbert (1910).Modern Greek Folklore and Ancient Greek Religion. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 131.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
^Κακρίδης, Ιωάννης (September 1978).Οι αρχαίοι Έλληνες στη νεοελληνική λαϊκή παράδοση [The ancient Greeks in modern Greek folklore] (in Greek) (4th ed.). Athens: Μορφωτικό Ίδρυμα Εθνικής Τραπέζης (published 1978). pp. 55–66.ISBN960-250-322-X.
