Margaritis Kastellis (Castellis) ( el, Μαργαρίτης Καστέλλης) (1907–1972Βουνοπλαγιές του Ζαγορίου : φαντασία για μπάντα / υπό Καστέλλης, Μαργαρίτης, 1907-1972
Horizon Information Portal. Retrieved 14 February 2015. ) was a Greek composer and army officer known for his work in

military music A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

. His arrangement and adaptation of the ''

Hymn to Liberty The "Hymn to Liberty", or "Hymn to Freedom" ( el, Ὕμνος εἰς τὴν Ἐλευθερίαν, also ), is a poem written by Dionysios Solomos in 1823 that consists of 158 stanzas and is used as the national anthem of Greece and Cyprus. It ...

'' for military band is still played Greece today. He was born in

Chrysoupoli Chrysoupoli ( el, Χρυσούπολη, before 1925: Σαπαίοι - ''Sapaioi'' or Σαρή Σαμπάν - ''Sari Saban'') is a town and a former municipality in the Kavala regional unit, East Macedonia and Thrace, Greece. Since the 2011 local ...

(a city in northern Greece) and died in Athens.

Life and career

Kastellis studied under

Manolis Kalomiris Manolis Kalomiris ( el, Μανώλης Καλομοίρης; December 14, 1883, Smyrna – April 3, 1962, Athens) was a Greek classical composer. He was the founder of the Greek National School of Music. Biography Born in Smyrna, he attended sch ...

.Ioannina and Contemporary Art Project (2010)
"Kastellis Margaritis"
Municipality of

Ioannina Ioannina ( el, Ιωάννινα ' ), often called Yannena ( ' ) within Greece, is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus, an administrative region in north-western Greece. According to the 2011 census, the c ...

He joined the

Greek Army The Hellenic Army ( el, Ελληνικός Στρατός, Ellinikós Stratós, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece. The term ''Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is the ...

at an early age, as a musician, and upon completion of a full career, he left with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, having served as Chief Inspector of Military Bands nationwide. After retiring in 1963, he taught for several years at the National Conservatoire. He was an authority on wind instruments (both woodwind and brass, including brass band instruments).

Style

The main features of his music are: *A profound attachment to popular musical tradition. *A marked preference for "freer" form of composition (suite, fantasy) over more "formal" ones (sonata, symphony, concerto), though he was by no means unfamiliar with the latter. A large part of his scores are to be found at the

Thessaloniki University Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region o ...

Library (Department of Musical Studies), along with a 2002 thesis Christina Anastassiou. Greek National Documentation Centre (EKT)
Biography and thematic project list Margaritis Kastelli
Retrieved 9 February 2015

Selected works

Compositions

For orchestra *Introduction and Round Dance from Epirus *Prelude and Dance from Epirus *Greek Dances (on motives taken from Greek Island tunes) For military band *Introduction and Round Dance from Epirus *On the Mountain Slopes of Zagori *The Booted Eagle *Thessaly (march) Chamber music *Little Suite for clarinet and bassoon *Elegy for two clarinets Piano music *Greek Dances *Little Greek Suite (4 hands) Songs *Listen to my Secret *The Hazelnut Tree *The Sailor *The Shepherdess' Lover *The Heart of a Woman (for 4 voices)

Arrangements and transcriptions

For Orchestra *Little Lemon Tree *The Zalongo Dance *Vassiliki (Gives the Orders) *Farewell, ye Fair Maids *Lyngos For Military Band *''

'' *Florilège (Songs by Attique) *Prayer (Bortniansky) *Reveille (for the Infantry) *Reveille (for the Artillery)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kastellis, Margaritis Greek composers 1907 births 1972 deaths 20th-century composers Military music composers Military musicians People from Kavala (regional unit)