Dimitris Fampas (December 22, 1921 – May 3, 1996) was a Greek

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

 classical guitar

Classical guitar

The classical guitar is a 6-stringed plucked string instrument from the family of instruments called chordophones...

ist.

Biography

Fampas was born in Milina of Lafkos, a small village on Mount Pelion

Pelion

Pelion or Pelium is a mountain at the southeastern part of Thessaly in central Greece, forming a hook-like peninsula between the Pagasetic Gulf and the Aegean Sea...

 near Volos

Volos

Volos is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about 326 km north of Athens and 215 km south of Thessaloniki...

, Greece. As a child, he played traditional music on lute

Lute

Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes....

 and mandolin

Mandolin

A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...

. In 1939, he pursued musical studies in Athens

Athens

Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...

. He studied Advanced Musical Theory with Theodore Vavayiannis and counterpoint with Costa Kydoniatis at the Athens Conservatory

Athens Conservatoire

The Athens Conservatoire is the oldest conservatoire in modern Greece. It was founded in 1871 by the Athens Music and Drama Society. Initially, the musical instruments that were taught there were limited to the violin and the flute, representative of the ancient Greek Apollonian and Dionysian...

. He studied with Nicholas Ioannou, and by 1953, he received a diploma in classical guitar performance cum laude

Latin honors

Latin honors are Latin phrases used to indicate the level of academic distinction with which an academic degree was earned. This system is primarily used in the United States, Canada, and in many countries of continental Europe, though some institutions also use the English translation of these...

from the National Conservatory

National Conservatoire (Greece)

The Greek National Conservatoire was founded in Athens in 1926 by the composer Manolis Kalomiris and a number of other notable artists like Charikleia Kalomoiri, Marika Kotopouli, Dionysios Lavrangas, and Sophia Spanoudi...

 of Greece. In 1955 and 1956, he received a scholarship

Scholarship

A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...

 from the Italian government to study guitar with Andrés Segovia

Andrés Segovia

Andrés Torres Segovia, 1st Marquis of Salobreña , known as Andrés Segovia, was a virtuoso Spanish classical guitarist from Linares, Jaén, Andalucia, Spain...

 and musicology with Emilio Pujol

Emilio Pujol

Emili Pujol Vilarrubí was a composer and the leading twentieth century musicologist and classical guitar teacher.- Biography :...

 at the “Academia Chigianna” in Siena

Siena

Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena.The historic centre of Siena has been declared by UNESCO a World Heritage Site. It is one of the nation's most visited tourist attractions, with over 163,000 international arrivals in 2008...

. In 1959, he attended classes with Segovia once more, this time at the Academy of Santiago, Spain, receiving a scholarship from Segovia himself.

Fampas' career spanned almost four decades and hundreds of recitals worldwide. He toured in England, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Turkey, US, Canada, USSR and the Vatican. He appeared in most major cities of Greece as well as in the Ancient Theater of Epidaurus

Epidaurus

Epidaurus was a small city in ancient Greece, at the Saronic Gulf. Two modern towns bear the name Epidavros : Palaia Epidavros and Nea Epidavros. Since 2010 they belong to the new municipality of Epidavros, part of the peripheral unit of Argolis...

. He recorded guitar concertos such as the L. Boccherini-G. Cassado concerto, and he played the World Premier recording of the "Concerto Para Tres Hermanas" by Carlo Pizzini with the National Radio Symphony Orchestra of Greece. He often performed live TV recitals in Greece, Spain, and US.

Fampas composed over two hundred solos, studies and dances, enriching the guitar literature. Fampas' compositions proved popular and they became standard guitar repertory. His guitar music, often romantic and lyrical, richly dominated by Greek traditional elements, colors and rhythms, expresses his love for the guitar and for his country, as well as his passionate personality.

His work has been published by the Publishing Houses of: Ricordi of Milan, Italy, Ricordi of São Paulo, Brazil, Max Eschig of Paris, France, Columbia Music – US, Lathkil Music Publishers of London, UK, MEL BAY – US, Ph. Nakas and Papagrigoriou-Nakas of Athens, Greece, M. Nikolaidis - Orpheus Editions of Athens, Greece.

Dimitri Fampas recorded theater and film music by Greek composers such as Mikis Theodorakis

Mikis Theodorakis

Mikis Theodorakis is one of the most renowned Greek songwriters and composers. Internationally, he is probably best known for his songs and for his scores for the films Zorba the Greek , Z , and Serpico .Politically, he identified with the left until the late 1980s; in 1989, he ran as an...

, Manos Hatzidakis

Manos Hadjidakis

Manos Hatzidakis was a Greek composer and theorist of the Greek music. He was also one of the main prime movers of the "Éntekhno" song ....

, Argiris Kounadis and Stavros Xarhakos. Through the '60s and early '70s Fampas collaborated as a soloist

Solo (music)

In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...

 to many theatrical and film music productions, being the first Greek classical guitarist to perform on stage and to record theatrical music soundtracks.

Dimitri Fampas taught at the National Conservatory of Athens. Thousands of guitarists have been produced by Fampas and his disciples over the past fifty years. Some 38 prizes in international guitar competitions have been won by Fampas’ students. Among his most noted students are Evangelos Assimakopoulos

Evangelos Assimakopoulos

Evangelos Assimakopoulos is a Greek classical guitarist and musical pedagogue. In 1965 he married guitarist Liza Zoe and together they established the guitar duo Evangelos & Liza.-Biography:...

, Liza Zoe

Liza Zoe

Liza Zoe is a Greek classical guitarist and musical pedagogue. In 1965 she married guitarist Evangelos Assimakopoulos and together they established the guitar duo Evangelos & Liza.-Biography:...

, Eleftheria Kotzia, Kyriakos Tzortzinakis, Eva Fampas, Notis Mavroudis, Yiannis Manolidakis, Evangelos Boudounis, Spiros Diamantis and Kostas Grigoreas.

Dimitri Fampas created two guitarist orchestras, one for young players and another for advanced guitarists, with which he made numerous concert appearances and tours in Greece during 1979–1989. He was a member of the jury in international guitar competitions and he offered master-classes and lectures in numerous seminars and festivals. He lectured on the history of the classical guitar over the Greek National Radio and TV, the BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

, and on several stations in Hungary, in Czechoslovakia, in the US and elsewhere.

He has served as President of the Union of Conservatory Professors of Greece, as a member of the Greek Composers' Union, as a member of the Greek National Board of Music/IMC and UNESCO.

His life and artistic contribution are mentioned in the National and International Who's Who

Who's Who

Who's Who is the title of a number of reference publications, generally containing concise biographical information on a particular group of people...

, in the Cambridge dictionary of biographies of famous men and scholars as well as in the Guitar dictionaries and music history books of Japan, England, Poland, GDR, Italy and Greece, the Encyclopedias of Papyrus Larouse, and Harris Patsis.

His early life is depicted in "The tales of faith" by Denis Ronda. For his artistic contribution to music and to society, he was honored with numerous awards and medals by cultural associations, music clubs and Municipalities. Audiovisual material on Dimitri Fampas has been presented and broadcast by national Greek TV, including a 45 minute interview with G. Sgourakis (Director) for the series Monograma which focused on outstanding Greek artists and scientists. In 1999, a double CD titled Dimitri Fampas, the Guitar Album was released by Universal Music/Polydor masters in a series of historical recordings.

The Guitar Friends Association Dimitri Fampas (member of the Greek National Music Council, and the IMC

International Music Council

The International Music Council was created in 1949 as UNESCO's advisory body on matters of music. It is based at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris, France, where it functions as an independent international non-governmental organization...

 of UNESCO

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

), is a non-profit cultural society founded in 1999 under the initiative of the guitarist-professor Eva Fampas dedicated to serving Dimitri Fampas' legacy and music, encouraging new talented artists and promotion of Greek guitar music.

On January 11, 2006, Dimitri Fampas' archives, including original music, editions, lectures, concert programmes and newspapers as well as a collection of unpublished recordings and photos concerning his life and career, were donated to the Benaki Museum

Benaki Museum

The Benaki Museum, established and endowed in 1930 by Antonis Benakis in memory of his father Emmanuel Benakis, is housed in the Benakis family mansion in downtown Athens, Greece...

of Athens, Greece.

Works for guitar solo

• "Triplet Memory To Emilio Pujol"
• "Reverie"
• "Valsa de Brasilia to Ronoel Simoes" (1st Version)
• "Vals" (2hd Version - Revised)
• "Danse Syrtos"
• "Danse Ballos"
• "A Heart-Felt Conversation", oo Andres Segovia for His 90th Birthday
• "Suite No 3, Sur Une Forme Ancienne"
• "Prelude-Bourre-Allemande-Aria Melancolique-Loure 1&2"
• "Jeux D'enfants" (Kavatina No 1)
• "Conte" (Kavatina No 1)
• "Poeme" (Kavatina No 10) To Notis Mavroudis
• "Danse Imaginaire" (Kavatina No 1) To Liza Zoi
• "Karagouna", Greek Danse
• "Vlacha", Greek Danse
• Greek Dance "Sousta" (1st Version)
• Greek Danse "Sousta" (2nd Version - Revised)
• "Vision"
• "The Country of Centaurs" (Greek Suite)
• "Tsamikos Danse" (Greek Suite)
• "Ravines" (Greek Suite)
• "Syrtaki Danse" (Greek Suite)
• "Bolero"
• "Marche of Spain"
• "Suite No 2 For a Beloved Family" (To Jeni-To Eva-To Evangelos)
• "Admiration" (Kavatina No 2)
• "Little Waltz" (Kavatina No 2)
• "Sensations" (Kavatina No2)
• 24 Concert Studies (1–12 To Ida Presti / 13–24 To Andres Segovia)
• 23 Melodies For Children And Young Guitarists ("A Dream", "Guahira Danse", "Tsamikos Danse", "For Eva", "Milina", "Varcarola", "Prelude", "Petit Vals", are included)
• "Romantza"
• 'Greek Song"
• "Evgenoula", Theme with Variations
• 9 Sentimental Preludes
• Sentimental Suite (6 songs dedicated to his fiancee)
• Melodies for Young Guitarists, 2nd Collection ("Minuet", "Tender Moments", "The Girl In Green", "The Phone-Call", "Song Without Words No1&2", "A Vals For A Great Woman", others)
• "A Lafkos' Faire"
• "Segovia's Portrait"
• "The Windsong"

Works for guitar duo

• "Fantasy for two guitars"
• "Greek Danse Of Corfou for 2 guitars"
• "Greek Song Of Thessaly for 2 guitars"
• "Danse Ballos for 2 guitars"
• Petit Vals for 2 guitars"

Works for guitar ensemble

• "Greek Fiesta For 3 Guitars" (A Fair of Pilion)
• "Tzeni Variations for 3 Guitars" (Suite for a Beloved Family)
• "The Layiarni" (Variations on the Traditional Greek Song) for Voice and Guitar Orchestra
• "Ode to Peace for Voice and 3 Guitars" Based on the Poem Peace by J. Ritsos.
• "Songs for Voice and Guitar" – Lyrics by L. Raftopoulos & B. Spilios