Music of Greece

The music of Greece is as diverse and celebrated as its history. Traditional Greek music has many similarities with Middle Eastern music, with its older songs being in Eastern-flavored minor scales with antecedents both in Byzantine music and in Turkish music. Modern Greek music is also similar to the music of Cyprus, with their popular music scenes remaining well-integrated. Music exists as a significant aspect of Hellenic culture, both within Greece and in the diaspora.

Greek music history

Greek music history extends far back into Ancient Greece, 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'.

Ancient Greece

Main article: Music of ancient Greece

Further information: [[:History of music in the biblical period]]

In ancient Greece, 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 modes, eventually became the basis for Western religious music and classical music.

Greece in the Roman Empire

See also: Music of ancient Rome

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

Main article: Byzantine music

The tradition of eastern liturgical chant, encompassing the Greek-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).

Greece during the Ottoman Empire

See also: Kanto

By the beginning of the 20th century, music-cafés, or Kafe aman (as opposed to kafe santan (καφέ σαντάν), from French (café chantant), where the music played was occidentale), were popular in Constantinople and Smyrna. There, small groups of musicians from Greek, Arab, Jewish, Armenian, and Roma backgrounds would sing and play improvised music. The bands were typically led by a female vocalist, and included a violin and a sandoúri. The improvised songs typically exclaimed amán amán, which led to the name amanédhes or café-aman (καφέ-αμάν). Musicians of this period included Marika Papagika, Agapios Tomboulis, Rosa Eskenazi, Rita Abatzi, Georgia Mitaki, Marika Frantzeskopoulou, Marika Kanaropoulou. This period also brought in the Rebetiko movement, which featured in İzmir, and had local Smyrnaic, Byzantine, and Ottoman influences.

Folk music (Dhimotiká)

Main article: Greek folk music

File:Skalkotasnikos.jpg

Nikos Skalkottas, one of the most important Greek composers of 20th-century music. He drew his influences from both the classical repertoire and the Greek folk tradition.

Different types of Greek flutes.

Different types of Greek clarinets.

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 songs 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 clarinets, guitars, tambourines 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.

Nisiótika

Nisiótika 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

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.

Modern Nisiótika

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 Nikolas Hatzopoulos, Stella Konitopoulou, and the Mythos Band helped this music gain occasional mainstream popularity.

Cretan Music

Main article: Music of Crete

Cretan lyras.

Crete 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.

Tabachaniotika

The "tabachaniotika" ([tabaxaˈɲotika]; sing.: tabachaniotiko - Greek: ταμπαχανιώτικο) songs are a Cretan urban musical repertory which belongs to the wide family of musics, like the rebetiko and music of the Café-aman, that merge Greek and Eastern music elements. This genre represents an outcome of the Cretan-Minor Asia's Greek cultural syncretism in East Mediterranean Sea. It developed mainly after the immigration of Smyrna's refugees in 1922, as did the more widespread rebetiko.

The most exactly coming of the word tambahaniotika is that they come from the eponymous district area of Greek city of Patras Ταμπαχανιώτικα. Various conjectures are advanced to explain the meaning and origin of the term tabachaniotika. Kostas Papadakis believes that it comes from tabakaniotikes (*ταμπακανιώτικες), which may mean places where hashish (Greek: ταμπάκο 'tobacco') is smoked while music is performed, as was the case with the tekédes (τεκέδες; pl. of tekés) of Piraeus. But a quarter named Tabahana (Ταμπάχανα) existed in Smyrna—a name which has the Turkish root tabak: tanner; tabakhane: tannery. In Chaniá too, there was a quarter with the same name, where refugees from Smyrna lived after the 1922 diaspora. Tabachaniotiko was also the name of a song of the amanés genre, which was popular in Smyrna in the period before 1922, together with some other songs called Minóre, Bournovalió, Galatá, and Tzivaéri. Compare the performance of Greek ballos by a Greek ensemble in New York City in 1928, included in the online article on Mediterranean music in America by Karl Signell.

This detail might be critical for the history of Cretan tabachaniotika, since Cretans frequently had contacts with the people and music of Smyrna during the nineteenth century. Cretan musicians believe that the further development of Cretan tabachaniotika took place mainly after 1922, as a consequence of the Greek refugees' resettlement. The genre was popular until the 1950s.

Music

Major features of the tabachaniotika songs are the following:

• Dromoi (sing.: dromos - δρόμος), also modal types designated by Turkish names, like rasti, houzam, hijaz, ousak, niaventi, and sabak.
• Instrumental introduction before the song (taximi, pl.:, taximia), where the player explores the Greek dromos.
• Tsiftetéli rhythm, as in the Turkish "belly dance" music example heard in Signell's article.
• Musical instruments like bouzouki, boulgarí (μπουλγκαρί, the Cretan version of the Turkish bağlama, similar to the earliest forms of the bouzouki), and baglamás.

Poetic text

The rebetiko and tabachaniotika often share the political verse, that is, fifteen syllable lines divided into two hemistichs - ημιστίχια (8+7), generally realized as couplets. In Crete such couplets are called mandinádes (μαντινάδες), as are extemporary texts sung to the music of dances, mainly the syrtós, and the kondyliés (οι κοντυλιές).

They focus mainly on the themes of existential grief and lost love, also common to the rebetiko. Songs making fun of Turks, narrative songs, and other songs in dialogue form also belong to this repertory.

Unlike rebetiko (which is described below), the tabachaniotika did not considered underground music and was only sung, not danced, according to Nikolaos Sarimanolis, the last living performer of this repertory in Chaniá. Only a few musicians played the tabachaniotika, the most famous being the boulgarí (a mandolin like instrument) player Stelios Foustalieris (1911–1992) from Réthymnon. Foustalieris bought his first boulgarí in 1924. In 1979, he said that in Rethymnon, the boulgarí had been widespread during the 1920s; in every tavern one could find a boulgarí, and people played and sang lovesongs. He said the boulgarí was then the main accompanying instrument of the lyra, together with the mandola. The laouto began spreading in Rethymnon not before the 1930s. Foustalieris played for years as accompanist to the lyrist Antonis Kareklás (in feasts and weddings) and performed any kind of repertory (syrtós, pentozália, pidihtá (lit.: 'jumping up songs'), kastriná, taxímia, kathistiká (lit.: 'sitting-down songs', i.e. music for listening, not for dancing), and even rebetiko). Later, he began playing the boulgarí, as a melodic instrument, with the accompaniment of guitar or mandolin. He also played in a group with musicians (refugees from Asia Minor), who played the outi and sandouri. Foustalieris composed also many songs and recorded them in Rethymnon. In the period 1933–1937 he lived in Piraeus and played together with famous rebetes, like Markos Vamvarakis. He may be considered a musician who merged the musics of Crete, Asia Minor, and Piraeus.

Notwithstanding the dearth of performers, tabachaniotika songs were widespread and could also be performed at domestic gatherings. Notable artists of this genre who were originally refugees from Asia Minor include the bouzouki player Nikolaos "Nikolis" Sarimanolis (Νικολής Σαριμανώλης; born in Nea Ephesos in 1919) as a member of a folk-group founded by Kostas Papadakis in Chaniá in 1945, Antonis Katinaris (also based in Chaniá), and the Rethymnon-based Mihalis Arabatzoglou and Nikos Gialidis.

Cretan music in media

The Cretan music theme Zorba's dance by Mikis Theodorakis (incorporating elements from the hasapiko dance) which appears in the Hollywood 1964 movie Zorba the Greek remains the most well-known Greek song abroad.

Modern Cretan music

The Cretan musical tradition in modern form is followed today by several contemporary artists such as the Chainides, Loudovikos ton Anogion, and Yiannis Charoulis.

Other folk traditions

Other major regional musical traditions of Greece include:

• Music of Epirus
• Music of Macedonia
• Music of Thrace

Popular music

See also: Ionian School (music)

Spyridon Samaras (1861-1917).

Being largely unaffected by the developments of the European Renaissance due to the Ottoman rule (which lasted nearly four centuries), the first liberated Greeks were anxious to catch up with the rest of Europe. It was through the Ionian Islands (which were under the Italian rule and influence) that all the major advances of the European music were introduced to mainland Greeks. The songs of the Islands known as Heptanesian kantádhes (καντάδες 'serenades'; sing.: καντάδα) are based on the popular Italian music of the early 19th century. Kantádhes 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 Heptanesian style.

Early popular songs

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 revues and operettas that were dominating Athens' theatre scene. 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. Italian opera had 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.

Artists

(1910s-1940s) (in these lists the term 'artists' mostly denotes 'performers' unless indicated otherwise)

• Alkis Pagonis
• Attík
• Danai Stratigopoulou
• Fotis Polymeris
• Kalouta sisters (Anna and Maria)

• Kostas Giannidis (composer)
• Nikos Hatziapostolou (composer of Greek operettas and Athenian serenades)
• Panos Samis
• Sophía Vémpo
• Theophrastos Sakellaridis (composer of Greek operettas)

Rebetiko

Further information: Rebetiko

Smyrna style rebetiko trio: Dimitris Semsis, Agapios Tomboulis, Rosa Eskenazi (Athens 1932).

File:Markosvamvakaris1.jpg

Markos Vamvakaris.

Rebetiko emerged in the 1920s as the urban folk music of Greek society's outcasts. The earliest rebetiko musicians—refugees, 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 Turkish saz).

In 1923, 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 refugges 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 and bouzoukia were banned. Some of the earliest legends of Greek music, such as the quartet of Manolis Chiotis, Markos Vamvakaris, Stratos Payioumtzis, and Batis came out of this music scene. Vamvakaris became perhaps the first renowned rebetiko musician after the beginning of his solo career.

Greek singer:Rita Abatzi

Other popular rebetiko songwriters and singers of this period (1940s) include: Dimitris Gogos (better known as Bayandéras), Stelios Perpiniadis, Stratos Payioumtzis, 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 (see 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 archontorebetikopaved the way for Éntekhno and Laïkó.

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.

Éntekhno

File:Manoshatzidakis.jpg

Manos Hatzidakis.

Drawing on rebetiko'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.)

Greek artists

Composers:

• Christos Leontis
• Dimitris Layios
• Michalis Grigoriou
• Notis Mavroudis
• Mihalis Safras

Performers:

• Aleka Aliberti
• Aliki Kayaloglou
• Dimitris Psarianos
• Flery Dadonaki
• Maria Dimitriadi
• Maria Farantouri

• Maria Soultatou
• Nana Mouskouri
• Nena Venetsanou
• Nikos Tatasopoulos
• Yiannis Koutras

Laïkó

Further information: Laïkó

A classical three-course bouzouki.

File:Vassilis Tsitsanis.jpg

Vassilis Tsitsanis.

Laïkó (λαϊκό τραγούδι 'song of the people' or αστική λαϊκή μουσική 'urban folk music'), also known today as classic laïkó (κλασικό/παλιό λαϊκό) was the urban music of Greece 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 1930s the Greek discography was dominated by two musical genres: the Greek folk music (demotiká), including Smyrneika, and the Elafró tragoudi (literally: "light song"). 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.

The more cheerful version of laïkó, called elafró laïkó (ελαφρολαϊκό - elafrolaïkó 'light laïkó') which 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. Elafro was often used in musicals during the Golden Age of Greek cinema.

The influence of oriental music on laïkó can be most strongly seen in 1960s indoyíftika (ινδογύφτικα) 'indian gypsy (songs)' (or ινδοπρεπή 'indian-like'), which can be described as filmi with Greek lyrics.

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.

The Contemporary laïkó (σύγχρονο λαϊκό) is currently Greece's mainstream music genre (see below).

Greek artists

Elafró

1950s-1960s

• Nikos Gounaris (composer and performer)
• Marianna Hatzopoulou
• Mary Lo
• Rena Vlahopoulou
• Sotos Panagopoulos
• Tonis Maroudas
• Jenny Vanou

Classic laïkó

1950s-1970s

• Apostolos Nikolaidis (both laïkó and laïká singer)
• Babis Tsetinis
• Christos Syrpos (better known as Christakis - Χρηστάκης)
• Doukissa
• Giannis Kalantzis
• Giorgos Kinousis
• Giorgos Margaritis
• Giorgos Zambetas
• Grigoris Bithikotsis
• Jacques Iakovidis (composer only)
• Keti Grey (or Kaiti Grei)

• Marinella
• Meri Linda
• Michalis Violaris
• Panos Gavalas
• Poly Panou
• Rita Sakellariou
• Spiros Zagoreos
• Stamatis Kokotas
• Stelios Kazantzidis
• Stratos Dionysiou
• Tolis Voskopoulos
• Vangelis Perpiniadis (son of Stelios Perpiniadis)
• Vicky Moscholiou

Éntekhno laïkó

1970s-2000s (also known as Contemporary laïkó - Σύγχρονο λαϊκό τραγούδι)

• Anastasia Moutsatsou
• Antonis Vardis
• Babis Stokas
• Christiana
• Dimitris Basis
• Dimitris Kontolazos
• Dimitris Mitropanos
• Dimitris Zervoudakis
• George Dalaras
• Glykeria
• Haris Alexiou
• Himerini Kolymvites (Χειμερινοί Κολυμβητές) (group)
• Katerina Kouka
• Katy Garbi
• Kostas Makedonas

• Manolis Lidakis
• Manolis Mitsias
• Manolis Rasoulis
• Margarita Zorbala
• Marios Tokas
• Melina Aslanidou
• Natassa Bofiliou
• Nikos Ziogalas
• Dimitris Zervoudakis
• Pantelis Thalassinos
• Petros Dourdoumbakis (composer only)
• Petros Gaïtanos (mainly renowned as a hymn singer)
• Vaggelis Korakakis (musician, lyricist, singer)
• Yiannis Parios (real name: Yiannis Varthakouris)

Modern laïká

Main article: Laïka

Modern laïká or Laïko-pop is currently Greece's mainstream music.

Laïká songs usually take the form of a sentimental ballad, in which case rock, and folk instrumentation is used, but they may also be closer to Western dance pop music (the latter type of laïká songs is referred to as laïkο-pop - λαϊκο-πόπ).

The term modern laïká comes from the phrase μοντέρνα λαϊκά (τραγούδια) 'modern songs of the people.' Laïká emerged as a style in the early 1980s. An indispensable part of the laïká culture is the písta - πίστα (pl.: πίστες) 'dance floor/venue' (formerly known as λαϊκό πάλκο 'folk palcoscenico, folk stage'), a specific type of night club (to the type of folk music club like exists also in most Balkan countries) featuring live performances. Night clubs at which the DJs play only laïká are colloquially known as ellinádhika - ελληνάδικα. The main dances accompanying laïká are tsifteteli (on the table) τσιφτετέλι (πάνω σε τραπέζι) (typically for women), zeibekiko ζεϊμπέκικο (typically for men), and hasapiko χασάπικο (typically for groups of two or three people holding each other's shoulders).

Due to the considerable influence popular Greek music has from Turkey and the Middle East, there have been exchanges of musical themes, and several duets of Greek singers with singers from these areas during the 2000s; Greek singers like Sarbel have translated songs from Arabic to Greek that have become extremely popular. Also, with the latest Greek-Turkish relations warming, there have been written songs by composers from either of the two countries that are sung as a duet in both languages. A good example of a song crossing the three cultures is the song Anavis Foties by Despina Vandi which has been adapted into Arabic by Fadel Shaker (Dehket Al-Donya), and also has been adapted as a Turkish-Greek duet (entitled Aşka Yürek Gerek) performed by Mustafa Sandal, a popular singer from Turkey, and Greek singer Natalia Doussopoulos.

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.

Terminology

In effect, there is no single name for modern laïká in the Greek language, 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.

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

Further information: Skiladiko

Skyládiko (or Skyládika) is the byname of the Greek variation of Arabesque and Balkan pop folk music. Skyládiko is akin to the Serbian Turbo-folk and Bulgarian Chalga, since all of them feature the same sort of balkan folk melodies (including Romani and Arabesque influences) combined with dance music, and share a distinctive kitch aesthetic. Traditional practices such as serving alcohol and throwing flowers are still maintained.

Artists

• Anna Vissi
• Antique (duo)
• Apostolia Zoi
• Chryspa
• Despina Vandi
• Elli Kokkinou
• Giorgos Papadopoulos
• Dionysis Makris
• Kelly Kelekidou

• Nancy Alexiadi
• Notis Sfakianakis
• Katy Garbi
• Marianda Pieridi
• Konstantinos Christoforou
• Paschalis Terzis
• Yianna Terzi
• Nikos Vertis
• Peggy Zina

Other popular trends

Dionysis Savvopoulos.

Folk singer-songwriters (τραγουδοποιοί) first appeared in the 1960s after Dionysis Savvopoulos' 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 chansons 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 songs (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.

Vangelis Papathanassiou (Vangelis).

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.

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.

Néo Kýma

1960s-1970s

• Arleta
• Dionysis Savvopoulos
• Kaiti Homatá
• Kostas Hatzis
• Lakis Pappas
• Mariza Koch
• Notis Mavroudis (composer)
• Popi Asteriadi

Contemporary éntekhno

1980s-2000s (partial overlap with contemporary laïkó and éntekhno pop)

• Afroditi Manou
• Alkinoos Ioannidis (Cypriot singer)
• Alkistis Protopsalti (also contemporary laïkó, éntekhno pop)
• Christos Thiveos
• Dionysis Tsaknis
• Eleftheria Arvanitaki (also contemporary laïkó)
• Dimitra Galani (also contemporary laïkó, éntekhno pop)
• Eleni Dimou
• Eleni Vitali
• Elli Paspalá
• Fotini Darra
• Katsimihas Brothers
• Lavrentis Mahairitsas
• Lena Platonos
• Manos Xydous

• Maria Fotiou
• Melina Kaná
• Militiadis Paschalidis
• Nikos Xydakis (composer and musician only)
• Nikos Papazoglou
• Nikos Portokaloglou
• Orfeas Peridis
• Savina Yannatou
• Sokratis Malamas
• Stamatis Kraounakis (composer and performer)
• Tania Tsanaklidou
• Thanassis Papakonstantinou
• Vassilis Kazoulis
• Vasilis Lekkas

Éntekhno pop / rock

1980s-2000s

• Anemos
• Ekeinos + Ekeinos ([eˈcinos ceˈcinos])
• Giannis Kotsiras
• Giorgos Perris
• Efstathia
• Eleni Tsaligopoulou
• Filippos Pliatsikas (Éntekhno rock)

• Fivos Delivorias
• Michalis Hatzigiannis
• Myronas Stratis
• Pyx Lax (band)
• Rallia Christidou
• Vangelis Germanos

Classic pop

Further information: Thessaloniki Song Festival

1960s-1970s (songs from this period of Greek pop were mainly rock ballads and Italian-/French-style pop ballads)

• Dakis
• Demis Roussos
• Elpida
• Klio Denardou
• Lakis Tzordanelli
• Loukianos Kelaidonis

• Nostradamos (Folk rock band)
• The Olympians
• Poll (Psychedelic rock)
• Teris Chrysos
• Vicky Leandros
• Vlassis Bonatsos (singer of the rock band Pelóma Bokioú)

Contemporary pop

1980-2000s

• Alexia (Cypriot singer)
• Annet Artani (Dance-pop, soul)
• Bessy Argyraki (Pop ballad)
• Christina Anagnostopoulou (Dance-pop)
• Christos Dantis (Pop rock, modern laïká)
• Despina Olympiou
• Dimitris Korgialas
• Elena Paparizou (aka Helena Paparizou), winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 representing Greece
• Eleni Peta (Pop Contemporary)
• Eleonora Zouganeli (daughter of Giannis Zouganelis)
• Evridiki
• Giannis Savvidakis
• Iro (Pop Contemporary)
• Katerina Moutsatsou
• Lia Vissi (Cypriot singer of Power ballads)
• Kostas Bigalis (Pop rock, modern laïká)
• Mando (Pop rock, pop ballads)

• Marianna Efstratiou
• Marina Solonos
• Michalis Rakintzis (Disco, power ballad)
• Natalia
• Nikos Karvelas
• Polina (Disco)
• Sakis Rouvas (Pop rock, dance-pop, soul)
• Sofia Arvaniti (Power ballad, pop ballad)
• Sofia Strati
• Sophia Vossou (Pop ballad)
• Stephanos Korkolis (Éntekhno/pop composer (late 80s-00s); piano-oriented pop singer (early 90s))
• Thanos Kalliris (occasionally Latin pop)
• Vanessa Adamopoulou (Dance-pop)
• Victoria Halkiti (Dance-pop)

Teen pop

2000s

• 4play (boy band)
• Artemis Gounaki (record producer, musical arranger)
• Hi-5 (girl band)
• Kalomira
• One (Cypriot boy band)
• Tamta

Pop rock / Soft rock

1990s-2000s

• 2002GR
• Ble
• C:Real
• De Facto
• Domenica
• Dytikés Synoikíes
• Emigre
• Giannis Giokarinis (Soft rock)
• Giorgos Dimitriadis
• Giorgos Sambanis
• Kitrina Podilata
• Kostas Tournas (Soft rock)
• Kore. Ydro. (Indie rock band)
• Locomondo (Reggae and Ska band)

• The Skelters (anglophone Rock band)
• Lakis Papadopoulos (Soft rock)
• Manolis Famellos (Indie rock)
• Matisse (Glam rock revival, Indie pop)
• Michalis Hatzigiannis
• Nama
• Nikos Mihas (Pop punk)
• Raining Pleasure (anglophone Indie rock band)
• ONAR
• Onirama
• Stelios Rokkos
• Stigma 90
• Theodosia Tsatsou
• Ypogeia Revmata (Éntekhno rock band)
• Zak Stefanou

Mainstream hip hop / Pop rap

1990s-2000s crews

• Goin' Through
• Imiskoúmbria
• NEVMA
• Professional Sinnerz
• Stavento
• Stereo Mike (solo artist)

Independent music scenes

Since the late 1970s various independent scenes of "marginal" musical genres have appeared in Greece (mainly in Athens, 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).

Genres

• Greek Jazz (70s: Sphinx (band), Sakis Papadimitriou, Floros Floridis)
• Greek Blues Blues Wire
• Blues-rock / Prog rock / Art rock (70s-80s: Socrates Drank the Conium, Aphrodite's Child, Pavlos Sidiropoulos, Spyridoula (band), Nikolas Asimos, Vasilis Papakonstantinou, Zorz Pilali (blues guitarist), Dimitris Poulikakos)
• New Wave / Post-punk / Synthpop (80s bands: Metro Decay, Film Noir, Villa 21, Anti Troppau Council; 2000s: Marsheaux)
• Greek punk (80s-90s bands: Adiexodo, Genia Tou Chaous, Deus ex Machina, Panx Romana)
• Greek rock (80s-90s bands: Trypes, Diafana Krina, Endelekheia, Xýlina Spathiá, Morá Sti Fotiá)
• Indie rock (anglophone 90s and 00s bands: The Last Drive, The Earthbound, I Knew Them, Film, Closer, Abbie Gale, Infidelity, Waterpipes, Monika Christodoulou)
• Low Bap (Active Member, Sadahzinia, Babylona - Βαβυλώνα) / Greek hip hop (FF.C, Terror ex Crew, DJ ALX, Sifu VERSUS, Eisvoleas - Εισβολέας, ZN MCs - Ζήτα Νι MCs, Vita Pis - Βήτα Πεις, Razastarr, Voreia Asteria - Βόρεια Αστέρια, Alytoi Grifoi - Ἀλυτοι Γρίφοι, Rodes - Ρόδες)
• Uplifting Trance (90s: Cyan, Cherouvim, Darma, Star Children)
• Acid house / Techno / Electronica (90s-00s: Stereo Nova, Mikro)
• Heavy metal (Firewind, Nightfall) / Death metal (Inactive Messiah, On Thorns I Lay, Inveracity) / Black metal (Rotting Christ, Septic Flesh, Ravencult, Astarte, Zemial, Naer Mataron, Necromantia, Mortuus Caelum, Thou Art Lord) / Folk black metal (Kawir, Fiendish Nymphe -- sister project of the renowned Ancient Greek music revival band Daemonia Nymphe)
• Parody music / Comedy rock (80s-00s: Tzimis Panousis, Giannis Zouganelis, Harry Klynn, Giannis Miliokas, Aéra Patéra (band), Amóla Kaloúband)
• Neo-classical (Chaostar)
• Underground / Cult / Outsider music (00s bands: Lost Bodies, Plokámi tou Karxaría, N-Carkade)

See also

• Music of Cyprus
• Anatolian Greek music (including Pontic Greek music)
• Heptanese School, 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

References

• Kartomi, Margaret J. (1990), On Concepts and Classifications of Musical Instruments, University of Chicago Press, ISBN 0226425487.
• Ulrich, Homer, and Paul Pisk (1963). A History of Music and Musical Style. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanoich. LCCN 63013512 .
• Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East, pp. 126–142. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0 .
• Notaras, Giorgos. Το ελληνικό τραγούδι των τελευταίων 30 χρόνων, 1991. ISBN 960-236-148-4 .
• Kalogeropoulos, Takis. Λεξικό της Ελληνικής μουσικής, editions Γιαλλελή, 2001. ISBN 960-7555-39-2 .
• Dubin, Marc and Pissalides, George (liner notes). Songs of the Near East, 2001.

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.
• Template:Fr 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 Template:El icon
• 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 Template:El icon
• Greek music database Template:El icon
• Old Greek songs database Template:El icon
• Music Heaven: Greek music e-zine Template:El icon
• Klika: A site about Greek Rebetiko, Laïkó, and traditional music Template:El icon
• Rembetiko Forum: A forum about Greek Rebetiko, Laïkó and Traditional music Template:El icon
• 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