Greek Music

A Brief History of Traditional Greek Music:

Greek music has been a central part of the Greek culture since the beginning of Greek civilization. The oldest forms of Greek music performed today are the folk songs and the popular songs, and are often tied to dancing.

The origins of the folk songs can be traced back to 100 A.D. Since early times, the Greek people have incorporated singing, clapping, dance, and various musical instruments into their music. The most common instruments used for folk music were stringed instruments such as the lute and tamburas, wind instruments, like the shawm and bagpipes, and drums. Greek folk songs have evolved and adapted over the years, but their central messages of love and triumphs over hardships still remain relevant to the modern crowd.

The most common type of popular song is the rebetiko, which reached its highest peak of popularity in the 1940s. This type of song is characterized by its melancholy expression and lyrics of longing for freedom or love and its distinguishing instruments, the guitar and bouzouki.  Unlike, folk songs, rebetiko was not transmitted orally, and has a specific form that composers today still use to compose this specific genre (“A Short History of Greek Music”)²⁹.

Modern Greek Music in Astoria:

Modern Greek music has become increasingly westernized, usually incorporating Greek culture and elements into genres such as hip-hop, rap, jazz, rock, soul, and RnB. In particular, modern Greek music of the younger generation has been greatly influenced by American music and often sounds very similar. There are many Greek bands now that are using YouTube as a platform to promote their music. One such group is Vegas, a band that formed in Athens in 2008. Their hit single in 2012, Fili, has generated over 10 million views on YouTube.

Although their popularity has mainly been in Greece and the rest of Europe, they are gaining more of an audience in the United States, especially after their tour of the east coast in 2013 (Kyrpiadou 1)³⁰.

Over the past couple of decades, modern Greek music has become a very important part of Greek culture in Astoria. The most significant impact has been on the popular Greek nightclubs, such as Plato’s. Young Greek people come from long distances in the tri-state area to Astoria to seek out other young Greek-Americans with similar tastes in music and dancing. Many of them visit Greece frequently and when returning home want to find the same music and social culture that they enjoyed there. The clubs play the latest music from Athens, and sometimes, for special events, nightclubs owners will fly in an artist or band directly from Greece. In addition, the nightclubs in Astoria have become a dating pool – a way for young Greek Americans to find partners, in hopes of marriage (Keller 1)³¹.

In addition to nightclubs, there are organizations located in Astoria that dedicate themselves to the promotion and support of Greek music and musicians. One such organization is the Hellenic Cultural Center, whose motto is “to promote and cultivate our Hellenic Cultural Tradition and Heritage by providing a venue to the Greek American Community for activities contributing to the promotion and continuance of our cultural, ethnic and religious identity”(Our Purpose 1)³².

One musician that the center has hosted who has been particularly influential in bringing traditional and contemporary Greek music to the New York Greek community is Grigoris Maninakis. Maninakis is the primary vocalist in his band, Mikrokosmos, and is considered to be the greatest Rebetica singer of the compositions that arose out of the Greek Diaspora. He has performed in many venues, not least of which was a concert in East Flushing Library in June of 2010. The hall was packed with community residents who had come out hear Maninakis sing “An Afternoon of Greek Music,” a concert that showcased Greek music of the 1960s and 70s, the Golden Age of Greek music (Tsounis 1)³³.

In conclusion, Greek music is comprised of so many different forms and genres and is central to Greek identity and culture in Astoria. The survival and prolific nature of Greek music is a testament to the history and culture of the Greek people, and continues to be a major factor in bringing together the Greek community in a continuously changing environment.

-Sarah Franco