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Themusic of Greece is as diverse and celebrated as itshistory. Greek music separates into two parts:Greek traditional music andByzantine music. These compositions have existed for millennia: they originated in theByzantine period andGreek antiquity; there is a continuous development which appears in the language, the rhythm, the structure and the melody.[1] Music is a significant aspect ofHellenic culture, both withinGreece and in thediaspora.
Greek musical history extends far back intoancient Greece, since music was a major part of ancientGreek theater. Later influences from theRoman Empire, Eastern Europe and theByzantine Empire changed the form and style of Greek music. In the 19th century,opera composers, likeNikolaos Mantzaros (1795–1872),Spyridon Xyndas (1812–1896) andSpyridon Samaras (1861–1917) and symphonists, like Dimitris Lialios andDionysios Rodotheatos revitalized Greekart music.
Inancient Greece, men usually performed choruses for entertainment, celebration, and spiritual reasons. Instruments included the double-reedaulos and the pluckedstring instrument (likepandura), thekanonaki, thelyre, especially the special kind called akithara.
Music was an important part of education in ancient Greece, and boys were taught music starting at age six. Greek musical literacy created a flowering of development; Greekmusic theory included the Greekmusical modes, which eventually became the basis for Eastern and Westernreligious music andclassical music.
Due to Rome's reverence for Greek culture, the Romans borrowed the Greek method[2] of 'enchiriadic notation' (marks which indicated the general shape of the tune but not the exact notes or rhythms) to record their music, if they used any notation at all.
The tradition of eastern liturgical chant, encompassing theGreek-speaking world, developed in theByzantine Empire from the establishment of its capital,Constantinople, in 330 untilits fall in 1453. It is undeniably of composite origin, drawing on the artistic and technical productions of the classical Greek age, ofJewish religious music, and inspired by themonophonicvocal music that evolved in the early (Greek) Christian cities ofAlexandria,Antioch andEphesus (see alsoEarly Christian music). In his lexicographical discussion of instruments, thePersian geographerIbn Khurradadhbih (d. 911) cited the lūrā (bowed lyra) as a typical instrument of the Byzantines along with theurghun (organ),shilyani (probably a type ofharp orlyre), and thesalandj (probably abagpipe).[3] Other instruments used in the folk Byzantine-era music, werekanonaki,oud,laouto,santouri and other instruments that are still played in post-Byzantine regions today.
TheGreeks were familiar, in this period that stretched from the 15th century to the time ofGreek war of independence, with the traditionalGreek folk music, elements of theOttoman music, such as with survivingByzantine music and more specifically, hymns:Church music.[citation needed] These genres have certainly reached a high degree of evolution. They were forms of monophonic music that had many elements of ancient Greek origin, but also, they had nothing to do with Western polyphonic music.[4]
By the beginning of the 20th century, live music cafés were popular in cities such asConstantinople andSmyrna, where small groups of musicians from Greece played. The bands were typically led by a female vocalist and included aviolin. Theimprovised songs typically exclaimedamán amán, which led to the nameamanédes (αμανέδεςamanédes; singularαμανέςamanés) orcafé-aman (καφέ-αμάν) – as opposed to the more Westernizedcafé-chantants (καφέ-σαντάν). Greek musicians of this period includedMarika Papagika,[5]Rosa Eskenazi andRita Abatzi.[6] This period also brought in therebetiko movement, which had local Smyrniote, Ottoman and Byzantine influences.
Greek folk music traditions are said to derive from the music played by ancient Greeks.[7] There are said to be two musical movements in Greek folk music (παραδοσιακή μουσική):acritic songs andklephtic songs. Akritic music comes from the 9th centuryakrites, or border guards of theByzantine Empire. Following the end of the Byzantine period, klephtic music arose before theGreek Revolution, developed among thekleftes, warriors who fought against theOttoman Empire. Klephtic music ismonophonic and uses noharmonic accompaniment.
Dimotika tragoudia are only from the mainland and accompanied byclarinets,tambourines,laouto, violins andlyras, and include dance music likesyrtó,kalamatianó,tsámiko andhasaposérviko, as well as vocal music likekléftiko. The lyrics are based on dimotiki (folk) poetry (usually by an anonymous lyricist) and popular themes are love, marriage, humor, death, nature, water, sea, religious, about klephts, armatoloi, various war fighters or battles, etc. Some notable instrumentalists include clarinet virtuosos like Petroloukas Chalkias, Giorgos Gevgelis and Yiannis Vassilopoulos, as well aslaouto andfiddle players like Nikos Saragoudas, Vasilis Kostas and Giorgos Koros.
Greek folk music is found all throughout Greece,Cyprus, and several regions ofTurkey, as well as among communities in countries like theUnited States,Canada and Australia. The island ofCyprus and several regions ofTurkey are home to long-standing communities ofGreeks in Turkey with their own unique styles of music.
Nisiotika is a general term denoting folk songs from the Greek islands, especially theAegean Islands. Among the most popular types of them isIkariótiko tragoúdi, "song from Ikaria".
Ikariótikos is a traditional type of dance, and also the name of its accompanying type of singing, originating in the Aegean island ofIkaria. At first, it was a very slow dance, but today Ikariotikos is a very quick dance. Some specialists say that the traditional Ikariotikos was slow and the quick "version" of it is in factBallos. Music and dancing are major forms of entertainment in Ikaria. Throughout the year, Ikarians host baptisms, weddings, parties and religious festivals where one can listen and dance to live traditional Ikarian Music.
SingerMariza Koch was largely responsible for the revival of interest in Nisiótika in the 1970s and 1980s.[8] During the 1990s and 2000s, singers such asYiannis Parios andStella Konitopoulou helped this music gain occasional mainstream popularity.
TheCretan lyra is the dominant folk instrument on the island; it is a three-stringed bowed instrument similar to theByzantine Lyra. It is often accompanied bylaouto (which is similar to both anoud and alute), guitar, violin and (Cretan) mandolin.Nikos Xylouris,Psarantonis (Antonis Xylouris),Thanassis Skordalos,Kostas Moundakis,Ross Daly,Nikos Zoidakis andVasilis Skoulas are among the most renowned players of the lýra. Theviolin is also used in Cretan music. The most renowned player of the violin isAntonis Martsakis who is also a dancer.Mandolin is also used in Cretan music.Loudovikos ton Anogeion (Λουδοβίκος των Ανωγείων) is a well-known mandolin player fromCrete. The bass in that music is coming from thelaouto.Giannis Haroulis andMichalis Tzouganakis are notable artists of the instrument.
The Cretan music theme "Zorba's Dance" byMikis Theodorakis (incorporating elements from thehasapiko dance), which appears in the 1964 Hollywood movieZorba the Greek remains the best-known Greek song abroad.
Other major regional musical traditions of Greece include:
Composers:
Singers:
It was through theIonian islands (which were under Venetian rule and influence) that all the major developments of the Western European classical music were introduced to mainland Greeks. The region is notable for the birth of the first school of modern Greek classical music (Heptanesian or Ionian school;Greek: Επτανησιακή Σχολή), established in 1815. Prominent representatives of this genre includeNikolaos Mantzaros,Spyridon Xyndas,Spyridon Samaras,Dionysius Rodotheatos andPavlos Carrer.[9]
TheChurch music (Byzantine) of the islands is also different from the rest of Greece, with significant western andCatholic influences on theOrthodox rite.
Manolis Kalomiris (1883–1962) was the founder of the Greek national school of music. Born inSmyrna, he attended school inConstantinople and studied piano and composition inVienna. His work drew influences also from theGreek folk music, poetry (he was an admirer ofKostis Palamas) and myth, aiming to combine theGerman Romanticism with Greek motives. In 1919, he founded theHellenic Conservatory and in 1926 theNational Conservatoire. Representatives are alsoNikos Skalkottas, who drew his influences also from Greek folk tradition,Emilios Riadis and the conductorDimitris Mitropoulos.[10]
TheHeptaneseankantádes (καντάδες 'serenades'; sing.: καντάδα) are based on the popular Italian music of the early 19th century and became the forerunners of the Greek modern song, influencing its development to a considerable degree. For the first part of the next century, several Greek composers continued to borrow elements from the Heptanesean style.
The most successful songs during the period 1870–1930 were the so-called Athenian serenades (Αθηναϊκές καντάδες), and the songs performed on stage (επιθεωρησιακά τραγούδια 'theatrical revue songs') inrevues,musical comedies,operettas andnocturnes that were dominating Athens' theatre scene.[11][12] Notable composers ofoperettas ornocturnes wereSpyridon Samaras,Kostas Giannidis,Spyridon Kaisaris,Dionysios Lavrangas,Nikos Hatziapostolou, whileTheophrastos Sakellaridis'The Godson remains probably the most popular operetta. Despite the fact that the Athenian songs were not autonomous artistic creations (in contrast with the serenades) and despite their original connection with mainlydramatic forms of Art, they eventually became hits as independent songs. Notable actors of Greek operettas, who also made a series of melodies and songs popular at that time, includeOrestis Makris,Kalouta sisters,Petros Epitropakis,Vasilis Avlonitis,Afroditi Laoutari,Rena Vlahopoulou,Eleni Papadaki,Aris Maliagros,Marika Nezer,Marika Krevata and others.Italian opera also had a great influence on the musical aesthetics of the modern Greeks. Some popular operettas include:
After 1930, wavering among American and European musical influences as well as the Greek musical tradition, Greek composers begin to write music using the tunes of thetango,samba,waltz,swing,bolero,foxtrot, some times combined with melodies in the style ofAthenian serenades' repertory.Nikos Gounaris was probably the most renowned composer and singer of the time (often called "Mr. Greece").Giorgos Mouzakis was a prominent virtuosotrumpeter (borrowedlatin jazz elements), whileAttik andMichalis Souyioul were also among the most successful and popular composers. Notable singers of this style include alsoFotis Polymeris,Sofia Vembo (a star of the era),Mary Lo,Danaë Stratigopoulou,Stella Greca andTony Maroudas.
Composers:
Singers:
Rebetiko was initially associated with the lower and poor classes, but later reached greater general acceptance as the rough edges of its overt subcultural character were softened and polished. Rebetiko probably originated in the music of the larger Greek cities, most of them coastal, in today's Greece andAsia Minor. Emerged by the 1920s as the urban folk music of Greek society's outcasts (manges). The earliest Greekrebetiko singers (refugees, drug-users, criminals, and itinerants) were scorned by mainstream society. They sang heartrending tales of drug abuse, prison, and violence, usually accompanied by thebouzouki.
In 1923, after thepopulation exchange between Greece and Turkey, manyethnic Greeks from Asia Minor fled to Greece as a result of theGreco-Turkish War. They settled in poor neighborhoods inPiraeus,Thessaloniki, andAthens. Many of these immigrants were highly educated, such as songwriterVangelis Papazoglou, andPanagiotis Toundas, composer and leader ofOdeon Records' Greek subsidiary, who are traditionally considered the founders of theSmyrna school ofrebetiko. Another tradition from Smyrna that came along with the Greek refugees was thetekés (τεκές) 'opium den', orhashish dens. Groups of men would sit in a circle, smoke hashish from ahookah, and improvise music of various kinds.
With the coming of theMetaxasdictatorship,rebetiko was suppressed due to the uncompromising lyrics. Hashish dens,baglamas andbouzouki were banned, or at least playing in theeastern-style manner and scales.
Some of the earliest legends of Greek music, such as the quartet ofAnestis Delias,Markos Vamvakaris,Stratos Pagioumtzis andYiorgos Batis came out of this music scene. Vamvakaris became perhaps the first renownedrebetiko musician after the beginning of his solo career. Other popular rebetiko songwriters and singers of this period (1940s) include:Dimitris Gogos (better known as Bayandéras),Stelios Perpiniadis,Spyros Peristeris,Giannis Papaioannou, and Apostolos Hatzichristos.
The scene was soon popularized further by stars likeVassilis Tsitsanis. His song Συννεφιασμένη Κυριακή -Synnefiasméni Kyriakí became an anthem for the oppressed Greeks when it was composed in 1943 (during theAxis occupation of Greece during World War II), despite the fact that it was not recorded until 1948. He was followed by female singers likeMarika Ninou,Ioanna Georgakopoulou, andSotiria Bellou. In 1953,Manolis Chiotis added a fourth pair of strings to thebouzouki, which allowed it to be played as a guitar and set the stage for the future 'electrification' ofrebetiko. This final era of rebetiko (mid-1940s–1953) also featured the emergence ofnightclubs (κέντρα διασκεδάσεως) as a means of popularizing music. By the late 1950s, rebetiko had declined; it only survived in the form ofarchontorebetiko (αρχοντορεμπέτικο "posh rebetiko"), a refined style of rebetiko that was far more accepted by the upper class than the traditional form of the genre. The mainstream popularity of archontorebetiko paved the way foréntekhno andlaïkó. In the 1960s,Manolis Chiotis popularized the eight-string bouzouki and set the stage for the future 'electrification' ofrebetiko.
Rebetiko in its original form was revived during theJunta of 1967–1974, when theRegime of the Colonels banned it. After the end of the Junta, many revival groups (and solo artists) appeared. The most notable of them includeOpisthodromiki Kompania,Rembetiki Kompania,Babis Tsertos,Agathonas Iakovidis and others.
Drawing onrebetiko's internationalization by Tsitsanis and Chiotis,éntekhno (oréntechno) arose in the late 1950s. Éntekhno (art song) isorchestral music with elements from Greek folkrhythm andmelody; its lyrical themes are often based on the work of famous Greek poets. As opposed to other forms of Greek urban folk music, éntekhno concerts would often take place outside a hall or a nightclub in theopen air.Mikis Theodorakis andManos Hadjidakis were the most popular early composers of éntekhnosong cycles. They were both educated inclassical music; the lack of a wide public for this kind of music in Greece drove them to the invention of éntekhno, in which they transferred some values of Western art music,[13] such as ballad tunes.
Theodorakis was the first composer to use the bouzouki in this genre of music, trying to include this instrument in mainstream culture. Other significant Greek songwriters includedStavros Kouyioumtzis,Manos Loïzos, andDimos Moutsis. Significant lyricists of this genre areNikos Gatsos,Manos Eleftheriou and poetTasos Livaditis. By the 1960s, innovative albums helped éntekhno become close to mainstream, and also led to its appropriation by thefilm industry for use in soundtracks.
A specific form of éntekhno was the so-called "political song"; songs with a political message, of the Left, which arose during themilitary junta and became very popular after its fall in the late '70s.Manos Loizos, guitaristPanos Tzavellas,Maria Dimitriadi andMaria Farantouri were some representatives.Thanos Mikroutsikos released an album featuring Greek partisan songs of theGreek resistance, with his own orchestration. A form of éntekhno, which is even closer to Western classical music, was introduced during the late 1970s by Mikroutsikos. (See the section 'Other popular trends' below for further information onNéo Kýma and contemporary éntekhno.)
Notableéntekhno works include:
Composers:
Singers:
Laïkó (λαϊκό τραγούδι 'song of the people' / 'popular song' or αστική λαϊκή μουσική 'urban folk music'), is aGreek music genre that is composed inGreek language in accordance with the tradition of theGreek people. Laïkó followed after the commercialization of rebetiko music. Until the 1930s the Greekdiscography was dominated by two musicalgenres: theGreek folk music (dimotiká) and theelafró tragoudi (literally: "light song"). The latter was the Greek version of the international urban music of the era.Classic laïkó (κλασικό/παλιό λαϊκό) as it is known today, was the mainstream popular music ofGreece during the 1960s and 1970s. It was dominated by singers such asGrigoris Bithikotsis,Marinella,Stelios Kazantzidis,Panos Gavalas and others. Among the most significant songwriters and lyricists of this period areGiorgos Zampetas,Manolis Hiotis andVassilis Tsitsanis. The more cheerful version of laïkó, calledelafró laïkó (ελαφρολαϊκό,elafrolaïkó 'light laïkó') and it was often used in musicals during theGolden Age of Greek cinema. Contemporary laïkó (σύγχρονο λαϊκό), also calledmodern laïkó, is currently Greece's mainstream music genre. Some of the strongestGreek dances andrhythms of today's Greek music culturelaïká arenisiotika,syrtos,hasapika,Kalamatiana,zeibekiko,syrtaki andGreek belly dance and most of them are set to music by the Greek instrumentalbouzouki. Thus, on the one hand there is the homogenizedGreek popular song, with all the idioms of traditionalGreek folk music, and on the other, the peculiar musical trends of the urbanrebetiko (song of the cities) known also in Greece asαστικό.[14]
Other significant songwriters and lyricists of this category are consideredAkis Panou,Apostolos Kaldaras,Giorgos Mitsakis,Stavros Kouyioumtzis,Lefteris Papadopoulos andEftychia Papagianopoulou. Many artists have combined the traditions of éntekhno and laïkó with considerable success, such as the composersMimis Plessas andStavros Xarchakos.
During the same era, there was also another kind of soft music (ελαφρά μουσική, also called ελαφρό,elafró 'soft (song)', literally 'light') which became fashionable; it was represented by ensembles of singers/musicians such as the Katsamba Brothers duo, theTrio Kitara, theTrio Belcanto, theTrio Atene and others. The genre's sound was an imitation of the then-contemporary Cuban and Mexican folk music,[15] but also had elements from the early Athenian popular songs.
Composers:
Singers:
Modern laïka (μοντέρνα λαϊκά)—alsocontemporary laïkó/laïká (σύγχρονο λαϊκό/σύγχρονα λαϊκά) orlaïko-pop (λαϊκο-πόπ)—is currently Greece's mainstream music along with some pop recordings.
Modern laïká emerged as a style in the early 1980s. An indispensable part of the contemporary laïká culture is the písta (πίστα; pl.: πίστες) "dance floor/venue". Nightclubs at which the DJs play only contemporary laïká were colloquially known in the 1990s as ellinádika. Over the years until today, the aim of the Greek music scene is only one:quality. Virtuoso musicians and expressive singers take every season, with more professionalism and love for what they do to entertain the Greek audience, to lure and to make it dance with the songs and music that everyone loves. All this music effort takes place inEurope and internationally. Greek-American music includesrebetiko andGreek folk music. The Greek music culture exists as a serious aspect ofHellenic culture, both withinGreece and in the diaspora.
Renowned songwriters of modern laïká includeAlekos Chrysovergis,Nikos Karvelas,Phoebus,Nikos Terzis andChristos Dantis. Renowned lyricists includeGiorgos Theofanous,Evi Droutsa andNatalia Germanou.
In the 2010s, several new artists emerged. Artists, such asKostas Martakis,Katerina Stikoudi,Demy andX Factor contestants such asKonstantinos Argyros,Eleftheria Eleftheriou andIvi Adamou. Several artists sometimes incorporateddance-pop elements in their laïko-pop recordings.
In effect, there is no single name for modern laïká in theGreek language, but it is often formally referred to as σύγχρονο λαϊκό (Greek:[ˈsiŋxronolaiˈko]), a term which is however also used for denoting newly composed songs in the tradition of "proper" laïkó; when ambiguity arises, σύγχρονο ('contemporary') λαϊκό or disparagingly λαϊκο-ποπ ('folk-pop', also in the sense of "westernized") is used for the former, while γνήσιο ('genuine') or even καθαρόαιμο ('pureblood') λαϊκό is used for the latter. The choice of contrasting the notions of "westernized" and "genuine" may often be based onideological andaesthetic grounds.[16]
Despite its popularity, the genre of modern laïká (especially laïko-pop) has come under scrutiny for "featuring musical clichés, average singing voices and slogan-like lyrics" and for "being a hybrid, neither laïkó, nor pop".[17]
Skyládiko (Greek pronunciation:[sciˈlaðiko]; pl.:Skyládika;Greek:Σκυλάδικο, meaning "doghouse") is a derogatory term to describe some branches of laïkó music and some of the current nightclubs in Greece in which a form of popular Greek music is performed. It is performed with electricbouzouki andguitars. It is associated with mass entertainment of lower quality and, until the 1970s, was marginal, but gained popularity after the 1980s. Critics of this genre relate it to modern laïká, mentioning the low quality and the indispensable common part of thepista (πίστα, pl.: πίστες) "dance floor/venue".[18]
Folk singer-songwriters (τραγουδοποιοί) first appeared in the 1960s afterDionysis Savvopoulos' 1966 breakthrough albumFortigó. Many of these musicians started out playingNéo Kýma, "New wave" (not to be confused withnew wave music, the British-born genre), a mixture of éntekhno andchansons fromFrance. Savvopoulos mixed American musicians likeBob Dylan andFrank Zappa withMacedonian folk music andpolitically incisive lyrics. In his wake came more folk-influenced performers likeArleta,Mariza Koch,Mihalis Violaris, Kostas Hatzis and the composerGiannis Spanos. This music scene flourished in a specific type ofboîte de nuit.[19]
A notable musical trend in the 1970s (during theJunta of 1967–1974 and a few years after its end) was the rise in popularity of thetopical songs (πολιτικό τραγούδι "political song"). Classic éntekhno composers associated with this movement includeMikis Theodorakis,Thanos Mikroutsikos,Giannis Markopoulos, andManos Loïzos.[20]
Nikos Xydakis, one of Savvopoulos' pupils, was among the people who revolutionized laïkó by using orientalized instrumentation. His most successful album was 1987'sKondá sti Dóxa miá Stigmí, recorded withEleftheria Arvanitaki.
Thanasis Polykandriotis, laïkó composer and classically trainedbouzouki player, became renowned for his mixture of rebetiko and orchestral music (as in his 1996 composition "Concert for Bouzouki and Orchestra No. 1").
A popular trend since the late 1980s has been the fusion of éntekhno (urban folk ballads with artistic lyrics) with pop /soft rock music (έντεχνο ποπ-ροκ).[21] Moreover, certain composers, such asDimitris Papadimitriou have been inspired by elements of the classic éntekhno tradition and written song cycles for singers of contemporary éntekhno music, such asFotini Darra. The most renowned contemporary éntekhno (σύγχρονο έντεχνο) lyricist isLina Nikolakopoulou.
There are however other composers ofinstrumental andincidental music (including film scores and music for the stage), whose work cannot be easily classified, such asStamatis Spanoudakis,Giannis Spanos,Giorgos Hatzinasios,Giorgos Tsangaris,Nikos Kypourgos,Nikos Mamangakis,Eleni Karaindrou, andEvanthia Remboutsika.Vangelis andYanni were also Greek instrumental composers who became internationally renowned.
Even though it has always had a considerable number of listeners supporting it throughout the history of the post-1960s Greek music, it is only very recently (late 2000s) that pop-oriented music has reached the popularity of laïkó/laïká, and there is a tendency among many urban folk artists to turn to more pop-oriented sounds.[22]
The following classification is conventional and categories may occasionally overlap with each other. Each artist is entried under the genre designation that the Greek musical press usually classifies him or her.
Songs from this period of GreekLaïkó were mainly influenced by the musicSkiladiko, including branch of laiko music and some of the current nightclubs in Greece in which this music is performed, thecountry music movement andstyle folk-pop.
Since the late 1970s, various independent scenes of "marginal" musical genres have appeared in Greece (mainly inAthens,Piraeus, andThessaloniki). Most of them were short-lived and never gained mainstream popularity but the most prominent artists/bands of these scenes are critically acclaimed today and are considered among the pioneers of independent Greek music (each one in their own genre).
Υπάρχει μια συνεχής εξέλιξη από την αρχαία Ελληνική μουσική έως και το δημοτικό τραγούδι, η οποία μαρτυρείται, εκτός από τη γλώσσα, στο ρυθμό, τη δομή και τη μελωδία
