Spyros Peristeris ( el, Σπύρος Περιστέρης; 1900 – 15 March 1966) 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 ...

'' composer and a skillful mandolin and

bouzouki The bouzouki (, also ; el, μπουζούκι ; alt. pl. ''bouzoukia'', from Greek ), also spelled buzuki or buzuci, is a musical instrument popular in Greece. It is a member of the long-necked lute family, with a round body with a flat top and ...

player.

Biography

Peristeris 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 ...

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) ...

. His parents were Aristides, a famous musician who originated from

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 ...

, and Despina (née Bekou) who was a Corsican Greek and an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

citizen. Peristeris learned to play the mandolin from a young age. Around 1914, his family moved to

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

where Peristeris graduated from the Italian school, managing to learn Italian and German. He also completed his music studies and was already an acclaimed musician at the age of 18. After the death of his father in 1918, he moved back to Smyrna and substituted him in the direction of the famous Smyrna Estudiantina (also known as ''ta Politakia''). After the destruction of Smyrna in 1922, Peristeris moved to

, where he soon learned to play the bouzouki and became known as a composer and lyricist. Peristeris could play all fingerboard string instruments as well as the

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

, accordion,

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G ...

and

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox additions such as the octobass). Similar i ...

. From the early 1930s, he worked as local repertory manager and orchestra leader for several recording companies (namely Grammophone, Columbia, His Master's Voice, Odeon, Parlophone) in Greece. From these posts, he strongly influenced the direction of rebetiko music. For instance, he was pivotal in persuading

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 ...

to record his songs sung with his own voice. Parallel to his managerial activities, Peristeris continued to compose and record songs of his own.

Notes

External links

Σπύρος Περιστέρης
from rebetiko wiki {{DEFAULTSORT:Peristeris, Spyros 1900 births 1966 deaths Greek composers Rebetiko musicians Greek bouzouki players Greek oud players Greek mandolin players Greek pianists Greek songwriters Smyrniote Greeks Art directors 20th-century pianists Emigrants from the Ottoman Empire to Greece Musicians from İzmir