Rita Abatzi (also spelled Abadzi; el, Ρίτα Αμπατζή) (1914 – 17 June 1969) was a Greek ''

rebetiko Rebetiko ( el, ρεμπέτικο, ), plural rebetika ( ), occasionally transliterated as rembetiko or rebetico, is a term used today to designate originally disparate kinds of urban Greek music which have come to be grouped together since the s ...

'' musician who began her career in the first part of the 1930s. She was born in

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...

(now Izmir), in the

Aidin Vilayet The Vilayet of Aidin or Aydin ( ota, ولايت ايدين, translit=Vilâyet-i Aidin, french: vilayet d'Aïdin) also known as Vilayet of Smyrna or Izmir after its administrative centre, was a first-level administrative division (vilayet) of the ...

of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

. Some sources have given her year of birth as 1903. A singer of rebetiko, Smyrneika, and other music, she was a popular performer on

gramophone record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts nea ...

s in the 1930s. During that decade, the only female singer of rebetiko who rivalled her in popularity, and in the number of her recordings, was

Roza Eskenazi Roza Eskenazi (mid-1890s – 2 December 1980, Greek: Ρόζα Εσκενάζυ) was a famous Jewish-Greek dancer and singer of ''rebetiko'', Greek folk music, Kanto and Turkish folk music born in Istanbul, whose recording and stage career extend ...

. Abatzi performed with many of the most famous musicians including

Kostas Skarvelis Kostas Skarvelis ( el, Κώστας Σκαρβέλης, 1880 – 8 April 1942) was a Greek composer of popular music, of the ''rembetiko'' (''ρεμπέτικο'') genre. He also wrote the lyrics for his songs and was an excellent guitar player, ...

Spyros Peristeris Spyros Peristeris ( el, Σπύρος Περιστέρης; 1900 – 15 March 1966) was a Greek ''rebetiko'' composer and a skillful mandolin and bouzouki player. Biography Peristeris was born in Smyrna, Ottoman Empire. His parents were Aristides, ...

Dimitrios Semsis Dimitrios Semsis, also known as Dimitrios Salonikios ( el, Δημήτρης Σέμσης; 1883 – 13 January 1950), was a Greek violinist born Dimitrios Koukoudeas (Δημήτριος Κουκουδέας) in Strumica, in the Salonica Vilayet ...

Markos Vamvakaris Márkos Vamvakáris ( el, Μάρκος Βαμβακάρης; 10 May 1905 – 8 February 1972), was a ''rebetiko'' musician. He is universally referred to by ''rebetiko'' writers and fans simply by his first name, Márkos. The great significance ...

and

Vassilis Tsitsanis Vassilis Tsitsanis ( el, Βασίλης Τσιτσάνης 18 January 1915 – 18 January 1984) was a Greek songwriter and bouzouki player. He became one of the leading Greek composers of his time and is widely regarded as one of the founders of ...

. Her career ended after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. She died in Egaleo (

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

). Her sister, Sofia Karivali, was also a notable singer of ''rebetiko.''World Music: Rita Abatzi
nationalgeographic.com; accessed 22 October 2017.

Discography

Two collections dedicated to Rita Abatzi's recordings have been issued:Broughton, Simon; Mark Ellingham; Richard Trillo ditors(1999) ''World music: the rough guide. Africa, Europe and the Middle East, Volume 1''. Rough Guides. p. 138. . *''Rita Abatzi 1933–1938'', Heritage *''Rita Abatzi'', Minos-Arkheio Her recordings also appear on these anthologies: * ''Women of Rembetika'', JSP/Amazon * ''Women of Rembetika 1908-1947'', 4-CD collection, JSP/Amazon

References

External links

Rita Abatzi (Ρίτα Αμπατζή) recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...

. 20th-century births 1969 deaths Emigrants from the Ottoman Empire to Greece Musicians from İzmir People from Aidin vilayet Smyrniote Greeks Greek rebetiko singers 20th-century Greek women singers {{Greece-singer-stub