Music of Greece
Encyclopedia
The music of Greece
is as diverse and celebrated as its history
. Greek music separates into two parts: Greek traditional music
and Byzantine music
, with more eastern sounds. These compositions have existed for millennia: they originated in the Byzantine period
and Greek antiquity, where there is a continuous development which appears in the language, the rhythm, the structure and the melody. Also Greek music has many similarities with the music of Cyprus
; their modern popular music
scenes remaining well-integrated with one another. Music is a significant aspect of Hellenic culture, both within Greece
and in the diaspora
.
, since music was a major part of ancient Greek theater. Later influences from the Roman Empire
, Eastern Europe and the Byzantine Empire
changed the form and style of Greek music. In the 19th century, opera
composers, like Nikolaos Mantzaros
(1795–1872), Spyridon Xyndas
(1812–1896) and Spyridon Samaras
(1861–1917) and symphonists, like Dimitris Lialios and Dionysios Rodotheatos
revitalized Greek art music
. However, the diverse history of art music in Greece, which extends from the Cretan Renaissance and reaches modern times, exceeds the aims of the present article, which is, in general, limited to the presentation of the musical forms that have become synonymous to 'Greek music' during the last few decades; that is, the 'Greek song' or the 'song in Greek verse'.
, mixed-gender choruses performed for entertainment, celebration and spiritual reasons. Instruments included the double-reed aulos
and the plucked string instrument
, the lyre
, especially the special kind called a kithara
.
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; Greek music theory
included the Greek musical mode
s, eventually became the basis for Western religious music
and classical music.
-speaking world, developed in the Byzantine Empire
from the establishment of its capital, Constantinople
, in 330 until its fall
in 1453. It is undeniably of composite origin, drawing on the artistic and technical productions of the classical Greek age, on Jewish music
, and inspired by the monophonic
vocal music
that evolved in the early (Greek) Christian cities of Alexandria
, Antioch
and Ephesus
(see also Early Christian music). In his lexicographical discussion of instruments, the Persian
geographer Ibn Khurradadhbih
(d. 911) cited the lūrā (bowed lyra
) as a typical instrument of the Byzantines along with the urghun (organ
), shilyani (probably a type of harp
or lyre
), and the salandj (probably a bagpipe)..
were familiar, in a period that stretched from the 15th century to the time of Greek war of independence
, with Greek folk music
and dances from Byzantine music
and more specifically, with religious hymns: Church music
. These genres have certainly reached a high degree of evolution. They were forms of a mono music that had many elements of ancient Greek origin but also, they had nothing to do with Western polyphonic music. By the beginning of the 20th century, music-cafés
(καφέ-σαντάν) were popular in Greek cities like Constantinople
and Smyrna
, where small groups of musicians from Greece played. The bands were typically led by a female vocalist and included a violin
. The improvised
songs typically exclaimed amán amán, which led to the name amanédhes or café-aman (καφέ-αμάν). Greek musicians of this period included Marika Papagika
, Rosa Eskenazi and Rita Abatzi
. This period also brought in the Rebetiko
movement, which had local Smyrnaic and Byzantine
influences.
and Klephtic songs. Akritic music comes from the 9th century akrites
, or border guards of the Byzantine Empire
. Following the end of the Byzantine period, klephtic music arose before the Greek Revolution, developed among the kleftes, warriors who fought against the Ottoman Empire
. Klephtic music is monophonic
and uses no harmonic
accompaniment.
Dhimotika tragoudhia are accompanied by clarinet
s, guitars, tambourine
s and violins, and include dance music forms like syrtó, kalamatianó
, tsámiko
and hasaposérviko, as well as vocal music like kléftiko. Many of the earliest recordings were done by Arvanites
like Yiorgia Mittaki and Yiorgios Papasidheris. Instrumentalists include clarinet virtuosos like Petroloukas Halkias, Yiorgos Yevyelis and Yiannis Vassilopoulos, as well as oud
and fiddle
players like Nikos Saragoudas and Yiorgos Koros.
Greek folk music is found all throughout Greece Cyprus
and several regions of Turkey
, as well as among communities in countries like the United States
, Canada
and Australia.The island of Cyprus
and several regions of Turkey
are home to long-standing communities of Greeks in Turkey with their own unique styles of music.
is a general term denoting folk songs from the Aegean Islands
. Among the most popular types of them is Ikariótiko traghoúdhi, "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 of Ikaria. 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 fact Ballos
. 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.
Singer Mariza Koch
was largely responsible for the revival of interest in Nisiótika in the 70s and 80s. During the 1990s and 2000s, artists such as Yiannis Parios, Stella Konitopoulou, and the Mythos Band helped this music gain occasional mainstream popularity.
is an island which is a part of Greece
. The lýra is the dominant folk instrument on the island; it is a three-stringed bowed instrument similar to the Byzantine Lyra
. It is often accompanied by the Cretian lute
(laoúto), which is similar to both an oud
and a mandolin
. Nikos Xylouris, Antonis Xylouris (or Psarantonis
), Thanassis Skordalos
, Kostas Moundakis, and Vasilis Skoulas are among the most renowned players of the lýra.
(incorporating elements from the hasapiko
dance) which appears in the Hollywood 1964 movie Zorba the Greek
remains the best-known Greek song abroad.
, Loudovikos ton Anogion and Yiannis Charoulis.
It was through the Ionian islands
(which were under western rule and influence) that all the major advances of the European classical music were introduced to mainland Greeks. The region is notable for the birth of the first School of modern Greek classical music (Heptanesean or Ionian School
, Greek
:Επτανησιακή Σχολή), established in 1815. Prominent representatives of this genre include Nikolaos Mantzaros
, Spyridon Xyndas
, Spyridon Samaras
and Pavlos Carrer
.
The Church music (Byzantine)
of the islands is also different from the rest of Greece, with a lot of western and Catholic influences on the Orthodox
rite.
(1883–1962) was the founder of the Greek National School of Music. Born in Smyrna
, he attended school in Constantinople
and studied piano and composition in Vienna
. His work drew influences also from the Greek folk music
, poetry (he was an admirer of Kostis Palamas
) and myth, aiming to combine the German Romanticism
with Greek motives. In 1919 he founded the Hellenic Conservatory
and in 1926 the National Conservatoire
.
s'; 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') in revue
, operetta
s and nocturne
s that were dominating Athens' theatre scene. Notable composers of operetta
s or nocturne
s were Spyridon Samaras
, Dionysios Lavrangas, Attik (Kleon Triantafyllou), Nikos Hatziapostolou, while Theophrastos 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 mainly dramatic forms of Art, they eventually became hits as independent songs. Notable actors of Greek operettas, who made also a series of melodies and songs popular at that time, include Orestis Makris
, Kalouta sisters, Vasilis Avlonitis
, Afroditi Laoutari
, Rena Vlahopoulou
, Eleni Papadaki
, Aris Maliagros
, Marika Nezer
, Marika Krevata
etc. Italian opera
had also a great influence on the musical aesthetics of the modern Greeks.
After 1930, wavering among American and European musical influences as well as the Greek musical tradition, the Greek composers begin to write music using the tunes of the tango
, the samba
, and the waltz
combined with melodies in the style of Athenian serenades' repertory.
Composers:
Singers:
, since the middle of the last century, shows the new creation of the Greeks, the city song astiko -Greeks: refugees, musicians, drug-users, criminals and itinerants—were scorned by mainstream society. They sang heartrending tales of drug abuse, prison and violence, usually accompanied by the instrument called bouzouki
(pl.: bouzoukia) (a sort of lute
derived from the Byzantine
tambourás
and related to the Greek
baglamas.
In 1923, after the population exchange between Greece and Turkey
, many ethnic Greeks from Asia Minor
fled to Greece as a result of the second Greco-Turkish War
. They settled in poor neighborhoods in Piraeus
, Thessaloniki
, and Athens
. Many of these immigrants were highly educated, such as songwriter Vangelis Papazoglou, and Panagiotis Tountas, composer and leader of Odeon Records
' Greek subsidiary, who are traditionally considered as the founders of the Smyrna School of Rebetiko. Another tradition from Smyrna
that came along with the Greek refugees was the tekés (τεκές) 'opium den', or hashish
dens. Groups of men would sit in a circle and smoke hashish from a hookah
, and improvised music of various kinds.
With the coming of the Metaxas
dictatorship
, rebetiko
was repressed due to the uncompromising lyrics. Hashish dens, baglamas and bouzouki
were banned, or at least playing in the eastern-style manner and scales.
Some of the earliest legends of Greek music, such as the quartet of Manolis Chiotis
, Markos Vamvakaris
, Stratos Payioumtzis and Yiorgos Batis
came out of this music scene. Vamvakaris became perhaps the first renowned rebetiko
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 like Vassilis Tsitsanis
. His song Συννεφιασμένη Κυριακή - Synnefiasméni Kyriakí became an anthem for the oppressed Greeks when it was composed in 1943, despite the fact that it was not recorded until 1948. He was followed by female singers like Marika Ninou
, Ioanna Yiorgakopoulou, and Sotiria Bellou
.In 1953, Manolis Chiotis
added a fourth pair of strings to the bouzouki
, which allowed it to be tuned
tonally (Western tuning
) and set the stage for the future 'electrification
' of rebetiko
. This final era of rebetiko (mid 1940s-1953) also featured the emergence of night clubs (κέντρα διασκεδάσεως) as a means of popularizing music.By the late 1950s, rebetiko had declined; it only survived in the form of Archontorebetiko (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 (αρχοντορεμπετικο) paved the way for Éntekhno and Laïkó
. In the 60's Manolis Chiotis
popularized the eight-string bouzouki and set the stage for the future 'electrification
' of rebetiko
.
Rebetiko
in its original form was revived during the Junta of 1967–1974, when the Regime of the Colonels banned it. After the end of the Junta, many revival groups (and solo artists) appeared. The most notable of them include Opisthodhromiki Kompania, Rembetiki Kompania, Agathonas Iakovidis.
's westernization by Tsitsanis and Chiotis, Éntekhno arose in the late 1950s. Éntekhno (lit. meaning 'art song
') is orchestral music with elements from Greek folk rhythm
and melody
; its lyrical themes are often political or 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 night club in the open air
. Mikis Theodorakis
and Manos Hadjidakis
were the most popular early composers of éntekhno song cycles. Other significant Greek songwriters included Stavros Kouyoumtzis, Manos Loïzos
, and Dimos Moutsis. Significant lyricists of this genre are Manos Eleftheriou, and poet Tasos Livaditis. By the 1960s, innovative albums helped éntekhno become close to mainstream, and also led to its appropriation by the film industry
for use in soundtracks. A form of éntekhno which is even closer to Western Classical music was introduced during the late 1970s and 1980s by Thanos Mikroutsikos
. (See the section 'Other popular trends' below for further information on Néo kýma
and Contemporary éntekhno.)
Singers:
that emerged by the creation of Greek music culture as rebetiko in the 20th century, and has taken many styles over the years. Until the 1930's the Greek Discography
was dominated by two musical genre
s: the Greek folk music
(demotiká), including Smyrneika, and the Elafró tragoudi (literally: "light song"). It was (and is) the Greek version of the international pop music of any time. Classic laïkó as it is known today, was the mainstream popular music of Greece
during the 60s and 70s. Laïkó was dominated by singers such as Tolis Voskopoulos
, Marinella
, Stelios Kazantzidis
and Stratos Dionysiou
. Among the most significant songwriters and lyricists of this period are considered George Zambetas, Manolis Hiotis and Vassilis Tsitsanis
; of course the big names of this kind are still in Greek business. The more cheerful version of laïkó, called elafró laïkó (ελαφρολαϊκό - elafrolaïkó 'light laïkó') and it was often used in musicals during the Golden Age of Greek cinema. Contemporary laïkó (σύγχρονο λαϊκό), also called Modern laïkó, is currently Greece's mainstream music genre. Some of the strongest Greek dances
and rhythm
s of today's Greek music culture laïká are Nisiótika
, hasaposerviko
, kalamatianos
, zeibekiko
and syrtaki and the most of them are set to music by the Greek instrumental bouzouki
. So, on the one hand there is the homogenized Greek
popular song, with all the idioms of traditional Greek folk music
, and on the other, the peculiar musical trends of the urban rebetiko
(song of the cities) known also in Greece as αστικό.
Among the most significant songwriters and lyricists of this category are considered Akis Panou, George Zambetas, Apostolos Kaldáras, Giorgos Mitsakis, Babis Bakális, Giannis Papaioannou
, and Eftichia Papagianopoulos
. Many artists have combined the traditions of éntekhno and laïkó with considerable success, such as the composers Mimis Plessas
, Stavros Xarchakos, and Giorgos Mouzakis
, and the lyricist Lefteris Papadopoulos
.
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, the Trio Kitara, the Trio Belcanto, and the Trio Athene. The genre's sound was an imitation of the then contemporary Cuban and Mexican folk music but also had elements from the early Athenian popular songs.
Contemporary laïkó (σύγχρονο λαϊκό), (laiko-pop) (also called Modern laïkó) is currently Greece's mainstream music genre in today nightlife. Contemporary 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". Night clubs at which the DJs play only contemporary laïká where colloquially known on the 90's as ellinádhika. Over the years until today, the aim of 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 take place in Europe
and internationally. Greek-American music includes styles like Entechno, rebetiko
and Greek folk music
. The Greek music culture exists as a serious aspect of Hellenic culture, both within Greece
and in the diaspora.
Renowned songwriters of modern laïká include Alekos Chrysovergis, Nikos Karvelas
, Phoebus
, Nikos Terzis, and the Pegasos duo (Antonis and Dimitris Paravomvolakis). Renowned lyricists include Giorgos Theofanous, Evi Droutsa, and Natalia Germanou
.
, but it is often formally referred to as σύγχρονο λαϊκό (ˈsiŋxrono laiˈko), 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 on ideological and aesthetic
grounds.
in big Greek cities as term, are considered by both the artistic establishments and recording companies as an expression of degradation and social decadence, in the field of laiko
and pop music in Greece
, borrowing elements and themes from the Byzantine eastern listenings
, which are made Greek folk
with the use of bouzouki
, clarinet
and other Greek instruments.
' 1966 breakthrough album Fortighó. Many of these musicians started out playing Néo kýma
, "New wave" (not to be confused with New Wave rock
), a mixture of éntekhno and chanson
s from France
. Savvopoulos mixed American musicians like Bob Dylan
and Frank Zappa
with Macedonian folk music
and politically incisive
lyrics. In his wake came more folk-influenced performers like Arleta, Mariza Koch
, and Kostas Hatzis. This music scene flourished in a specific type of boîte de nuit.
A notable musical trend in the 1970s (during the Junta of 1967–1974 and a few years after its end) was the rise in popularity of the topical song
s (πολιτικό τραγούδι "political song"). Classic éntekhno composers associated with this movement include Mikis Theodorakis
, Thanos Mikroutsikos
, Giannis Markopoulos, and Manos Loïzos
.
Nikos Xydakis
, one of Savvopoulos' pupils, was among the people who revolutionized laïkó by using orientalized instrumentation. His most successful album was 1987's Kondá sti Dhóxa miá Stigmí, recorded with Eleftheria Arvanitaki
.
Thanasis Polykandriotis, laïkó composer and classically trained bouzouki
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). Moreover, certain composers, such as Dimitris Papadimitriou have been inspired by elements of the classic éntekhno tradition and written songs cycles for singers of contemporary éntekhno music, such as Fotini Darra. The most renowned contemporary éntekhno (σύγχρονο έντεχνο) lyricist is Lina Nikolakopoulou
.
There are however other composers of instrumental
and incidental music
(including filmscores and music for the stage), whose work cannot be easily classified, such as Giannis Markopoulos, Stamatis Spanoudakis
, Giannis Spanos, Giorgos Hatzinasios, Giorgos Tsangaris, Nikos Kypourgos, Nikos Mamangakis, Eleni Karaindrou
, and Evanthia Remboutsika. Vangelis
and Yanni
were among the few Greek instrumental composers who became internationally renowned; their work however had little influence on the tradition of Greek instrumental music.
Regarding "purely western" pop music, even though it has always had a considerable amount of listeners supporting it throughout the history of the post 1960s Greek music, it has only very recently (late 2000s) reached the popularity of laïkó/laïká, and there is a tendency among many urban folk artists to turn to more pop-oriented sounds.
1980s-2000s (partial overlap with contemporary laïkó and éntekhno pop)
1980s-2000s
1960s-1970s (songs from this period of Greek pop were mainly rock ballads and Italian-/French
-style pop ballads)
1980-2000s
Teen pop
2000s
Pop rock
1990s-2000s
2000s-2010s
1990s-2000s crews
, Piraeus
, and Thessaloniki
). 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).
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
is as diverse and celebrated as its history
History of Greece
The history of Greece encompasses the history of the territory of the modern state of Greece, as well as that of the Greek people and the areas they ruled historically. The scope of Greek habitation and rule has varied much through the ages, and, as a result, the history of Greece is similarly...
. Greek music separates into two parts: Greek traditional music
Greek folk music
Greek folk music includes a variety of Greek styles played by ethnic Greeks in Greece, Cyprus, Australia, the United States and elsewhere. Apart from the common music found all-around Greece, there are distinct types of folk music, sometimes related to the history or simply the taste of the...
and Byzantine music
Byzantine music
Byzantine music is the music of the Byzantine Empire composed to Greek texts as ceremonial, festival, or church music. Greek and foreign historians agree that the ecclesiastical tones and in general the whole system of Byzantine music is closely related to the ancient Greek system...
, with more eastern sounds. These compositions have existed for millennia: they originated in the Byzantine period
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
and Greek antiquity, where there is a continuous development which appears in the language, the rhythm, the structure and the melody. Also Greek music has many similarities with the music of Cyprus
Music of Cyprus
The music of Cyprus includes a variety of classical, folk and popular genres. Cypriot folk music is similar to the folk music of Greece, and includes dances like sousta, syrtos, Kalamatianos, zeimbekiko, and Rebetika.-Medieval music:...
; their modern popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
scenes remaining well-integrated with one another. Music is a significant aspect of Hellenic culture, both within Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and in the diaspora
Greek diaspora
The Greek diaspora, also known as Hellenic Diaspora or Diaspora of Hellenism, is a term used to refer to the communities of Greek people living outside the traditional Greek homelands, but more commonly in southeast Europe and Asia Minor...
.
Greek music history
Greek music history extends far back into ancient GreeceAncient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
, since music was a major part of ancient Greek theater. Later influences from the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, Eastern Europe and the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
changed the form and style of Greek music. In the 19th century, opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
composers, like Nikolaos Mantzaros
Nikolaos Mantzaros
Nikolaos Halikiopoulos Mantzaros was a Greek composer born in Corfu and the major representative of the so called Ionian School of music...
(1795–1872), Spyridon Xyndas
Spyridon Xyndas
Spyridon Xyndas or Spiridione Xinda was a Greek composer and guitarist, whose last name has also been transliterated as "Xinta", "Xinda", "Xindas" and "Xyntas".-Biography:...
(1812–1896) and Spyridon Samaras
Spyridon Samaras
Spyridon-Filiskos Samaras was a Greek composer particularly admired for his operas who was part of the generation of composers that heralded the works of Giacomo Puccini...
(1861–1917) and symphonists, like Dimitris Lialios and Dionysios Rodotheatos
Dionysius Rodotheatos
Dionysius Rodotheatos was a Greek conductor and composer.Native of Ithaca, Rodotheatos grew up in Corfu , where he received his first lessons in the study of music with Nikolaos Mantzaros 'father' of the Ionian school.After staying at Corfu for some time – he travelled to Italy in order to...
revitalized Greek art music
Art music
Art music is an umbrella term used to refer to musical traditions implying advanced structural and theoretical considerations and a written musical tradition...
. However, the diverse history of art music in Greece, which extends from the Cretan Renaissance and reaches modern times, exceeds the aims of the present article, which is, in general, limited to the presentation of the musical forms that have become synonymous to 'Greek music' during the last few decades; that is, the 'Greek song' or the 'song in Greek verse'.
Ancient Greece
In ancient GreeceAncient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
, mixed-gender choruses performed for entertainment, celebration and spiritual reasons. Instruments included the double-reed aulos
Aulos
An aulos or tibia was an ancient Greek wind instrument, depicted often in art and also attested by archaeology.An aulete was the musician who performed on an aulos...
and the plucked string instrument
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
, the lyre
Lyre
The lyre is a stringed musical instrument known for its use in Greek classical antiquity and later. The word comes from the Greek "λύρα" and the earliest reference to the word is the Mycenaean Greek ru-ra-ta-e, meaning "lyrists", written in Linear B syllabic script...
, especially the special kind called a kithara
Kithara
The kithara or cithara was an ancient Greek musical instrument in the lyre or lyra family. In modern Greek the word kithara has come to mean "guitar" ....
.
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; Greek music theory
Music theory
Music theory is the study of how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It seeks to identify patterns and structures in composers' techniques across or within genres, styles, or historical periods...
included the Greek musical mode
Musical mode
In the theory of Western music since the ninth century, mode generally refers to a type of scale. This usage, still the most common in recent years, reflects a tradition dating to the middle ages, itself inspired by the theory of ancient Greek music.The word encompasses several additional...
s, eventually became the basis for Western religious music
Religious music
Religious music is music performed or composed for religious use or through religious influence.A lot of music has been composed to complement religion, and many composers have derived inspiration from their own religion. Many forms of traditional music have been adapted to fit religions'...
and classical music.
Greece in the Roman Empire
Due to Rome's reverence for Greek culture, the Romans borrowed the Greek method 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.Byzantium
The tradition of eastern liturgical chant, encompassing the GreekGreek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
-speaking world, developed in the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
from the establishment of its capital, Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, in 330 until its fall
Fall of Constantinople
The Fall of Constantinople was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire, which occurred after a siege by the Ottoman Empire, under the command of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, against the defending army commanded by Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI...
in 1453. It is undeniably of composite origin, drawing on the artistic and technical productions of the classical Greek age, on Jewish music
History of religious Jewish music
- Origin of Jewish music in the Temple :The earliest synagogal music was based on the same system as that used in the Temple in Jerusalem. According to the Talmud, Joshua ben Hananiah, who had served in the sanctuary Levitical choir, told how the choristers went to the synagogue from the orchestra...
, and inspired by the monophonic
Monophony
In music, monophony is the simplest of textures, consisting of melody without accompanying harmony. This may be realized as just one note at a time, or with the same note duplicated at the octave . If the entire melody is sung by two voices or a choir with an interval between the notes or in...
vocal music
Vocal music
Vocal music is a genre of music performed by one or more singers, with or without instrumental accompaniment, in which singing provides the main focus of the piece. Music which employs singing but does not feature it prominently is generally considered instrumental music Vocal music is a genre of...
that evolved in the early (Greek) Christian cities of Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, Antioch
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the...
and Ephesus
Ephesus
Ephesus was an ancient Greek city, and later a major Roman city, on the west coast of Asia Minor, near present-day Selçuk, Izmir Province, Turkey. It was one of the twelve cities of the Ionian League during the Classical Greek era...
(see also Early Christian music). In his lexicographical discussion of instruments, the Persian
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
geographer Ibn Khurradadhbih
Ibn Khordadbeh
Abu'l Qasim Ubaid'Allah ibn Khordadbeh , author of the earliest surviving Arabic book of administrative geography, was a Persian geographer and bureaucrat of the 9th century...
(d. 911) cited the lūrā (bowed lyra
Byzantine lyra
The Byzantine lyra or lira , was a medieval bowed string musical instrument in the Byzantine Empire and is an ancestor of most European bowed instruments, including the violin. In its popular form the lyra was a pear-shaped instrument with three to five strings, held upright and played by stopping...
) as a typical instrument of the Byzantines along with the urghun (organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
), shilyani (probably a type of harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
or lyre
Lyre
The lyre is a stringed musical instrument known for its use in Greek classical antiquity and later. The word comes from the Greek "λύρα" and the earliest reference to the word is the Mycenaean Greek ru-ra-ta-e, meaning "lyrists", written in Linear B syllabic script...
), and the salandj (probably a bagpipe)..
Greece during the Ottoman Empire
The GreeksGreeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
were familiar, in a period that stretched from the 15th century to the time of Greek war of independence
Greek War of Independence
The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution was a successful war of independence waged by the Greek revolutionaries between...
, with Greek folk music
Greek folk music
Greek folk music includes a variety of Greek styles played by ethnic Greeks in Greece, Cyprus, Australia, the United States and elsewhere. Apart from the common music found all-around Greece, there are distinct types of folk music, sometimes related to the history or simply the taste of the...
and dances from Byzantine music
Byzantine music
Byzantine music is the music of the Byzantine Empire composed to Greek texts as ceremonial, festival, or church music. Greek and foreign historians agree that the ecclesiastical tones and in general the whole system of Byzantine music is closely related to the ancient Greek system...
and more specifically, with religious hymns: Church music
Church music
Church music may be defined as music written for performance in church, or any musical setting of ecclestiacal liturgy, or music set to words expressing propositions of a sacred nature, such as a hymn. This article covers music in the Judaeo-Christian tradition. For sacred music outside this...
. These genres have certainly reached a high degree of evolution. They were forms of a mono music that had many elements of ancient Greek origin but also, they had nothing to do with Western polyphonic music. By the beginning of the 20th century, music-cafés
Café-chantant
Café chantant is a type of musical establishment associated with the belle époque in France. Although there is much overlap of definition with cabaret, music hall, vaudeville, etc. the café chantant was originally an outdoor café where small groups of performers performed popular music for the...
(καφέ-σαντάν) were popular in Greek cities like Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
and Smyrna
Smyrna
Smyrna was an ancient city located at a central and strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Thanks to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to prominence. The ancient city is located at two sites within modern İzmir, Turkey...
, where small groups of musicians from Greece played. The bands were typically led by a female vocalist and included a violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
. The improvised
Improvisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
songs typically exclaimed amán amán, which led to the name amanédhes or café-aman (καφέ-αμάν). Greek musicians of this period included Marika Papagika
Marika Papagika
-Biography:Marika Papagika was a popular Greek singer in the early 20th century and one of the first Greek women singers to be heard on sound recordings....
, Rosa Eskenazi and Rita Abatzi
Rita Abatzi
Rita Abatzi was a Greek rebetiko musician who began her career in the first part of the 1930s.She was born in Smyrna, Asia Minor, now İzmir, Turkey. A versatile singer of rebetiko, Smyrneika and other music, she was a popular performer on gramophone records in the 1930s...
. This period also brought in the Rebetiko
Rebetiko
Rebetiko, plural rebetika, , occasionally transliterated as Rembetiko, is a term used today to designate originally disparate kinds of urban Greek folk music which have come to be grouped together since the so-called rebetika revival, which started in the 1960s and developed further from the early...
movement, which had local Smyrnaic and Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
influences.
Folk music (Dhimotiká)
Greek folk traditions are said to derive from the music played by ancient Greeks. There are said to be two musical movements in Greek folk music (παραδοσιακή μουσική): Acritic songsAcritic songs
The Acritic songs are the heroic or epic poetry that emerged in the Byzantine Empire probably in the 9th century. The songs celebrated the exploits of the Akrites, the frontier guards defending the eastern borders of the Byzantine Empire. The historical background was the almost...
and Klephtic songs. Akritic music comes from the 9th century akrites
Akritoi
The Akritai is a term used in the Byzantine Empire in the 9th-11th centuries to denote the army units guarding the Empire's eastern border, facing the Muslim states of the Middle East...
, or border guards of the Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
. Following the end of the Byzantine period, klephtic music arose before the Greek Revolution, developed among the kleftes, warriors who fought against the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. Klephtic music is monophonic
Monophony
In music, monophony is the simplest of textures, consisting of melody without accompanying harmony. This may be realized as just one note at a time, or with the same note duplicated at the octave . If the entire melody is sung by two voices or a choir with an interval between the notes or in...
and uses no harmonic
Harmony
In music, harmony is the use of simultaneous pitches , or chords. The study of harmony involves chords and their construction and chord progressions and the principles of connection that govern them. Harmony is often said to refer to the "vertical" aspect of music, as distinguished from melodic...
accompaniment.
Dhimotika tragoudhia are accompanied by clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
s, guitars, tambourine
Tambourine
The tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
s and violins, and include dance music forms like syrtó, kalamatianó
Kalamatianó
Kalamatianó is a type of Greek folk music associated with a dance sharing its name. Originating in the southern Greek port city of Kalamata, its most recognizable feature is its asymmetrical time signature of 7/8 time, meaning that there are seven beats per measure, generally subdivided into two...
, tsámiko
Tsamiko
The Tsamiko is a popular traditional dance of Greece. The name literally means dance of the Chams. It is also known as Kleftikos , literally meaning dance of the Klephts .-The dance:...
and hasaposérviko, as well as vocal music like kléftiko. Many of the earliest recordings were done by Arvanites
Arvanites
Arvanites are a population group in Greece who traditionally speak Arvanitika, a dialect of the Albanian language. They settled in Greece during the late Middle Ages and were the dominant population element of some regions of the Peloponnese and Attica until the 19th century...
like Yiorgia Mittaki and Yiorgios Papasidheris. Instrumentalists include clarinet virtuosos like Petroloukas Halkias, Yiorgos Yevyelis and Yiannis Vassilopoulos, as well as oud
Oud
The oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths...
and fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
players like Nikos Saragoudas and Yiorgos Koros.
Greek folk music is found all throughout Greece Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
and several regions of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, as well as among communities in countries like the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Australia.The island of Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
and several regions of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
are home to long-standing communities of Greeks in Turkey with their own unique styles of music.
Nisiótika
NisiotikaNisiotika
Nisiotika is the name of the dances of Greek islands including a variety of Greek styles, played by ethnic Greeks in Greece, Cyprus, Australia, the United States and elsewhere....
is a general term denoting folk songs from the Aegean Islands
Aegean Islands
The Aegean Islands are the group of islands in the Aegean Sea, with mainland Greece to the west and north and Turkey to the east; the island of Crete delimits the sea to the south, those of Rhodes, Karpathos and Kasos to the southeast...
. Among the most popular types of them is Ikariótiko traghoúdhi, "song from Ikaria".
Ikariótikos
Ikariótikos
Ikariotikos
Ikariotikos is a traditional dance and accompanying song originating by Ikaria a Greek island in the Aegean Sea, At first it was a very slow dance, but today Ikariotikos is a fast dance from Aegean islands . Some specialists say that the traditional Ikariotikos was slow and the quick "version" of...
is a traditional type of dance, and also the name of its accompanying type of singing, originating in the Aegean island of Ikaria. 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 fact Ballos
Ballos
The Ballos Sirtos , is one of the best known Greek folk island dances in Greece...
. 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.
Modern Nisiótika
Singer Mariza Koch
Mariza Koch
Mariza Koch is a Greek folk music singer who has recorded many albums since starting her career in 1971. On the wider stage she is best remembered for representing her homeland at the Eurovision Song Contest 1976 with the song Panayia Mou, Panayia Mou. Mariza Koch was born in Athens in 1944 but...
was largely responsible for the revival of interest in Nisiótika in the 70s and 80s. During the 1990s and 2000s, artists such as Yiannis Parios, Stella Konitopoulou, and the Mythos Band helped this music gain occasional mainstream popularity.
Cretan Music
CreteCrete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
is an island which is a part of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. The lýra is the dominant folk instrument on the island; it is a three-stringed bowed instrument similar to the Byzantine Lyra
Byzantine lyra
The Byzantine lyra or lira , was a medieval bowed string musical instrument in the Byzantine Empire and is an ancestor of most European bowed instruments, including the violin. In its popular form the lyra was a pear-shaped instrument with three to five strings, held upright and played by stopping...
. It is often accompanied by the Cretian 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....
(laoúto), which is similar to both an oud
Oud
The oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths...
and a 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...
. Nikos Xylouris, Antonis Xylouris (or Psarantonis
Psarantonis
Antonis Xylouris , nicknamed Psarantonis is a Greek composer, singer and performer of lyra, the bowed string instrument of Crete and most popular surviving form of the medieval Byzantine lyra...
), Thanassis Skordalos
Thanassis Skordalos
Thanassis Skordalos was a musician from Crete, noted for playing the lyra, the bowed string instrument of Crete and most popular surviving form of the medieval Byzantine lyra....
, Kostas Moundakis, and Vasilis Skoulas are among the most renowned players of the lýra.
Cretan music in media
The Cretan music theme Zorba's dance by Mikis TheodorakisMikis 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...
(incorporating elements from the hasapiko
Hasapiko
The Hasapiko , is a Greek folk dance from Constantinople. The dance originated in the Middle Ages as a battle mime with swords performed by the Greek butchers guild, which adopted it from the military of Byzantine era. In Constantinople during the Byzantine times, it was called in Greek...
dance) which appears in the Hollywood 1964 movie Zorba the Greek
Zorba the Greek
Zorba the Greek is a 1964 film based on the novel Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis. The film was directed by Cypriot Michael Cacoyannis and the title character was played by Anthony Quinn...
remains the best-known Greek song abroad.
Modern Cretan music
The Cretan musical tradition in modern form is followed today by several contemporary artists such as the ChainidesChainides
Chainides is a Cretan folk music group who are inspired bythe vast legacy of traditional Cretan music and whose lyrics borrow wordsfrom the Cretan Greek dialect...
, Loudovikos ton Anogion and Yiannis Charoulis.
Other folk traditions
Other major regional musical traditions of Greece include:- Music of EpirusMusic of EpirusThe music of Epirus in the northwest of Greece contains folk songs that are mostly pentatonic and polyphonic, sung by both male and female singers. Distinctive songs include lament songs , shepherd's songs and drinking songs...
- Music of MacedoniaMusic of Macedonia (Greece)Music of Macedonia is the music of the geographic region of Macedonia in Greece, which is a part of the music of whole region of Macedonia. Folk dances in Macedonia include Makedonia , chasapiko, leventikos, zeibekiko, zonaradiko, endeka Kozanis, Samarinas, stankena, Akritikos, baidouska,...
- Music of ThraceMusic of ThraceMusic of Thrace is the music of Thrace, a region in Southeastern Europe spread over southern Bulgaria , northeastern Greece , and European Turkey ....
Classical music
Ionian Islands
The Ionian Islands are a group of islands in Greece. They are traditionally called the Heptanese, i.e...
(which were under western rule and influence) that all the major advances of the European classical music were introduced to mainland Greeks. The region is notable for the birth of the first School of modern Greek classical music (Heptanesean or Ionian School
Ionian School (music)
The term Ionian School of Music denotes the musical production of a group Heptanesian composers, whose heyday was from the early 19th century till approximately the 1950s...
, Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
:Επτανησιακή Σχολή), established in 1815. Prominent representatives of this genre include Nikolaos Mantzaros
Nikolaos Mantzaros
Nikolaos Halikiopoulos Mantzaros was a Greek composer born in Corfu and the major representative of the so called Ionian School of music...
, Spyridon Xyndas
Spyridon Xyndas
Spyridon Xyndas or Spiridione Xinda was a Greek composer and guitarist, whose last name has also been transliterated as "Xinta", "Xinda", "Xindas" and "Xyntas".-Biography:...
, Spyridon Samaras
Spyridon Samaras
Spyridon-Filiskos Samaras was a Greek composer particularly admired for his operas who was part of the generation of composers that heralded the works of Giacomo Puccini...
and Pavlos Carrer
Pavlos Carrer
Pavlos Carrer was a Greek composer.Carrer was born in Zakynthos. He studied in Zakynthos and in Corfu. In the early 1850s he moved to Milan, where his first operas and ballets were performed at the stages of the Teatro Carcano and the Teatro alla Canobbiana. In the same city he published some of...
.
The Church music (Byzantine)
Byzantine music
Byzantine music is the music of the Byzantine Empire composed to Greek texts as ceremonial, festival, or church music. Greek and foreign historians agree that the ecclesiastical tones and in general the whole system of Byzantine music is closely related to the ancient Greek system...
of the islands is also different from the rest of Greece, with a lot of western and Catholic influences on the Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
rite.
Greek National School
Manolis KalomirisManolis Kalomiris
Manolis Kalomiris ), was a Greek classical composer. He was the founder of the Greek National School of Music.-Biography:Born in Smyrna, he attended school in Constantinople and studied piano and composition in Vienna. After working for a few years as a piano teacher in Kharkov he settled in...
(1883–1962) was the founder of the Greek National School of Music. Born in Smyrna
Smyrna
Smyrna was an ancient city located at a central and strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Thanks to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to prominence. The ancient city is located at two sites within modern İzmir, Turkey...
, he attended school in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
and studied piano and composition in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. His work drew influences also from the Greek folk music
Greek folk music
Greek folk music includes a variety of Greek styles played by ethnic Greeks in Greece, Cyprus, Australia, the United States and elsewhere. Apart from the common music found all-around Greece, there are distinct types of folk music, sometimes related to the history or simply the taste of the...
, poetry (he was an admirer of Kostis Palamas
Kostis Palamas
Kostis Palamas was a Greek poet who wrote the words to the Olympic Hymn. He was a central figure of the Greek literary generation of the 1880s and one of the cofounders of the so-called New Athenian School along with Georgios Drosinis, Nikos Kampas, Ioanis Polemis.-Biography:Born in Patras, he...
) and myth, aiming to combine the German Romanticism
German Romanticism
For the general context, see Romanticism.In the philosophy, art, and culture of German-speaking countries, German Romanticism was the dominant movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. German Romanticism developed relatively late compared to its English counterpart, coinciding in its...
with Greek motives. In 1919 he founded the Hellenic Conservatory
Hellenic Conservatory
The Hellenic Conservatory was founded in Athens in 1919 by the composer Manolis Kalomiris. Kalomoiris was the conservatoire's director until 1926, when he left to found the National Conservatoire. The conservatoire early on opened a number of branches throughout Athens, in a number of cities in...
and in 1926 the National Conservatoire
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...
.
Early popular songs
The Heptanesean kantádhes (καντάδες 'serenadeSerenade
In music, a serenade is a musical composition, and/or performance, in someone's honor. Serenades are typically calm, light music.The word Serenade is derived from the Italian word sereno, which means calm....
s'; 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') in revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
, operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
s and nocturne
Nocturne
A nocturne is usually a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night...
s that were dominating Athens' theatre scene. Notable composers of operetta
Operetta
Operetta is a genre of light opera, light in terms both of music and subject matter. It is also closely related, in English-language works, to forms of musical theatre.-Origins:...
s or nocturne
Nocturne
A nocturne is usually a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night...
s were Spyridon Samaras
Spyridon Samaras
Spyridon-Filiskos Samaras was a Greek composer particularly admired for his operas who was part of the generation of composers that heralded the works of Giacomo Puccini...
, Dionysios Lavrangas, Attik (Kleon Triantafyllou), Nikos Hatziapostolou, while Theophrastos Sakellaridis
Theophrastos Sakellaridis
Theophrastos Sakellaridis , was a Greek composer, conductor, and basic creator of Greek operetta.-Biography:Sakellaridis was born in Athens on 7 September 1883...
' 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 mainly dramatic forms of Art, they eventually became hits as independent songs. Notable actors of Greek operettas, who made also a series of melodies and songs popular at that time, include Orestis Makris
Orestis Makris
Orestis Makris was a Greek actor and tenor.He graduated from the Greek Odeum of Athens and first entered the scene as a tenor in the troupe of Rosalia Nika in 1925. He later joined the Papaioannou troupe, before moving to more humoristic roles. Makris excelled in the portrayal of folk characters,...
, Kalouta sisters, Vasilis Avlonitis
Vasilis Avlonitis
Vasilis Avlonitis was one of the most famous old-school Greek comedians. He performed in numerous films and stage productions in the mid to late 1900s....
, Afroditi Laoutari
Afroditi Laoutari
Afroditi Laoutari was a famous Greek singer and actor at the musical theatre.She was born in Patras in 1893. She entered early at the music theatre with Papaioannou and did not start to prepart for a rich voice and her stage talent as she was self-taught...
, Rena Vlahopoulou
Rena Vlahopoulou
Irene "Rena" Vlachopoulou was a famous Greek actress and singer. She starred in theatre, musical and Greek cinema productions, including The Gambler and The Countess of Corfu....
, Eleni Papadaki
Eleni Papadaki
Eleni Papadaki was a celebrated Greek stage actress who was murdered at the end of World War II, accused of having collaborated with the Nazi occupation force....
, Aris Maliagros
Aris Maliagros
Aris Maliagros was a Greek actor who played several aristocratic roles as Giorgos Gavriilidis and Hristos Tsaganeas...
, Marika Nezer
Marika Nezer
Marika Nezer was a Greek actress. She was the daughter of Konstantinos Nezer, brother of Christoforos Nezer and cousin of Christoforos Nezer and granddaughter of Christoforos Nezer, fort chief of Athens and an aide-de-camp of King Otto of Greece.-Early...
, Marika Krevata
Marika Krevata
Marika Krevata of Stamatiou was a Greek actress of theatre and film.-Biography:Marika was the daughter of Stamatis Krevatas and Sofias . She was born in Athens in 1910. Krevata lost her father and her little sister Thaleia when she was 2...
etc. Italian opera
Italian opera
Italian opera is both the art of opera in Italy and opera in the Italian language. Opera was born in Italy around the year 1600 and Italian opera has continued to play a dominant role in the history of the form until the present day. Many famous operas in Italian were written by foreign composers,...
had also a great influence on the musical aesthetics of the modern Greeks.
After 1930, wavering among American and European musical influences as well as the Greek musical tradition, the Greek composers begin to write music using the tunes of the tango
Tango music
Tango is a style of ballroom dance music in 2/4 or 4/4 time that originated among European immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay . It is traditionally played by a sextet, known as the orquesta típica, which includes two violins, piano, double bass, and two bandoneons...
, the samba
Samba
Samba is a Brazilian dance and musical genre originating in Bahia and with its roots in Brazil and Africa via the West African slave trade and African religious traditions. It is recognized around the world as a symbol of Brazil and the Brazilian Carnival...
, and the waltz
Waltz
The waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in time, performed primarily in closed position.- History :There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim...
combined with melodies in the style of Athenian serenades' repertory.
Artists
(1910s-1950s)Composers:
- Nikos GounarisNikos Gounaris-Biography:Gounaris began playing the mandolin at the age of four. He attended the musical Conservatory of Music in Athens.Gounaris was a Greek Elafró singer and among the foremost Greek composers and musicians of the 1950s and 1960s. He was especially popular in the Greek community in America...
- Theophrastos SakellaridisTheophrastos SakellaridisTheophrastos Sakellaridis , was a Greek composer, conductor, and basic creator of Greek operetta.-Biography:Sakellaridis was born in Athens on 7 September 1883...
- Attik (Kleon Triantafyllou)
- Kostas KapnisisKostas KapnisisKostas Kapnisis was a Greek composer. He was born in Athens and studied piano at the Hellenic Conservatory. He was also teached by Nikos Skalkottas.He wrote music and soundtracks for over than 100 Greek movies, documentaries and theatre....
- Giorgos MouzakisGiorgos MouzakisGiorgos Muzakis was a prominent Greek composer and musician of light popular music.-Career:Born in Metaxourgeio, Mouzakis performed first as a trumpeter in 1938, recording his first album in 1946. He studied at the Athens Conservatoire and continued his education in Austria and Germany...
- Michalis SouyioulMichalis SouyioulMichalis Souyioul was a significant Greek composer in the early and middle 20th century.He was born in Aydın, in the Ottoman Empire, but his family came to Athens in 1920. He was playing piano and later went to Marseille for musical studies...
(Souyioultzoglou)
Singers:
- Sofia VemboSofia VemboSofia Vembo was a leading Greek singer and actress active from the interwar period to the early postwar years and the 50s. She became best known for her performance of patriotic songs during the Greco-Italian War, when she was dubbed the "Songstress of Victory".Her real name was Efi Bebo...
- Nikos GounarisNikos Gounaris-Biography:Gounaris began playing the mandolin at the age of four. He attended the musical Conservatory of Music in Athens.Gounaris was a Greek Elafró singer and among the foremost Greek composers and musicians of the 1950s and 1960s. He was especially popular in the Greek community in America...
- Danaë Stratigopoulou
- Rena VlahopoulouRena VlahopoulouIrene "Rena" Vlachopoulou was a famous Greek actress and singer. She starred in theatre, musical and Greek cinema productions, including The Gambler and The Countess of Corfu....
- Tony Maroudas
Rebetiko
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 and Asia Minor. Emerged by the 1920s as the urban folk music of Greek society's outcasts. The earliest rebetikoRebetiko
Rebetiko, plural rebetika, , occasionally transliterated as Rembetiko, is a term used today to designate originally disparate kinds of urban Greek folk music which have come to be grouped together since the so-called rebetika revival, which started in the 1960s and developed further from the early...
, since the middle of the last century, shows the new creation of the Greeks, the city song astiko -Greeks: refugees, musicians, drug-users, criminals and itinerants—were scorned by mainstream society. They sang heartrending tales of drug abuse, prison and violence, usually accompanied by the instrument called bouzouki
Bouzouki
The bouzouki , is a musical instrument with Greek origin in the lute family. A mainstay of modern Greek music, the front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound, reminiscent of a mandolin but...
(pl.: bouzoukia) (a sort of 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....
derived from the Byzantine
Byzantine music
Byzantine music is the music of the Byzantine Empire composed to Greek texts as ceremonial, festival, or church music. Greek and foreign historians agree that the ecclesiastical tones and in general the whole system of Byzantine music is closely related to the ancient Greek system...
tambourás
Tambouras
The tambouras , is a traditional Greek string instrument. It has existed since at least the 10th century, when it was known in Assyria and Egypt. At that time, it might have between two and six strings, but Arabs adopted it, and called it a toubour...
and related to the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
baglamas.
In 1923, after the population exchange between Greece and Turkey
Population exchange between Greece and Turkey
The 1923 population exchange between Greece and Turkey was based upon religious identity, and involved the Greek Orthodox citizens of Turkey and the Muslim citizens of Greece...
, many ethnic Greeks from Asia Minor
Asia Minor
Asia Minor is a geographical location at the westernmost protrusion of Asia, also called Anatolia, and corresponds to the western two thirds of the Asian part of Turkey...
fled to Greece as a result of the second Greco-Turkish War
Greco-Turkish War (1919-1922)
The Greco–Turkish War of 1919–1922, known as the Western Front of the Turkish War of Independence in Turkey and the Asia Minor Campaign or the Asia Minor Catastrophe in Greece, was a series of military events occurring during the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire after World War I between May...
. They settled in poor neighborhoods in Piraeus
Piraeus
Piraeus is a city in the region of Attica, Greece. Piraeus is located within the Athens Urban Area, 12 km southwest from its city center , and lies along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf....
, Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
, and 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...
. Many of these immigrants were highly educated, such as songwriter Vangelis Papazoglou, and Panagiotis Tountas, composer and leader of Odeon Records
Odeon Records
Odeon Records was a record label founded in 1903 by Max Straus and Heinrich Zuntz of the International Talking Machine Company in Berlin, Germany. It was named after a famous theatre in Paris, whose classical dome appears on the Odeon record label....
' Greek subsidiary, who are traditionally considered as the founders of the Smyrna School of Rebetiko. Another tradition from Smyrna
Smyrna
Smyrna was an ancient city located at a central and strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Thanks to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to prominence. The ancient city is located at two sites within modern İzmir, Turkey...
that came along with the Greek refugees was the tekés (τεκές) 'opium den', or hashish
Hashish
Hashish is a cannabis preparation composed of compressed stalked resin glands, called trichomes, collected from the unfertilized buds of the cannabis plant. It contains the same active ingredients but in higher concentrations than unsifted buds or leaves...
dens. Groups of men would sit in a circle and smoke hashish from a hookah
Hookah
A hookah A hookah(Gujarati હૂકાહ) A hookah(Gujarati હૂકાહ) (Hindustani: हुक़्क़ा (Devanagari, (Nastaleeq) huqqah) also known as a waterpipe or narghile, is a single or multi-stemmed (often glass-based) instrument for smoking in which the smoke is cooled by water. The tobacco smoked is referred to...
, and improvised music of various kinds.
With the coming of the Metaxas
Ioannis Metaxas
Ioannis Metaxas was a Greek general, politician, and dictator, serving as Prime Minister of Greece from 1936 until his death in 1941...
dictatorship
4th of August Regime
The 4th of August Regime , commonly also known as the Metaxas Regime , was an authoritarian regime under the leadership of General Ioannis Metaxas that ruled Greece from 1936 to 1941...
, rebetiko
Rebetiko
Rebetiko, plural rebetika, , occasionally transliterated as Rembetiko, is a term used today to designate originally disparate kinds of urban Greek folk music which have come to be grouped together since the so-called rebetika revival, which started in the 1960s and developed further from the early...
was repressed due to the uncompromising lyrics. Hashish dens, baglamas and bouzouki
Bouzouki
The bouzouki , is a musical instrument with Greek origin in the lute family. A mainstay of modern Greek music, the front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound, reminiscent of a mandolin but...
were banned, or at least playing in the eastern-style manner and scales.
Some of the earliest legends of Greek music, such as the quartet of Manolis Chiotis
Manolis Chiotis
Manolis Chiotis was a Greek Rebetiko composer, singer and bouzouki player. He was born on March 21, 1920 in Thessaloniki and died in 1970.- See also :* Bouzouki* Rebetes* Rebetiko* Laiko* Greek nightclubs* Greek music...
, Markos Vamvakaris
Markos Vamvakaris
Markos Vamvakaris , was a rebetiko musician. He is universally referred to by rebetiko writers and fans simply by his first name, Markos...
, Stratos Payioumtzis and Yiorgos Batis
Yiorgos Batis
Yiorgos Batis was one of the first rebetes influential to rebetiko music. His real name was Yiorgos Tsoros although he was known as Yiorgos Ampatis...
came out of this music scene. Vamvakaris became perhaps the first renowned rebetiko
Rebetiko
Rebetiko, plural rebetika, , occasionally transliterated as Rembetiko, is a term used today to designate originally disparate kinds of urban Greek folk music which have come to be grouped together since the so-called rebetika revival, which started in the 1960s and developed further from the early...
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
Stelios Perpiniadis
Stelios Perpiniadis , better known as Stellakis , was a Greek folk musician who wrote, sang, and played guitar in the rebetiko style. He was the father of another well-known Greek folk musician, Vangelis Perpiniadis....
, Spyros Peristeris, Giannis Papaioannou
Giannis Papaioannou
Giannis Papaioannou was a famous Greek musician and composer born in Kios, Turkey . In English his name is sometimes romanized as Yannis, Ioannis or Yiannis. Most active in the 1940s, he wrote many songs, some of which are today considered classics of the rebetiko folk music style...
, and Apostolos Hatzichristos.
The scene was soon popularized further by stars like Vassilis Tsitsanis
Vassilis Tsitsanis
Vassilis Tsitsanis was a Greek songwriter and bouzouki player. He became one of the leading Greek composers of his time and is widely regarded as one of the founders of modern Rebetika. Tsitsanis wrote more than 500 songs and is still remembered as an extraordinary bouzouki...
. His song Συννεφιασμένη Κυριακή - Synnefiasméni Kyriakí became an anthem for the oppressed Greeks when it was composed in 1943, despite the fact that it was not recorded until 1948. He was followed by female singers like Marika Ninou
Marika Ninou
Marika Ninou , was an Armenian-Greek rebetiko singer, born Evangelia Atamian .-Biography:...
, Ioanna Yiorgakopoulou, and Sotiria Bellou
Sotiria Bellou
Sotiria Bellou was a famous Greek singer and performer of the Greek rebetiko style of music. She was one of the most famous rebetisas of all, mentioned in many music guides, and a contributor to the 1984 British Documentary entitled Music of the Outsiders...
.In 1953, Manolis Chiotis
Manolis Chiotis
Manolis Chiotis was a Greek Rebetiko composer, singer and bouzouki player. He was born on March 21, 1920 in Thessaloniki and died in 1970.- See also :* Bouzouki* Rebetes* Rebetiko* Laiko* Greek nightclubs* Greek music...
added a fourth pair of strings to the bouzouki
Bouzouki
The bouzouki , is a musical instrument with Greek origin in the lute family. A mainstay of modern Greek music, the front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound, reminiscent of a mandolin but...
, which allowed it to be tuned
Musical tuning
In music, there are two common meanings for tuning:* Tuning practice, the act of tuning an instrument or voice.* Tuning systems, the various systems of pitches used to tune an instrument, and their theoretical bases.-Tuning practice:...
tonally (Western tuning
Just intonation
In music, just intonation is any musical tuning in which the frequencies of notes are related by ratios of small whole numbers. Any interval tuned in this way is called a just interval. The two notes in any just interval are members of the same harmonic series...
) and set the stage for the future 'electrification
Instrument amplifier
An instrument amplifier is an electronic amplifier that converts the often barely audible or purely electronic signal from musical instruments such as an electric guitar, an electric bass, or an electric keyboard into an electronic signal capable of driving a loudspeaker that can be heard by the...
' of rebetiko
Rebetiko
Rebetiko, plural rebetika, , occasionally transliterated as Rembetiko, is a term used today to designate originally disparate kinds of urban Greek folk music which have come to be grouped together since the so-called rebetika revival, which started in the 1960s and developed further from the early...
. This final era of rebetiko (mid 1940s-1953) also featured the emergence of night clubs (κέντρα διασκεδάσεως) as a means of popularizing music.By the late 1950s, rebetiko had declined; it only survived in the form of Archontorebetiko (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 (αρχοντορεμπετικο) paved the way for Éntekhno and Laïkó
Laïkó
Laïkó ), is a Greek music genre. Also called folk song or urban folk music , in its plural form is a Greek music genre which has taken many forms over the years...
. In the 60's Manolis Chiotis
Manolis Chiotis
Manolis Chiotis was a Greek Rebetiko composer, singer and bouzouki player. He was born on March 21, 1920 in Thessaloniki and died in 1970.- See also :* Bouzouki* Rebetes* Rebetiko* Laiko* Greek nightclubs* Greek music...
popularized the eight-string bouzouki and set the stage for the future 'electrification
Instrument amplifier
An instrument amplifier is an electronic amplifier that converts the often barely audible or purely electronic signal from musical instruments such as an electric guitar, an electric bass, or an electric keyboard into an electronic signal capable of driving a loudspeaker that can be heard by the...
' of rebetiko
Rebetiko
Rebetiko, plural rebetika, , occasionally transliterated as Rembetiko, is a term used today to designate originally disparate kinds of urban Greek folk music which have come to be grouped together since the so-called rebetika revival, which started in the 1960s and developed further from the early...
.
Rebetiko
Rebetiko
Rebetiko, plural rebetika, , occasionally transliterated as Rembetiko, is a term used today to designate originally disparate kinds of urban Greek folk music which have come to be grouped together since the so-called rebetika revival, which started in the 1960s and developed further from the early...
in its original form was revived during the Junta of 1967–1974, when the Regime of the Colonels banned it. After the end of the Junta, many revival groups (and solo artists) appeared. The most notable of them include Opisthodhromiki Kompania, Rembetiki Kompania, Agathonas Iakovidis.
Éntekhno
Drawing on rebetikoRebetiko
Rebetiko, plural rebetika, , occasionally transliterated as Rembetiko, is a term used today to designate originally disparate kinds of urban Greek folk music which have come to be grouped together since the so-called rebetika revival, which started in the 1960s and developed further from the early...
's westernization by Tsitsanis and Chiotis, Éntekhno arose in the late 1950s. Éntekhno (lit. meaning 'art song
Art song
An art song is a vocal music composition, usually written for one voice with piano or orchestral accompaniment. By extension, the term "art song" is used to refer to the genre of such songs....
') is orchestral music with elements from Greek folk rhythm
Rhythm
Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
and melody
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
; its lyrical themes are often political or 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 night club in the open air
Open air concert
An open air concert is a concert taking place outside a hall in the open air.-Overview:Open air concerts can range from small, acousitic gatherings taking place at a municipal park, to large multi-day music festivals, involving some of the most famous music acts in the world...
. 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...
and Manos Hadjidakis
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 ....
were the most popular early composers of éntekhno song cycles. Other significant Greek songwriters included Stavros Kouyoumtzis, Manos Loïzos
Manos Loïzos
Manos Loïzos was considered to be one of the most important Greek music composers of the 20th century.-Biography:...
, and Dimos Moutsis. Significant lyricists of this genre are Manos Eleftheriou, and poet Tasos Livaditis. By the 1960s, innovative albums helped éntekhno become close to mainstream, and also led to its appropriation by the film industry
Film industry
The film industry consists of the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking: i.e. film production companies, film studios, cinematography, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post production, film festivals, distribution; and actors, film directors and other film crew...
for use in soundtracks. A form of éntekhno which is even closer to Western Classical music was introduced during the late 1970s and 1980s by Thanos Mikroutsikos
Thanos Mikroutsikos
Athanasios Mikroutsikos was born in Patras, Greece and is one of the leading composers of popular and classical music in his home country. He studied music theory and piano at the Patras Philharmonic Society and at the Greek Conservatory and continued under Yiannis A. Papaioannou...
. (See the section 'Other popular trends' below for further information on Néo kýma
Néo kýma
The Greek New Wave was a movement in Greek music that started in the mid-1960s and lasted about a decade. It was a mixture of éntekhno and french chansons.Notable Greek singers from the Neo Kyma movement include:*Mariza Koch...
and Contemporary éntekhno.)
Artists
Composers:- Manos Hatzidakis
- Mikis TheodorakisMikis TheodorakisMikis 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...
- Yannis MarkopoulosYannis Markopoulos-Early life and education:Yannis Markopoulos was born in 1939 in Heraklion, Crete. From one of the old families of the island—his father was an attorney and later the Prefect—he spent his childhood in the seaside town of Ierapetra...
- Manos LoïzosManos LoïzosManos Loïzos was considered to be one of the most important Greek music composers of the 20th century.-Biography:...
Singers:
- Nana MouskouriNana MouskouriNana Mouskouri , born Ioánna Moúschouri on October 13, 1934, in Chania, Crete, Greece, is a Greek singer who has sold about 300 million records worldwide in a career spanning over five decades, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. She was known as Nána to her friends and...
- Maria FarantouriMaria FarantouriMaria Farantouri was born in Athens on 28 November 1947. She is a Greek singer and also a political and cultural activist. She has collaborated with prominent Greek composers such as Mikis Theodorakis, who wrote the score for Pablo Neruda's Canto General, which Farantouri performed...
- Maria DimitriadiMaria DimitriadiMaria Dimitriadi , was a Greek singer. She was considered a "total voice" and one of the most renowned performers of the songs of Mikis Theodorakis and Thanos Mikroutsikos...
- Savina YannatouSavina YannatouSavina Yannatou is a renowned Greek singer.After taking classical guitar lessons and participating in the children's choir of Yannis Nousias for some years, she studied singing with Gogo Georgilopoulou and Spiros Sakkas in Athens, and later attended postgraduate studies at the Guildhall School of...
Laïkó
Laïkó (λαϊκό τραγούδι 'song of the people' or αστική λαϊκή μουσική 'urban folk music'), also known today as classic laïkó (κλασικό/παλιό λαϊκό). It is the urban music of GreeceGreece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
that emerged by the creation of Greek music culture as rebetiko in the 20th century, and has taken many styles over the years. Until the 1930's the Greek Discography
Discography
Discography is the study and listing of the details concerning sound recordings, often by specified artists or within identified musical genres...
was dominated by two musical genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
s: the Greek folk music
Greek folk music
Greek folk music includes a variety of Greek styles played by ethnic Greeks in Greece, Cyprus, Australia, the United States and elsewhere. Apart from the common music found all-around Greece, there are distinct types of folk music, sometimes related to the history or simply the taste of the...
(demotiká), including Smyrneika, and the Elafró tragoudi (literally: "light song"). It was (and is) the Greek version of the international pop music of any time. Classic laïkó as it is known today, was the mainstream popular music of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
during the 60s and 70s. Laïkó was dominated by singers such as Tolis Voskopoulos
Tolis Voskopoulos
Apostolos Voskopoulos is one of the legends of modern Greek music. He also starred in many films and played in the Theatre in Athens....
, Marinella
Marinella
Marinella is one of the most popular Greek singers whose career has spanned several decades. She has sung professionally since 1957. Since the beginning of her career, she has released 66 personal albums and has been featured in albums of other musicians.-Early life:She was born Kyriaki...
, Stelios Kazantzidis
Stelios Kazantzidis
Stylianos Kazantzidis was a prominent Greek singer. A leading singer of Greek popular music, or Laïkó, he collaborated with many of Greece's foremost composers.-Biography :...
and Stratos Dionysiou
Stratos Dionysiou
Stratos Dionysiou , was a Greek laika and elafro-laika singer who featured predominantly in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.-Early life:...
. Among the most significant songwriters and lyricists of this period are considered George Zambetas, Manolis Hiotis and Vassilis Tsitsanis
Vassilis Tsitsanis
Vassilis Tsitsanis was a Greek songwriter and bouzouki player. He became one of the leading Greek composers of his time and is widely regarded as one of the founders of modern Rebetika. Tsitsanis wrote more than 500 songs and is still remembered as an extraordinary bouzouki...
; of course the big names of this kind are still in Greek business. The more cheerful version of laïkó, called elafró laïkó (ελαφρολαϊκό - elafrolaïkó 'light laïkó') and it was often used in musicals during the Golden Age of Greek cinema. Contemporary laïkó (σύγχρονο λαϊκό), also called Modern laïkó, is currently Greece's mainstream music genre. Some of the strongest Greek dances
Greek dances
Greek dance is a very old tradition, being referred to by authors such as Plato, Aristotle, Plutarch and Lucian. There are different styles and interpretations from all of the islands and surrounding mainland areas. Each region formed its own choreography and style to fit in with their own ways...
and rhythm
Rhythm
Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
s of today's Greek music culture laïká are Nisiótika
Nisiotika
Nisiotika is the name of the dances of Greek islands including a variety of Greek styles, played by ethnic Greeks in Greece, Cyprus, Australia, the United States and elsewhere....
, hasaposerviko
Hasapiko
The Hasapiko , is a Greek folk dance from Constantinople. The dance originated in the Middle Ages as a battle mime with swords performed by the Greek butchers guild, which adopted it from the military of Byzantine era. In Constantinople during the Byzantine times, it was called in Greek...
, kalamatianos
Kalamatianos
The Kalamatianós Dance is one of the best known dances of Greece. It is popular Greek folkdance throughout Greece, Cyprus and internationally and is often performed at many social gatherings worldwide. As is the case with most Greek folk dances, it is danced in circle with a counterclockwise...
, zeibekiko
Zeibekiko
Zeibekiko is a Greek folk dance with a rhythmic pattern of 9/4 or else 9/8 . The name of the dance derives from the Zeibek warriors of Anatolia. It is danced by one person only and is of free choreographic structure, which is often refers to ancient Greek tragedy...
and syrtaki and the most of them are set to music by the Greek instrumental bouzouki
Bouzouki
The bouzouki , is a musical instrument with Greek origin in the lute family. A mainstay of modern Greek music, the front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound, reminiscent of a mandolin but...
. So, on the one hand there is the homogenized Greek
Culture of Greece
The culture of Greece has evolved over thousands of years, beginning in Mycenaean Greece, continuing most notably into Classical Greece, through the influence of the Roman Empire and its Greek Eastern successor the Byzantine Empire...
popular song, with all the idioms of traditional Greek folk music
Greek folk music
Greek folk music includes a variety of Greek styles played by ethnic Greeks in Greece, Cyprus, Australia, the United States and elsewhere. Apart from the common music found all-around Greece, there are distinct types of folk music, sometimes related to the history or simply the taste of the...
, and on the other, the peculiar musical trends of the urban rebetiko
Rebetiko
Rebetiko, plural rebetika, , occasionally transliterated as Rembetiko, is a term used today to designate originally disparate kinds of urban Greek folk music which have come to be grouped together since the so-called rebetika revival, which started in the 1960s and developed further from the early...
(song of the cities) known also in Greece as αστικό.
Among the most significant songwriters and lyricists of this category are considered Akis Panou, George Zambetas, Apostolos Kaldáras, Giorgos Mitsakis, Babis Bakális, Giannis Papaioannou
Giannis Papaioannou
Giannis Papaioannou was a famous Greek musician and composer born in Kios, Turkey . In English his name is sometimes romanized as Yannis, Ioannis or Yiannis. Most active in the 1940s, he wrote many songs, some of which are today considered classics of the rebetiko folk music style...
, and Eftichia Papagianopoulos
Eftichia Papagianopoulos
Eftichia Papagianopoulos , also spelled as Eftihia Papagianopoulou, was a Greek lyricist.She was born in Aidini near Smyrna in Asia Minor in 1893. She left Smyrna in 1919 prior to the Greco-Turkish War and just three years before the Great Fire of Smyrna and Smyrna's 1922 conquest by the Turks...
. Many artists have combined the traditions of éntekhno and laïkó with considerable success, such as the composers Mimis Plessas
Mimis Plessas
Mimis Plessas is one of the most significant modern Greek composers. He was born in Athens. In 1952 he started composing music and since then he has written music for over 100 Greek movies, Greek radio, theatre and TV...
, Stavros Xarchakos, and Giorgos Mouzakis
Giorgos Mouzakis
Giorgos Muzakis was a prominent Greek composer and musician of light popular music.-Career:Born in Metaxourgeio, Mouzakis performed first as a trumpeter in 1938, recording his first album in 1946. He studied at the Athens Conservatoire and continued his education in Austria and Germany...
, and the lyricist Lefteris Papadopoulos
Lefteris Papadopoulos
Lefteris Papadopoulos is a Greek lyricist, writer and journalist.Lefteris Papadopoulos was born in Athens, Greece on 14 November 1935. He is the son of Greek refugees from the Asia Minor and Russia. He enrolled at the Law School of the University of Athens but he stopped during the third year in...
.
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, the Trio Kitara, the Trio Belcanto, and the Trio Athene. The genre's sound was an imitation of the then contemporary Cuban and Mexican folk music but also had elements from the early Athenian popular songs.
Modern laïká
Modern laïká or Laïko-pop is currently Greece's mainstream music.Contemporary laïkó (σύγχρονο λαϊκό), (laiko-pop) (also called Modern laïkó) is currently Greece's mainstream music genre in today nightlife. Contemporary 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". Night clubs at which the DJs play only contemporary laïká where colloquially known on the 90's as ellinádhika. Over the years until today, the aim of 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 take place in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and internationally. Greek-American music includes styles like Entechno, rebetiko
Rebetiko
Rebetiko, plural rebetika, , occasionally transliterated as Rembetiko, is a term used today to designate originally disparate kinds of urban Greek folk music which have come to be grouped together since the so-called rebetika revival, which started in the 1960s and developed further from the early...
and Greek folk music
Greek folk music
Greek folk music includes a variety of Greek styles played by ethnic Greeks in Greece, Cyprus, Australia, the United States and elsewhere. Apart from the common music found all-around Greece, there are distinct types of folk music, sometimes related to the history or simply the taste of the...
. The Greek music culture exists as a serious aspect of Hellenic culture, both within Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and in the diaspora.
Renowned songwriters of modern laïká include Alekos Chrysovergis, Nikos Karvelas
Nikos Karvelas
Nikos Karvelas is a Greek songwriter, producer and singer. He has sold millions of records as a producer and is most recognizable for his three-decade-long collaboration with Anna Vissi, while some of his other well-known collaborations include Sakis Rouvas. Karvelas has released multiple...
, Phoebus
Phoebus (songwriter)
Phoebus sometimes spelled Phivos or Fivos , is a well-known songwriter in both Greece and Cyprus. Phoebus is mostly known for his music through Despina Vandi and Katy Garbi, although he has composed albums for many other artists in Greece and Cyprus...
, Nikos Terzis, and the Pegasos duo (Antonis and Dimitris Paravomvolakis). Renowned lyricists include Giorgos Theofanous, Evi Droutsa, and Natalia Germanou
Natalia Germanou
Natalia Germanou is a Greek lyricist, television hostess, radio producer, DJ and journalist.Germanou has written lyrics for many popular Greek singers such as Anna Vissi, Christos Dantis, Elena Paparizou, Sakis Rouvas, Despina Vandi, Mihalis Hatzigiannis, Notis Sfakianakis, Natasa Theodoridou,...
.
Terminology
In effect, there is no single name for modern laïká in the Greek languageGreek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, but it is often formally referred to as σύγχρονο λαϊκό (ˈsiŋxrono laiˈko), 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 on ideological and aesthetic
Value judgment
A value judgment is a judgment of the rightness or wrongness of something, or of the usefulness of something, based on a comparison or other relativity. As a generalization, a value judgment can refer to a judgment based upon a particular set of values or on a particular value system...
grounds.
Criticism
Despite its popularity, the genre of modern laïká (especially laïkο-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".Skyládiko
Skyládiko sciˈlaðiko (or Skyládika) , or nightclubs of GreeceNightclubs in Greece
Nightclubs in Greece are divided into two main categories: those that feature live Greek music with artists, and the usual foreign music discotheques or bars.-Bouzoukia:...
in big Greek cities as term, are considered by both the artistic establishments and recording companies as an expression of degradation and social decadence, in the field of laiko
Laïkó
Laïkó ), is a Greek music genre. Also called folk song or urban folk music , in its plural form is a Greek music genre which has taken many forms over the years...
and pop music in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, borrowing elements and themes from the Byzantine eastern listenings
Byzantine music
Byzantine music is the music of the Byzantine Empire composed to Greek texts as ceremonial, festival, or church music. Greek and foreign historians agree that the ecclesiastical tones and in general the whole system of Byzantine music is closely related to the ancient Greek system...
, which are made Greek folk
Greek folk music
Greek folk music includes a variety of Greek styles played by ethnic Greeks in Greece, Cyprus, Australia, the United States and elsewhere. Apart from the common music found all-around Greece, there are distinct types of folk music, sometimes related to the history or simply the taste of the...
with the use of bouzouki
Bouzouki
The bouzouki , is a musical instrument with Greek origin in the lute family. A mainstay of modern Greek music, the front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound, reminiscent of a mandolin but...
, clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
and other Greek instruments.
Other popular trends
Folk singer-songwriters (τραγουδοποιοί) first appeared in the 1960s after Dionysis SavvopoulosDionysis Savvopoulos
Dionysis Savvopoulos is a Greek music composer, lyricist and singer.He was born in Thessaloniki. In 1963 he moved to Athens, terminating his law studies in favour of his career in music...
' 1966 breakthrough album Fortighó. Many of these musicians started out playing Néo kýma
Néo kýma
The Greek New Wave was a movement in Greek music that started in the mid-1960s and lasted about a decade. It was a mixture of éntekhno and french chansons.Notable Greek singers from the Neo Kyma movement include:*Mariza Koch...
, "New wave" (not to be confused with New Wave rock
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
), a mixture of éntekhno and chanson
Chanson
A chanson is in general any lyric-driven French song, usually polyphonic and secular. A singer specialising in chansons is known as a "chanteur" or "chanteuse" ; a collection of chansons, especially from the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, is also known as a chansonnier.-Chanson de geste:The...
s from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Savvopoulos mixed American musicians like Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
and Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
with Macedonian folk music
Music of Macedonia (Greece)
Music of Macedonia is the music of the geographic region of Macedonia in Greece, which is a part of the music of whole region of Macedonia. Folk dances in Macedonia include Makedonia , chasapiko, leventikos, zeibekiko, zonaradiko, endeka Kozanis, Samarinas, stankena, Akritikos, baidouska,...
and politically incisive
Protest song
A protest song is a song which is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of topical songs . It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre...
lyrics. In his wake came more folk-influenced performers like Arleta, Mariza Koch
Mariza Koch
Mariza Koch is a Greek folk music singer who has recorded many albums since starting her career in 1971. On the wider stage she is best remembered for representing her homeland at the Eurovision Song Contest 1976 with the song Panayia Mou, Panayia Mou. Mariza Koch was born in Athens in 1944 but...
, and Kostas Hatzis. This music scene flourished in a specific type of boîte de nuit.
A notable musical trend in the 1970s (during the Junta of 1967–1974 and a few years after its end) was the rise in popularity of the topical song
Topical song
A topical song is a song that comments on political and/or social events. These types of songs are usually written about current events, but some of these songs remain popular long after the events discussed in them have occurred...
s (πολιτικό τραγούδι "political song"). Classic éntekhno composers associated with this movement include 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...
, Thanos Mikroutsikos
Thanos Mikroutsikos
Athanasios Mikroutsikos was born in Patras, Greece and is one of the leading composers of popular and classical music in his home country. He studied music theory and piano at the Patras Philharmonic Society and at the Greek Conservatory and continued under Yiannis A. Papaioannou...
, Giannis Markopoulos, and Manos Loïzos
Manos Loïzos
Manos Loïzos was considered to be one of the most important Greek music composers of the 20th century.-Biography:...
.
Nikos Xydakis
Nikos Xydakis
Nikos Xydakis, in Greek Νίκος Ξυδάκης) is a Greek composer, pianist and singer. Born in Cairo, Egypt, he immigrated with his family to Greece in 1963. Much of his music has its root in theatrical music....
, one of Savvopoulos' pupils, was among the people who revolutionized laïkó by using orientalized instrumentation. His most successful album was 1987's Kondá sti Dhóxa miá Stigmí, recorded with Eleftheria Arvanitaki
Eleftheria Arvanitaki
Eleftheria Arvanitaki is a Greek folk singer. She originates from the island of Icaria...
.
Thanasis Polykandriotis, laïkó composer and classically trained bouzouki
Bouzouki
The bouzouki , is a musical instrument with Greek origin in the lute family. A mainstay of modern Greek music, the front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound, reminiscent of a mandolin but...
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
Soft rock
Soft rock is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock music to compose a softer, more toned-down sound. Soft rock songs generally tend to focus on themes like love, everyday life and relationships. The genre tends to make heavy use of acoustic guitars, pianos, synthesizers and sometimes...
music (έντεχνο ποπ-ροκ). Moreover, certain composers, such as Dimitris Papadimitriou have been inspired by elements of the classic éntekhno tradition and written songs cycles for singers of contemporary éntekhno music, such as Fotini Darra. The most renowned contemporary éntekhno (σύγχρονο έντεχνο) lyricist is Lina Nikolakopoulou
Lina Nikolakopoulou
Evangelia Nikolakopoulou is widely recognised as one of the foremost lyricists in Greece. She was born in Methana at June 30, 1958 and she studied social and political sciences at the Panteion University in Athens. This is where she met the composer Stamatis Kraounakis, who is the man that she...
.
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
and incidental music
Incidental music
Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, film or some other form not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as the "film score" or "soundtrack"....
(including filmscores and music for the stage), whose work cannot be easily classified, such as Giannis Markopoulos, Stamatis Spanoudakis
Stamatis Spanoudakis
Stamatis Spanoudakis - Σταμάτης Σπανουδάκης is a Greek classical and new age composer. Early on he studied classical guitar. He went through a pop music phase, but then continued classical studies at the Würzburg State Conservatory with Bertold Hummel and later in Athens with Konstantinos Kydoniatis...
, Giannis Spanos, Giorgos Hatzinasios, Giorgos Tsangaris, Nikos Kypourgos, Nikos Mamangakis, Eleni Karaindrou
Eleni Karaindrou
Eleni Karaindrou is a Greek composer, born in Teichio. She studied piano and theory at the Hellenikon Odion in Athens. She is best known for scoring the films of Theo Angelopoulos...
, and Evanthia Remboutsika. Vangelis
Vangelis
Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou is a Greek composer of electronic, progressive, ambient, jazz, pop rock and orchestral music, under the artist name Vangelis...
and Yanni
Yanni
Yanni , born Yiannis Hrysomallis is a Greek self-taught pianist, keyboardist, and composer who has spent most of his life in the United States.He earned Grammy nominations for his 1992 album, Dare to Dream, and the 1993 follow-up, In My Time...
were among the few Greek instrumental composers who became internationally renowned; their work however had little influence on the tradition of Greek instrumental music.
Regarding "purely western" pop music, even though it has always had a considerable amount of listeners supporting it throughout the history of the post 1960s Greek music, it has only very recently (late 2000s) reached the popularity of laïkó/laïká, and there is a tendency among many urban folk artists to turn to more pop-oriented sounds.
Artists
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.Contemporary éntekhno
1980s-2000s (partial overlap with contemporary laïkó and éntekhno pop)
- Alkinoos IoannidisAlkinoos IoannidisAlkinoos Ioannidis is a Greek-Cypriot composer, lyricist, singer and orchestrator.He was born in Nicosia on 19 September 1969. His artistic family, with a painter father and poet brother was a source of inspiration for him. He first wanted to study drums, but couldn't due to the lack of a drum...
(CypriotGreek CypriotsGreek Cypriots are the ethnic Greek population of Cyprus, forming the island's largest ethnolinguistic community at 77% of the population. Greek Cypriots are mostly members of the Church of Cyprus, an autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church within the wider communion of Orthodox Christianity...
singer) - Alkistis ProtopsaltiAlkistis ProtopsaltiAlkistis Protopsalti , born as Alkistis Sevasti Attikuzel ) is a Greek singer.- Early life :Alkistis Protopsalti was born in 18 October 1954 in Alexandria, Egypt by Egyptiot parents....
(also contemporary laïkó, éntekhno pop) - Eleftheria ArvanitakiEleftheria ArvanitakiEleftheria Arvanitaki is a Greek folk singer. She originates from the island of Icaria...
(also contemporary laïkó) - Katsimihas BrothersKatsimihas BrothersHaris and Panos Katsimihas , also known as the Katsimihas brothers or Katsimiheoi are two Greek singer songwriters, who for the greatest part of their music career, performed as a duet. The Katsimihas brothers are twins...
- Lavrentis Mahairitsas
- Nikos XydakisNikos XydakisNikos Xydakis, in Greek Νίκος Ξυδάκης) is a Greek composer, pianist and singer. Born in Cairo, Egypt, he immigrated with his family to Greece in 1963. Much of his music has its root in theatrical music....
(composer and musician only) - Nikos PapazoglouNikos PapazoglouNikolaos Papazoglou was a Thessaloniki-born Greek singer-songwriter, musician and producer....
- Savina YannatouSavina YannatouSavina Yannatou is a renowned Greek singer.After taking classical guitar lessons and participating in the children's choir of Yannis Nousias for some years, she studied singing with Gogo Georgilopoulou and Spiros Sakkas in Athens, and later attended postgraduate studies at the Guildhall School of...
- Sokratis MalamasSokratis MalamasSokratis Malamas is a Greek singer and songwriter.One of the great songwriters of his generation with a very personal and identifiable musical style in his narrative songs....
- Stamatis KraounakisStamatis KraounakisStamatis Kraounakis is one of the most important contemporary Greek pop music composers. His works have characterised the decades of 1980s and 1990s in Greece. He is also a lyricist, singer, producer and writer. He was born and lives in Athens and has studied Political Science in Panteion University...
(composer and performer) - Tania TsanaklidouTania TsanaklidouSoultana Tsanaklidou is a Greek artist, both singer and actress, who represented Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest 1978.-Biography:...
- Thanassis PapakonstantinouThanassis PapakonstantinouAthanasios Papakonstantinou is a Greek singer-songwriter.-Short biography:He is married, with two children. Papakonstantinou studied Mechanical Engineering in Thessaloniki, which he practices as well as being a musician...
Éntekhno pop / rock
1980s-2000s
- Giorgos PerrisGiorgos PerrisGeorge Perris is a half Greek-half French international singer. Multilingual, he sings in Greek, French, English and Spanish, in all of which he is fluent. As well as singing, he also composes music and writes lyrics to some of his songs. He has studied the piano for 12 years in Athens...
- Filippos PliatsikasFilippos PliatsikasFilippos Pliatsikas was the main composer, lyricist and lead singer of the Entekhno rock group Pyx Lax and is now a solo artist.- Career :...
(Éntekhno rock) - Rallia ChristidouRallia ChristidouRallia Christidou is a popular Greek singer originating from Neo Irakleio, Athens. She started her studies in classic guitar and received a diploma from the National music school of Greece....
- Michalis HatzigiannisMichalis HatzigiannisMichael Hatzigiannis is a popular Greek Cypriot recording artist. From 2000 to 2009, Hatzigiannis has received over 30 certifications in Greece alone, making him one of most successful artists of the decade. Hatzigiannis is also known for representing Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1998...
- Pyx Lax (band)
Classic pop
1960s-1970s (songs from this period of Greek pop were mainly rock ballads and Italian-/French
Chanson
A chanson is in general any lyric-driven French song, usually polyphonic and secular. A singer specialising in chansons is known as a "chanteur" or "chanteuse" ; a collection of chansons, especially from the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, is also known as a chansonnier.-Chanson de geste:The...
-style pop ballads)
- Vicky LeandrosVicky LeandrosVicky Leandros is a Greek singer with a long international career. She is the daughter of singer, musician and composer Leandros Papathanasiou...
- Demis RoussosDemis RoussosArtemios Ventouris Roussos is a Greek singer and performer, best known for being the main musical partner of movie soundtrack composer Vangelis and a string of international hit records as a solo performer in the 1960s and 1970s...
- Elpida
- Vlassis BonatsosVlassis BonatsosVlassis Bonatsos was a popular Greek entertainer. His father was a judicial and his mother was a piano teacher. Vlassis started his music career by creating a group called "ΠΕΛΟΜΑ ΜΠΟΚΙΟΥ", in the early 1970s, which was named after the initials of the names of the members of the group...
(singer of the rock band Pelóma Bokioú)
Contemporary pop
1980-2000s
- Alexia (Cypriot singer)
- Annet Artani (Dance-popDance-popDance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
, soulBlue-eyed soulBlue-eyed soul is a media term that was used to describe rhythm and blues and soul music performed by white artists, with a strong pop music influence. The term was first used in the mid-1960s to describe white artists who performed soul and R&B that was similar to the music of the Motown and...
) - Bessy Argyraki (Pop ballad)
- Christos DantisChristos DantisChristos Dantis , is a Greek singer, songwriter, and musician best known for his hits such as "To Palio Mou Palto" and "Ena Tragoudi Akoma" and later for composing and co-writing the song "My Number One" for Elena Paparizou, winning the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 for Greece.- Early music career...
(Pop rock, modern laïká) - Elena PaparizouElena PaparizouEleni "Elena" Paparizou , usually referred to abroad as Helena Paparizou, is a Greek-Swedish singer and occasional songwriter, who was born and raised in Sweden by Greek parents. She began her career there in 1999 as a member of the duo Antique, while she also worked briefly as a model for a...
(aka Helena Paparizou), winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2005Eurovision Song Contest 2005The Eurovision Song Contest 2005 was the 50th Eurovision Song Contest, which was held at the Palace of Sports, Kiev, Ukraine. The winner was Greece's My Number One, written by Christos Dantis and Natalia Germanou and performed by Swedish-born Greek singer Elena Paparizou, who scored 230 points,...
representing GreeceGreece in the Eurovision Song ContestGreece has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 32 times since 1974, with the exception of 1975, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1999 and 2000. Greece won for the first time in 2005 with "My Number One" song by Elena Paparizou. Following the introduction of a semi-final round for the 2004 contest, Greece... - EvridikiEvridikiEvridiki Theokleous , known professionally as simply Evridiki, is a Cypriot rock, pop, and electro pop singer. She is best known in Europe for representing her home country, Cyprus, in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1992, 1994 and 2007 with the songs Teriazoume, Eimai Anthropos Ki Ego and Comme...
- Katerina MoutsatsouKaterina Moutsatsou-Biography:The daughter of a Greek naval officer, Moutsatsou was born in Monterey, California while her father was on foreign duty in California, yet grew up almost exclusively in Greece. She studied in Paris and graduated from Paris III - Sorbonne University...
- Lia VissiLia VissiOlympia Vissi is a Greek Cypriot singer, songwriter, composer and politician, most notable for her two participations in the Eurovision Song Contest and being older sister of Greek Cypriot singer Anna Vissi.-Career:...
(Cypriot singer of Power ballads) - Kostas BigalisKostas BigalisKonstantinos Bigalis is a popular singer and musician who is known for representing Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest on 2 occasions: as a singer and composer in 1994 and as a composer in 1996.-Biography:...
(Pop rock, modern laïká) - MandoMando (singer)Mando , born Adamantia Stamatopoulou , is a popular Greek singer. She was born in Piraeus on April 13 and raised in Athens by her jazz pianist father, Nikos Stamatopoulos and a classic soprano opera mother Mary Apergi. From a young age she began to develop her talent and interest in music, and was...
(Pop rock, pop ballads)
- Marianna Efstratiou
- Michalis RakintzisMichalis RakintzisMichalis Rakintzis is a male Greek singer. He was born in Athens and studied Mechanical Engineering in Great Britain. From 1982 to 1985, he participated at a rock group called Scraptown...
(DiscoDiscoDisco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
, power ballad) - NataliaNatalia (Greek singer)Natalia Doussopoulos , known professionally as Natalia, is a Greek pop singer. She was featured in several songs with the Turkish pop singer Mustafa Sandal including "Hatırla Beni" in 2000 and "Aşka Yürek Gerek" in 2003...
- Nikos KarvelasNikos KarvelasNikos Karvelas is a Greek songwriter, producer and singer. He has sold millions of records as a producer and is most recognizable for his three-decade-long collaboration with Anna Vissi, while some of his other well-known collaborations include Sakis Rouvas. Karvelas has released multiple...
- PolinaPolina MisailidouPolina Paraskevi Misailidou is a Greek singer, who is better known in her own country simply as Polina.Polina was born and raised in Nea Smyrni, a suburb south of Athens. She started her career in 1977 singing the song "Lives" at the Thessaloniki Song Festival...
(Disco) - Sakis RouvasSakis RouvasAnastasios "Sakis" Rouvas II , often referred to mononymously as Sakis, is a Greek musician, television and film artist, businessman, and former pole vaulter who is one of the most successful and influential entertainers of all time in Greece and Cyprus...
(Pop rockPop rockPop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
, dance-popDance-popDance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
, soulBlue-eyed soulBlue-eyed soul is a media term that was used to describe rhythm and blues and soul music performed by white artists, with a strong pop music influence. The term was first used in the mid-1960s to describe white artists who performed soul and R&B that was similar to the music of the Motown and...
) - Sophia VossouSophia VossouSophia Vossou is a Greek singer best known abroad for representing Greece at the Eurovision Song Contest 1991 where she placed 13th with the song "I Anixi".-Biography:...
(Pop ballad) - Stephanos Korkolis (Éntekhno/pop composer (late 80s-00s); piano-oriented pop singer (early 90s))
- Thanos KallirisThanos KallirisThanos Kalliris is a Greek singer who was born in Athens. His father is a guitarist and composer, Titos Kalliris. In the 1980s, he was a part of the pop music band Bang alongside Vassilis Dertilis. In the 1990s he wrote and sung pop songs and ballads, making a successful solo career for himself....
(occasionally Latin popLatin popLatin pop generally refers to pop music that has what may be perceived a Latin American influence...
)
Teen popTeen popTeen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards teenagers. Teen pop copies genres and styles such as pop, dance, R&B, hip hop, country and rock....
2000s
- OneOne (band)ONE was a boy band that first appeared in 1999, recognized as both Greece and Cyprus's very first boy band. The band was formed by leading Cypriot-Greek composer Giorgos Theofanous who got them signed with Minos EMI and wrote all their music and lyrics, and consisted of Constantinos Christoforou,...
(Cypriot boy band) - Hi-5Hi-5 (Greek band)Hi-5 was a Greek - Cypriot pop girl band consisting of female vocalists Marlen Angelidou, Irini Psichrami, Frosso Papacharalambous, Shaya and Nancy Stergiopoulou, who were the winners of the Greek version of the popular talent show Popstars. The band had a large fanbase in Greece and Cyprus. They...
(girl groupGirl groupA girl group is a popular music act featuring several young female singers who generally harmonise together.Girl groups emerged in the late 1950s as groups of young singers teamed up with behind-the-scenes songwriters and music producers to create hit singles, often featuring glossy production...
) - Artemis GounakiArtemis GounakiArtemis Gounaki , born April 7, 1967 in Munich is a Greek-German singer, vocal coach, songwriter, composer and arranger. Gounaki's father was born in the Greek island of Crete....
(record producer, musical arranger) - Kalomira
- Tamta
Pop rockPop rockPop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
/ Soft rockSoft rockSoft rock is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock music to compose a softer, more toned-down sound. Soft rock songs generally tend to focus on themes like love, everyday life and relationships. The genre tends to make heavy use of acoustic guitars, pianos, synthesizers and sometimes...
1990s-2000s
- BleBleBle is a pop-rock band from Greece that emerged in 1996. Their music is characterised by their dark and introspective "Enohes"....
- C:RealC:RealC:Real is a popular Greek pop rock band. They are characterized by their pop rock sound and live performances.-1997–2000: Beginnings:The group was created in 1996 by composer, lyricist, and producer Takis Damaschis. Their first single was released a little after the creation of group and was...
- DomenicaDomenicaDomenica is a popular Greek rock band that was formed in Athens, in 1994.-Releases:Their first releases included several participations in albums of various artists. Their personal debut album, "Άχρηστα Ρολόγια" , was released in 1999...
- Kore. Ydro.Kore. Ydro.-Biography:Kore. Ydro. were formed in Corfu during the autumn of 1993 by 15-year-old schoolmates Pantelis Dimitriadis, Giorgos Arvanitakis while Spiros Katagis. Konstantinos Amygdalos joined in 1997 and Spiros Katagis departed in 2000. Pianist/multi-instrumentalist Alexandros Makris joined in 2001,...
(Indie rockIndie rockIndie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band) - LocomondoLocomondoLocomondo is a seven member band based in Athens, Greece. Their name loosely means "Crazy World," from the Spanish word "loco" and the Italian word "mondo" . Their music can be tagged as reggae or ska. It is the first band in Greece that fused the Caribbean sound together with Greek musical elements...
(ReggaeReggaeReggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
and SkaSkaSka |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
band)
2000s-2010s
- Infidelity (band) (Indie rock Indie rockIndie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band) - Monika Christodoulou
- The SkeltersThe SkeltersThe Skelters is a Greek rock band formed in Thessaloniki in 1996 from brothers singer/guitarist Angel and drummer/vocalist Daniel Charavitsidis. The original lineup was completed with lead guitarist/vocalist Stavros Amanatidis and bassist Thodoris Nikolaou. They have appeared in several live stages...
(anglophoneEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
Rock band) - Matisse (Glam rock revivalGlam rockGlam rock is a style of rock and pop music that developed in the UK in the early 1970s, which was performed by singers and musicians who wore outrageous clothes, makeup and hairstyles, particularly platform-soled boots and glitter...
, Indie popIndie popIndie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
) - Michalis HatzigiannisMichalis HatzigiannisMichael Hatzigiannis is a popular Greek Cypriot recording artist. From 2000 to 2009, Hatzigiannis has received over 30 certifications in Greece alone, making him one of most successful artists of the decade. Hatzigiannis is also known for representing Cyprus in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1998...
- Nikos MihasNikos MihasNikos Mihas is a Greek singer-songwriter representing the new age of Greek rock stars by performing songs with power and electronic sounds. He writes most of his songs on his own.-Early life:...
(Pop punkPop punkPop punk is a fusion music genre that combines elements of punk rock with pop music, to varying degrees. Allmusic describes the genre as a strand of alternative rock, which typically merges pop melodies with speedy punk tempos, chord changes and loud guitars...
) - Raining PleasureRaining PleasureRaining Pleasure is an Indie / Rock band originating from Patras, Greece, often credited with spearheading the newest wave of Greek bands with English lyrics. The band was formed in September 1990 under the name "Rest in Peace". A year after their formation the band started appearing live locally....
(anglophoneEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
Indie rock band) - ONARONARONAR , composed of Lefteris Pliatsikas and Penny Ramadani, is a renowned Greek Pop rock group. The band's name seems to be a reference to the Ancient Greek word ὄναρ "dream".-History:The band was created in 1998...
- OniramaOniramaOnirama is a Greek pop rock band that has had a number of hits in Greece. They are known for their wide range of music, and party-like concerts.-2000-2005: Beginnings & First successes:...
- Theodosia TsatsouTheodosia TsatsouTheodosia Tsatsou is a Greek singer, known for her songs with the band "Ble", and also for her solo career.- Biography :...
- Ypogeia Revmata (Éntekhno rock band)
Mainstream hip hop / Pop rap
1990s-2000s crews
- ImiskoúmbriaImiskoumbriaImiskoumbria , also known as Imiz is a comedy hip-hop group from Athens, Greece. The group's roster has been the same since its inception in 1996 until 2010, constisting of rapper Dimitris Mentzelos , Mithridatis and DJ Pritanis Imiskoumbria (Greek: Ημισκούμπρια), also known as Imiz is a comedy...
- Stereo MikeStereo MikeMihalis Exarhos , known professionally by his stage name Stereo Mike, is a Greek hip hop artist. He is the first MTV EMA Award winner in the "Best Greek Act" category...
(solo artist)
Independent music scenes
Since the late 1970s various independent scenes of "marginal" musical genres have appeared in Greece (mainly in AthensAthens
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...
, Piraeus
Piraeus
Piraeus is a city in the region of Attica, Greece. Piraeus is located within the Athens Urban Area, 12 km southwest from its city center , and lies along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf....
, and Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
). 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).
Genres
- Greek Jazz (70s: Sphinx (band), Sakis Papadimitriou, Floros Floridis)
- Greek Blues Blues Wire
- Blues-rockBlues-rockBlues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles. The core of the blues rock sound is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit, with the electric guitar usually amplified through a...
/ Prog rock / Art rockArt rockArt rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1960s, with influences from art, avant-garde, and classical music. The first usage of the term, according to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, was in 1968. Influenced by the work of The Beatles, most notably their Sgt...
(70s-80s: Socrates Drank the ConiumSocrates Drank the ConiumSocrates Drank the Conium is a Greek progressive/blues rock band that formed in 1969 and was active in the early 1970s. Their sound was reminiscent of other such bands of the approximate period like the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Jeff Beck and some of the more progressive,...
, Aphrodite's ChildAphrodite's ChildAphrodite's Child was a Greek progressive rock band formed in 1967, by Vangelis Papathanassiou , Demis Roussos , Loukas Sideras , and Anargyros "Silver" Koulouris . Their band's name was derived from the title of a track from another Mercury act, Dick Campbell, from his Sings Where It's At album...
, Pavlos SidiropoulosPavlos SidiropoulosPavlos Sidiropoulos was a Rock musician, noted for supporting the use of Greek lyrics in rock music, at a time when most Greek rock groups were using English lyrics.- Art :...
, SpyridoulaPavlos SidiropoulosPavlos Sidiropoulos was a Rock musician, noted for supporting the use of Greek lyrics in rock music, at a time when most Greek rock groups were using English lyrics.- Art :...
(band), Nikolas AsimosNikolas AsimosNikolas Asimos was a Greek composer and singer. His real surname was Asimopoulos . Asimos was a very special case of a counter-culture artist, mostly because of his choice of lifestyle. His behaviour and songs were often received as provocatory by the general public. He was a person with strong...
, Vasilis PapakonstantinouVasilis PapakonstantinouVasilis Papakonstantinou is a Greek singer known mostly for his work in Greek rock. Most of his songs have gained considerable popularity, mainly in Greece and Cyprus.- Early life :...
, Dimitris PoulikakosDimitris PoulikakosDimitris Poulikakos is a Greek actor and rock singer. He hails from Mani, Greece.- Filmography :Dimitris Poulikakos participated in more than 60 movies*1972: Fonissa, I *1972: Aldevaran*1975: Kelli miden, To...
) - New WaveNew Wave musicNew Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
/ Post-punkPost-punkPost-punk is a rock music movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental...
/ SynthpopSynthpopSynthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
(80s bands: Metro Decay, Film Noir, Villa 21, Anti Troppau Council; 2000s: MarsheauxMarsheauxMarsheaux is a Greek synthpop duo formed in Athens in 2003. The group is composed of vocalists, songwriters and keyboardists Marianthi Melitsi and Sophie Sarigiannidou. The name Marsheaux is derived from the first syllable of each band member's name. Both members sing almost exclusively in English...
) - Greek punkGreek punkThe Greek punk scene was small but powerful in the Greek capital, Athens, in the 1980s. Bands like Adiexodo , Genia Tou Chaous , Stress, Panx Romana, Ex-humans, Anti functioned as a bunch of related bands, who gave concerts together, in the same locations...
(80s-90s bands: AdiexodoAdiexodoAdiexodo was a Greek Punk band from Athens formed in 1983 by Dimitris Spyropoulos, Sotiris Theocharis, Stathis Papandreou, and Mimis Alimprantis...
, Genia Tou ChaousGenia Tou ChaousGenia Tou Chaous , , is probably the most influential Greek punk band of the 1980s. The lyrics and the music were of punk origin, with gothic, pessimistic attitude and clear heavy-metal elements.-Members:* Nikos Vosdoganis - guitar...
, Deus ex MachinaDeus Ex Machina (punk band)Deus Ex Machina is a popular Greek hardcore punk band from Athens formed in 1989 by Dimitris Spyropoulos and Dimitris Manthos, with Spyropoulos and Yiannis Venardis having already been early Greek Punk scene's 'veterans' .The band's lyrics are often political having references to subjects such as...
, Panx RomanaPanx RomanaPanx Romana is a Greek punk rock band that was established in 1977. They are very popular among Greek anarchists and have done multiple concerts in many locations of Athens. They have also performed many well known songs such as Διακοπές στο Χακί "Vacation while wearing Khaki Panx Romana is a...
) - Greek rockGreek rockRock and roll, spread around the world in the 1950s and 60s, entering Greece in the middle of the 60s. Greek rock performers in the field include Jimi Quidd , and Pavlos Sidiropoulos, the most important representative of Greek folk-rock and rock.-1960s:Greek rock , originated in the early 1960s with...
(80s-90s bands: TrypesTrypesTrypes , which translates in English as "Holes" are an acclaimed greek rock band. Members come from Thessaloniki.-History:Trypes was created in 1983 when Giorgos Karras and Giannis Aggelakas wrote their first, post-punk influenced lyrics....
, Diafana KrinaDiafana KrinaDiafana Krina was a Greek rock group. It consisted of Thanos Anestopoulos , Pantelis Rothostoglou , Nikos Bardis , Kyriakos Tsoukalas , Tassos Machas and Panagiotis Berlis...
, EndelekheiaEndelekheiaEndelekhia is a rock band consisting of Dimitris Mitsotakis , Dimitris Leontopoulos , Antonis Dimitriou , Andreas Vaitoudis and Yorgos Koulouris...
, Xýlina SpathiáXylina SpathiaXylina Spathia was a Greek rock band founded in 1993.- History :Xylina Spathia were formed in 1993 in Thessaloniki, Greece by Pavlos Pavlidis - former member of the band Mora sti Fotia - Vasilis Gountaroulis , Panos Tolios and Christos Tsaprazis...
, Morá Sti Fotiá) - Indie rockIndie rockIndie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
(anglophone 90s and 00s bands: The Last DriveThe Last DriveThe Last Drive is a Greek punk garage rock group which formed in 1983, broke up in 1995, and reunited in January 2007.-1983-1987: The beginnings:...
, The EarthboundThe EarthboundThe Earthbound is a Greek band.The band was formed in Athens in 1998 by six members and former members of The Last Drive, Honeydive, Rockin' Bones and Engine-V...
, I Knew ThemI Knew ThemI Knew Them is a band that originates from Thessaloniki, Greece. However, it is a band that differentiates itself from the Greek rock movement, introducing elements from foreign rock styles such as the Grunge movement from Seattle, USA during the late 1980s and New York's No-Wave from the early 1980s...
, Film, Closer, Abbie Gale, Infidelity, WaterpipesWaterpipes (band)Waterpipes are a Greek/Dutch folk rock band based in Athens, Greece. The band consists of Marcel Eringa and Dennis Paraschis...
, Monika Christodoulou) - Low BapLow BapLow Bap is a sub-genre of the Greek hip hop music scene, that emerged in the mid-1990s as the sound of the prominent Greek hip hop group Active Member. It's characterized by slower tempo and rapping than usual, often combined with lyrics of political content...
(Active MemberActive MemberActive Member is a Greek hip-hop/low bap group, founded in 1992 by Michalis Mitakidis ,Nikitas Klint and Dimitris Kritikos .-History:...
, SadahziniaSadahziniaSadahzinia is a Greek rapper, regarded by many as the first woman that entered the hip-hop scene in Greece. Her name is a made up play on the words: "sad" + "jah"+ the flower "zinia". Since 1994 she had been working in the studio and live shows in Greece and Europe with the successful hip-hop/low...
, Babylona - Βαβυλώνα) / Greek hip hopGreek hip hopGreek Hip Hop , is the chief genre of rap music in Greece. The earliest indications of the localized genre date back to 1987 with the group FF.C, though native language albums did not appear until the mid-1990s. The first hip hop album was Diamartiria in 1993 of Active Member along with "Skliroi...
(FF.CFF.CFF.C were a Greek Hip-Hop band founded in 1987.- History :Everything begun in 1986 when Dimitris Petsoukis owned a synthesizer and was experimenting with it. In 1987 he meets Kostas Kourmentalas via breakdancing and sharing their love of hip-hop they formed FFC with DJ Mix Mad...
, Terror ex Crew, DJ ALX, Sifu VERSUS, Eisvoleas - Εισβολέας, ZNZontanoi NekroiZontanoi Nekroi is a Greek Rap group formed in 1997. The members are: Tymvorychos, Midenistis, Katachthonios, Charmanis & Ypochthonios.-Formation:...
MCs - Ζήτα Νι MCs, Vita Pis - Βήτα Πεις, Razastarr, Voreia Asteria - Βόρεια Αστέρια, Alytoi Grifoi - Άλυτοι Γρίφοι, Rodes - Ρόδες) - Uplifting TranceUplifting tranceUplifting trance, often synonymous with epic trance, anthem trance, emotional trance, or euphoric trance is a term used to describe a large sub-genre of trance music. The name, which emerged in the wake of progressive trance in 1997, is derived from the feeling which listeners claim to get...
(90s: Cyan, Cherouvim, Darma, Star Children) - Acid houseAcid houseAcid house is a sub-genre of house music that emphasizes a repetitive, hypnotic and trance-like style, often with samples or spoken lines rather than sung lyrics. Acid house's core electronic squelch sounds were developed around the mid-1980s, particularly by DJs from Chicago who experimented with...
/ Techno / ElectronicaElectronicaElectronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
(90s-00s: Stereo NovaStereo NovaStereo Nova was an Greek electronic musicband of the 1990s. It was a pioneer band, the best Greek band according to MTV Europe in 1994, with a lot of fans in Greece.-History:...
, MikroMikroMikro is a Greek band based in Thessaloniki, Greece. It was formed in 1998 and was named after the Greek word micro used in metric measuring systems. Their main focus is electronic music...
) - Heavy metalHeavy metal musicHeavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
(FirewindFirewindFirewind is a Greek power metal band. Formed in 1998, the group is currently signed to Century Media Records and was originally a small project created by guitarist, Gus G. to showcase his demo, Nocturnal Symphony in 1998. Firewind later became a full band over three years later when they recorded...
, NightfallNightfall (band)Nightfall is a Greek heavy metal band from Athens. Formed by vocalist/bassist Efthimis Karadimas in 1991, the group is currently signed to Metal Blade Records.- History :...
) / Death metalDeath metalDeath metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
(Inactive MessiahInactive MessiahInactive Messiah is a Greek melodic death metal band, founded in Athens. The band consists of singer Christos, guitarist Thanos, bass player Lefteris and drummer Michalis.- History :...
, On Thorns I LayOn Thorns I LayOn Thorns I Lay is a gothic metal band founded in 1992 in Athens, Greece.-Biography:...
, InveracityInveracityInveracity is a Greek death metal band originating from Athens, formed by drummer Vagelis and guitarist Antonis, and has released two full-length albums, Circle of Perversion and Extermination of Millions.-History:...
) / Black metalBlack metalBlack metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include fast tempos, shrieked vocals, highly distorted guitars played with tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, raw recording, and unconventional song structure....
(Rotting ChristRotting ChristRotting Christ is a Greek black metal band formed in 1987. They are noted for being one of the first black metal bands within this region, as well as a premier act within the European underground metal scene.- Line-up :...
, Septic FleshSeptic FleshSeptic Flesh is a death metal band from Athens, Greece, which was founded in 1990.- History :Septic Flesh was formed in March 1990 by Sotiris Vayenas , Spiros Antoniou , and Christos Antoniou , and quickly released a debut EP, Temple of the Lost Race in December 1991...
, Ravencult, AstarteAstarteAstarte is the Greek name of a goddess known throughout the Eastern Mediterranean from the Bronze Age to Classical times...
, Zemial, Naer MataronNaer MataronNaer Mataron is a black metal band from Greece which draws on imagery from Greek mythology. The band was formed in 1994 after splitting from Nar Mataron, and was soon signed to Black Lotus Records, with whom they released four studio albums...
, NecromantiaNecromantiaNecromantia is a Greek black metal band that was founded in 1989 in Athens, Greece.- History :A dominant characteristic is the lack of rhythm guitar in their music, which is substituted by an eight-string bass guitar...
, Mortuus CaelumMortuus CaelumMortuus Caelum is a Hellenic black metal band hailing from Athens, Attiki, Greece.-History:The band was formed 2004 in Athens, Hellas as a project of members from the bands Unholy Ritual, Diabolical Principles and Grumium. The band has released 2 albums first one entitled "Macto Interitum Mundi" on...
, Thou Art LordThou Art LordThou Art Lord are an Athens-based black metal band, formed in 1993.The line-up consists of former or current members of Greek extreme metal bands Rotting Christ, Necromantia, and now-former musicians from Septic Flesh....
) / Folk black metalFolk metalFolk metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. As the name suggests, the genre is a fusion of heavy metal with traditional folk music...
(Kawir, Fiendish Nymphe -- sister project of the renowned Ancient Greek music revival band Daemonia NympheDaemonia NympheDaemonia Nymphe is a Greek music band established in 1994 by Spyros Giasafaki and Evi Stergiou. The band's music is modeled after Ancient Greek music and is often categorized as ethereal, neoclassical, neofolk, or gothic....
) - Parody musicParody musicParody music, or musical parody, involves changing or recycling existing musical ideas or lyrics — or copying the peculiar style of a composer or artist, or even a general style of music. Although the result is often funny, and this is the usual intent — the term "parody" in musical terms also...
/ Comedy rockComedy rockComedy rock is rock music mixed with comedy, often satire and parody.-History:Early USA examples include Stan Freberg, who lampooned artists such as Elvis Presley, Harry Belafonte and The Platters, and Sheb Wooley whose "Purple People Eater" reached No...
(80s-00s: Tzimis PanousisTzimis PanousisTzimis Panousis is a Greek musician and stand-up comedian born in Athens on February 12, 1954, where he has spent most of his life. His fans often refer to him as “Tzimakos”...
, Harry Klynn, Aéra Patéra (band)) - Neo-classicalNeoclassicism (music)Neoclassicism in music was a twentieth-century trend, particularly current in the period between the two World Wars, in which composers sought to return to aesthetic precepts associated with the broadly defined concept of "classicism", namely order, balance, clarity, economy, and emotional restraint...
(ChaostarChaostarChaostar is a Classical, Opera and Vocal Orchestra from Greece started in 1998, composed of Christos Antoniou, Spiros Antoniou, Sotiris Vayenas, Nathalie Rassoulis, and Sapfo Stavridou. Several of the members are also members of Septic Flesh. They have released four albums on Holy Records, a label...
) - Underground / CultUnderground musicUnderground music comprises a range of different musical genres that operate outside of mainstream culture. Such music can typically share common values, such as the valuing of sincerity and intimacy; an emphasis on freedom of creative expression; an appreciation of artistic creativity...
/ Outsider musicOutsider musicOutsider music, a term coined by Irwin Chusid in the mid-1990s, are songs and compositions by musicians who are not part of the commercial music industry who write songs that ignore standard musical or lyrical conventions, either because they have no formal training or because they disagree with...
(00s bands: Lost Bodies, Plokámi tou KarxVoiceless velar fricativeThe voiceless velar fricative is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. The sound was part of the consonant inventory of Old English and can still be found in some dialects of English, most notably in Scottish English....
aría, N-Carkade)
See also
- Music of CyprusMusic of CyprusThe music of Cyprus includes a variety of classical, folk and popular genres. Cypriot folk music is similar to the folk music of Greece, and includes dances like sousta, syrtos, Kalamatianos, zeimbekiko, and Rebetika.-Medieval music:...
- Anatolian Greek music (including Pontic Greek music)
- Heptanese SchoolIonian School (music)The term Ionian School of Music denotes the musical production of a group Heptanesian composers, whose heyday was from the early 19th century till approximately the 1950s...
, the first major school (style) of Greek classical music - List of Greek composers
- List of Greek folk musicians
- List of Greek musical artists
- List of Greek guitarists
- List of Greek composers for the classical guitar
External links
- BBC Radio 3 Audio (60 minutes): Epirus - Polyphony and Petroloukas Chalkias. Accessed November 25, 2010.
- BBC Radio 3 Audio (60 minutes): Southern Greece and Crete. Accessed November 25, 2010. Audio clips: Traditional music of Greece. Musée d'Ethnographie de Genève. Accessed November 25, 2010.
- Greek Music Portal by IEMA an introduction to Greek Music in English and Greek
- Greek Music Encyclopedia
- Helleniccomserve: Short History of Greek Music
- ANA.com: The Music of Greece
- Kithara.vu: A collection of some 11,000 Greek songs, with lyrics and chords
- Greek music database
- Old Greek songs database
- Music Heaven: Greek music e-zine
- Klika: A site about Greek Rebetiko, Laïkó, and traditional music
- Rembetiko Forum: A forum about Greek Rebetiko, Laïkó and Traditional music
- Greek Songs and Greek Music Articles about Greek Music and Greek songs with their story and lyrics translated to English.
- Traditional Greek folk music downloads
- Tabachaniotika (Magrini)
- Mediterranean musicians in America (Signell)
- Greek Clarinet Music
- Folk dances of the Greek regions