HEPTANESIAN AND ATHENIAN SERENADES - ATHENIAN MUSIC

ΚArticle by Giorgos Tsampras

The first serious attempt to connect western musical elements with local tradition was initially identified in the music of the Heptanese (literally “Seven Islands”, most commonly known as Ionian Islands). It was maybe there that western elements penetrated less hastily than in mainland Greece. Of course, in the Venetian-occupied Heptanese, there was more organized pressure from Catholicism to convert the people. But that may have actually worked the other way around.

... The most effective cut-off from the key elements of a national tradition leaves less room for confusion. Any new tradition is imposed through specific elements. All the more so since the bourgeoisie was formed less violently in the Heptanese... In letters and arts, therefore, a different reality was created; a reality which processed the newly introduced elements much more effortlessly and incorporated a lot of Greek ones without maintaining the strong (in other cases) inferiority complex towards “Europe”. This musical movement was started by scholar composers (Mantzaros, Carrer), but gradually expanded to popular musicians, acquiring a simpler form and covering other themes besides the eminently patriotic ones composed by the scholars. Serenades, that is, folksongs choral music, which until their discographical recording were characterized by improvisation as regards lyrics, music and interpretation, was the pre-eminent genre that prevailed at the end of the 19th century. With the experience of heptanesian music as a starting point and given the prevalence of dimotikismos (a spiritual movement that flourished in the field of linguistics in the 20th century and which prevailed as a supreme linguistic need to “cleanse” the Greek language of the katharevousa [literally “purifying language”, a conservative form of the Modern Greek language conceived in the late 18th century as a compromise between Ancient Greek and the contemporary vernacular, dimotiki] and archaism) and with a less hasty assimilation of the romantic Italian bel canto, the so-called “Athenian” music was born. With a romantic mood too, this genre created melodies and lyrics that overflew with melancholy. Except that this melancholy no longer comprised the obvious elements of sophistication that characterized melodrama at an earlier time. A more “human” ambiance and an environment of truer expression was created that attracted listeners and that had nothing to do with melodrama’s sophistication.

Poulakia eimaste ta dyo

Musical Scores / Παρτιτούρες
Athens, Adaptation: Lavragkas Dionysios

Ta krya chionia liosane

Musical Scores / Παρτιτούρες
Athens, Adaptation: Lavragkas Dionysios