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Greek Folk Music
Greek traditional music (Greek: παραδοσιακή μουσική, "traditional music"; also δημοτικά τραγούδια, "folk songs") includes a variety of Greek styles played by ethnic Greeks in Greece, Cyprus, Australia, the United States and other parts of Europe. Apart from the common music found generally in Greece, each region of Greece contains a distinct type of folk music that originated from the region due to their history, traditions and cultural influences. Overview Greek folk music originally, predominantly contained one genre, known as Greek ''Demotiko (or Demotic/Paradosiako).'' This refers to the traditional Greek popular songs and music of mainland Greece and islands, which date back to the Byzantine times. It was the sole popular musical genre of the Greek people until the spread of ''Rebetiko'' and '' Laiko'' (other genres of folk music) in the early 20th century, spread by the Greek refugees from Asia Minor. This style of music evolved from ...
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Greek Language
Greek ( el, label=Modern Greek, Ελληνικά, Elliniká, ; grc, Ἑλληνική, Hellēnikḗ) is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, native to Greece, Cyprus, southern Italy (Calabria and Salento), southern Albania, and other regions of the Balkans, the Black Sea coast, Asia Minor, and the Eastern Mediterranean. It has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning at least 3,400 years of written records. Its writing system is the Greek alphabet, which has been used for approximately 2,800 years; previously, Greek was recorded in writing systems such as Linear B and the Cypriot syllabary. The alphabet arose from the Phoenician script and was in turn the basis of the Latin, Cyrillic, Armenian, Coptic, Gothic, and many other writing systems. The Greek language holds a very important place in the history of the Western world. Beginning with the epics of Homer, ancient Greek literature includes many works of lasting impo ...
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Tsamiko
The Tsamikos ( el, Τσάμικος, ''Tsamikos'') or Kleftikos ( el, Κλέφτικος) is a popular traditional folk dance of Greece, done to music of 3/4 meter. The dance The dance follows a strict and slow tempo not emphasising on the steps, but more on the "attitude, style and grace" of the dancer. The dancers hold each other from each other's hands, bent 90 degrees upwards at the elbows. It takes a sturdy hand, especially if you are supporting the first or last person of the line (or circle) who will lean on you to perform high acrobatic leaps (usually kicking his right leg up as he takes off followed by the left (in a scissor-like motion), hitting the latter with the back of his hand before landing). The steps are relatively easy but have to be precise and strictly on beat. The dancer might even stomp his foot in response to a strong beat. There is some improvisation involved and many variations of the steps, depending on which area the dancers come from. Over time the ...
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Kostas Mountakis
Kostas Mountakis (, a.k.a. Μουντόκωστας) (10 February 1926, in Alfa in Mylopotamos, Crete – 31 January 1991) was a Greek musician who popularized the traditional music of the island of Crete, primarily with the lyra, the bowed string instrument of Crete and most popular surviving form of the medieval Byzantine lyra. His parents came from the village Kallikratis in Sfakia, Crete. His older brother Nikistratos was playing the lira and so did Mitsos Kaffatos – one of the best musicians in Rethymno at that time – who was to become Kostas’ tutor. When the German military occupation of Crete started, Kostas Mountakis was 15 years old. In those days, he played his lira and sang at the village coffee shop, and later at wedding receptions. In 1952, Kostas Mountakis participated for the first time in an album recording when he accompanied Stelios Koutsourelis at the song "Arpaxsa kai Baildisa". In 1954, he recorded his first personal album accompanied by the Koutsou ...
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Cretan Lyra
) * Lira da braccio * Rabāb (Arabic الرباب) * Lijerica * Violin , musicians = * Andreas Rodinos * Alekos Karavitis * Antonis Papadakis (Kareklas) * Kostas Mountakis * Nikos Xilouris * Psarantonis * Ross Daly * Yiorgos Kaloudis * Thanassis Skordalos * Georgia Dagaki The Cretan lyra ( el, Κρητική λύρα) is a Greek pear-shaped, three-stringed bowed musical instrument, central to the traditional music of Crete and other islands in the Dodecanese and the Aegean Archipelago, in Greece. The Cretan lyra is considered to be the most popular surviving form of the medieval Byzantine lyra, an ancestor of most European bowed instruments. Playing style The lyra is held vertically on the player's lap, in the same way as a small viol, rather than being placed under the chin of the player like a violin. For normal right-handed playing, the player's right hand holds the bow. The strings are stopped by pressing the fingernails of the player's left hand against th ...
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Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, and Corsica. Crete rests about south of the Greek mainland, and about southwest of Anatolia. Crete has an area of and a coastline of 1,046 km (650 mi). It bounds the southern border of the Aegean Sea, with the Sea of Crete (or North Cretan Sea) to the north and the Libyan Sea (or South Cretan Sea) to the south. Crete and a number of islands and islets that surround it constitute the Region of Crete ( el, Περιφέρεια Κρήτης, links=no), which is the southernmost of the 13 top-level administrative units of Greece, and the fifth most populous of Greece's regions. Its capital and largest city is Heraklion, on the north shore of the island. , the region had a population of 636,504. The Dodecanese are located to the no ...
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Kasos
Kasos (; el, Κάσος, ), also Casos, is a Greek island municipality in the Dodecanese. It is the southernmost island in the Aegean Sea, and is part of the Karpathos regional unit. The capital of the island is Fri. , its population was 1,224. Names There are several references to the island in the works of ancient authors, including as Amphe (), Astrabe (), and Achni (). Concerning Kasos (), Samuel Bochart (1674) and Victor Bérard (1902) suggested that it could derive from the Canaanite word ''kas'' , and that it is a doublet with Greek Achni (). The island is also known in Italian as Bertarelli, 139 and in Turkish as or (). Geography Kasos lies southwest of Karpathos, and east of Crete. The island lies within the subtropical zone, being at 35ºN latitude. Adjacent to the island is the Strait of Kasos, through which some of the Modified Atlantic Water enters the Sea of Crete. Its shape is elliptic and resembles that of Rhodes. The main island has a surface of , and it ...
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Halki (Greece)
Halki ( el, Χάλκη; alternatively ''Chalce'' or ''Chalki'') is a Greek island and municipality in the Dodecanese archipelago in the Aegean Sea, some west of Rhodes. With an area of , it is the smallest inhabited island of the Dodecanese. It is part of the Rhodes regional unit. It has a permanent population of 330 (increased during the summer months), concentrated in the only village Emporio. The 2011 census showed a population of 478 inhabitants. The community is divided in two parts, Chorio (Χωριό, also spelled Horio, "Village") and Emporio (Εμποριό, "Market"). History The island supported a much larger population but following emigration in the mid-20th century Chorio was almost completely abandoned. A sizable group of the residents moved to Tarpon Springs, Florida, establishing the Greek-American community there that continues to this day. A ruined medieval castle of the Knights of St. John overlooks the old town and the chapel contains some of the original ...
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Kárpathos
Karpathos ( el, Κάρπαθος, ), also Carpathos, is the second largest of the Greek Dodecanese islands, in the southeastern Aegean Sea. Together with the neighboring smaller Saria Island it forms the municipality of Karpathos, which is part of the Karpathos regional unit. Because of its remote location, Karpathos has preserved many peculiarities of dress, customs and dialect, the last resembling those of Crete and Cyprus. The island has also been called Carpathus in Latin and Scarpanto in Italian. Etymology Homer calls the island Krapathos, with metathesis of two letters in the first syllable. Other names of the island include Tetrapolis and Anemoessa. Geography The island is located about southwest of Rhodes, in the part of the Mediterranean which is called the ''Carpathian Sea'' ( la, Carpathium Mare). The Sea of Crete, a sub-basin of the Mediterranean Sea, has its eastern limit defined by the island of Karpathos. Karpathos' highest point is Kali Limni, at . Karpathos ...
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Lygaria
Lygaria or Ligaria, Λυγαριά(:el:Λυγαριά, el) is an anonymous Greek folkloric tune (syrtos).The meter is . It is widespread as a Nisiotika music tune, all over the world. Original form The original Greek form of the syrtos is a popular folk dance in Greece (Cyclades). It is widespread as a Nisiotika music tune, all over the world. See also *Armenaki References

Year of song unknown Greek songs Songwriter unknown {{song-stub ...
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Amorgos Sousta
Amorgos Sousta or Σούστα Αμοργού( el) is an anonymous Greek folkloric tune (Sousta or syrtos ).The meter is . Original form The original form of the Sousta or syrtos was popular folk dance in Amorgos . See also *Sousta *Trata (dance) The Trata ( el, Τράτα) is a traditional commemorative dance performed every two years in Megara in Attica, but also in the Aegean Islands. The ''Trata'' in the Aegean Islands refers to a Syrtos dance done to the song Η τράτα μας η ... References Greek music Greek songs Year of song unknown Songwriter unknown Amorgos {{folk-song-stub ...
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