The Greek Urban Folk Music of the Early 20th Century
Music began – all rembetes know it – with a howl lamenting a loss. The howl became a prayer and from the hope in the prayer started music, which can never forget its origin. In it, hope and loss are a pair.
John Berger, To the Wedding
One hundred years ago, in the slums of Piraeus and Athens, two distinct musical styles began to merge: the rembetika music of the outcasts and outlaws of mainland Greece and the smyrneika of the Christian refugees from Asia Minor. When this music was experiencing its rebirth, I wanted to do my small bit in helping it along, so I put together this overview in the mid-1990s. The site has lain dormant for more than a few years now, but I think it’s worth resurrecting. I hope you’ll read ahead and learn a bit about the history of rembetika, its instruments and musicians, enjoy some listening suggestions, and take advantage of links to other related sites. May you enjoy browsing through these pages as much as I enjoyed putting them together!
NOTE: The site is currently incomplete. Please have patience while I slowly republish all the pages from the original site, and add supplemental material and links!