Musical Folklore Archives Melpo Merlie

Dragoumis Markos

He studied piano at the Athens Conservatory and with Papaioannou at the Hellenic Conservatory where he graduated in 1962. He also studied Byzantine music privately with Simon Karas and at the Piraeus Odeon, where he graduated in 1961. From 1962 to 1964 he continued his Byzantine studies under Egon Wellesz at Lincoln College, Oxford. From 1970 to 2003 he was professor of music history at the Athens Conservatory. And since 1976 he directs the Melpo Merlier Center for Greek Folk Music Studies. His work centers around modern greek folk music and, Byzantine and neo-Byzantine ecclesiastical chant. He has also lectured on the work of lesser known 19th century composers, such as Burgmüller, Draeseke, Raff and Volkmann, as well as on Berlioz. Together with Thanassis Moraitis he has supervised the edition of numerous cds containing Folk Music from all over Greece and the Greek refugees from Asia Minor.

 

 

 

WRITINGS

On Byzantine Music

1. The survival of Byzantine Chant in the Monophonic Music of the Modern Greek Church, Studies in Eastern Chant (London 1966), vol. 1, 9-36
2. A contribution to the study of late Byzantine notation, International Musicological Society, Report of the 11th Congress, Copenhagen 1972, (Copenhagen 1975), vol. 2, 751-757.
3. Markos Vasileiou, A pioneer of Byzantine Musicology, Chr. Hannick (ed.), Rhythm in Byzantine Chant, Acta of congress held at Hernen Castle in November 1986, (Hernen 1991), 45-54.
4. An unknown melody for the «Άναρχος Θεός» in a 17th century Hirmologion from Mount Athos, Actas del XV Congreso de la Sociedad International de Musicologia, Separata de la Revista de Musicologia (Madrid 1993) vol. 3, 12-22.
5. The Music Tradition of the Church of Zakynthos, (Athens 2000), 310 pp.

On Folk Music

1. Some remarks on the traditional music of the Greeks of Corsica, Studies in Eastern Chant (London 1971), vol. 2, 28-34.
2. Greek Folk songs from the Smyrna area collected on records in 1930, Deltio Kentrou Mikrasiatikon Spoudon, (Athens 1977), vol. 1, 267-287.
3. Five melodies from the island of Siphnos transcribed by Nikos Skalkottas; chapter in Dragoumis Markos, Ē paradosiakē mas Mousikē, [Modern Greek Traditional Music, Selected Essays] (Athens 2003), 109-139.
4. 85 folk songs collected by Nikolaos Phardys (1853-1901), (Athens 1991), 122 pp.
5. A musical expedition to Samothrace in 1961, Proceedings of the 6th Congress of the Society for the Study of the Folklore of Northern Greece, (Salonica 1991), 37-76.
6. Field recordings made by Ted Petridis in the Mesogia district of Attica; chapter in Dragoumis Markos, op.cit., 144-153.
7. A musical travel through the island of Aegina (forthcoming).

Rebetika

1. The music of the rebetes, K. Butterworth - S. Schneider (ed.), Songs from the old Greek Underworld (Athens 1975), 16-25 and 149-157.
2. Tsitsanis' importance as a composer of "rebetika". Dragoumis Markos, op.cit., 160-162.
3. Dimitris Atraidis (1900-1970). An unjustly neglected musician from Asia Minor, Dragoumis Markos, op.cit., 163-178.
4. A folk song that was to become a rebetiko E. G. Makris (ed.), The two faces of the Greek musical inheritance (Athens 2003), 223-228.

Comparative Studies

1. The impact of the East on the musical traditions of Modern Greece, Kentro Mikrasiatikon Spoudon, Amētos stē mnēmē Photē Apostolopoulou, (Athens 1984), 310-316.
2. Common elements in Jewish-Sephardic and Greek Folk Songs, Laographia (Athens 1998), vol. 38, 42-52.
3. Elements of the music of Kalash tribes in the Himalayas in the folk music of modern Greece. European Cultural Centre of Delphi. "Music and Ancient Greece". Acta of the congress held at Delphi in August 1996 (Athens 1999), 293-300.

Western Music

1. The "Prix de Rome", Cantatas of Hector Berlioz, Apopseis, (Athens 1995), vol. 7, 562-567.
2. Lesser knows composers of the romantic century (forthcoming)

General

1. Modern Greek Traditional Music. Selected Essays (Athens 2003), 184 pp.
2. From Byzantium to Markos Vamvakaris. Selected Essays (forthcoming)

Thanassis Moraitis

Singer – Composer – Researcher

He was born at Vaghia (Kaznesi), a village near Thebes. He has studied political sciences at Pantion University, Byzantine music under instructor and master cantor of the Athens Cathedral Spyros Peristeris; he has chanted under the direction of the latter from 1983 to 1993 as a regular member of the Athens Cathedral choir. He has been studying Western music on his own.

From 1984 since 1989 he worked with Mikis Theodorakis, taking part in concerts in Greece and abroad, as well as in the composer's recordings: Dionysus (solo album, music and lyrics by Mikis Theodorakis, Sirius-EMI 1985; re-issued in CD form, Minos-EMI 1995); Mikis Theodorakis all time greatest hits –77 songs performed in his world tour 1986-87 (CBS 1986); Faces of the sun (on poetry by Dionyssis Karatzás, Ioulianos-CBS 1987); Memory of stone (lyrics by Michalis Bourboulis, Ioulianos-CBS 1987); 30 Years of Mikis Theodorakis (WEA 1989).

In 1988 he shared album Lieder (songs by Mikis Theodorakis) with German singer-actress Gisela May (BMG-Ariola; re-issued in CD form and first release in Greece, Protasis 2003).

In the same year he released his first double album with unpublished Arvanitic songs in cooperation with Demetrios Lekkas (Ioulianos-CBS; re-issued in CD form, FM Records 1995 & 2002).

Since 1992 he has been working with Markos Dragoumis at the Melpo Merlier Music Folklore Archive of the Centre of Asia-Minor Studies, on subjects related to Greek Demotic and Byzantine music.

In 1996 he released a double CD in which Mr. Moraitis sings 26 Unpublished songs by Dimitris Atraidis, arr.: Yannis Ioannou (LYRA 1996).

He has participated in Domna Samiou's double CD titled Easter songs (1998).

In 1999 he released his second album with unpublished Arvanitic songs from Greece and Southern Italy titled Rose of the rocks in cooperation with Demetrios Lekkas and Nicos Grapsas (MBI-HRONOS; re-issued, LYRA 2009 ).

In 1997 he formed Bukurana, a mixed quintet of classical instruments, in order to present a repertoire of Greek art music works all over Greece. First publication with this ensemble was the CD released in 2001 titled Through branches of the stars, with his interpretations of works by Manos Hadjidakis scored by Demetrios Lekkas (FM Records).

In 2002 he released the second CD with works and songs by Manos Hadjidakis scored by Demetrios Lekkas with title My age-old moons, my new-flown birds (FM Records).

He has participated in CD Right in the middle of the sea, singing unpublished transcriptions of traditional material by Nicolaos Phardýs and Markos Dragoumis along with Chronis Aidonides, Domna Samiou, Katerina Papadopoulou (musical coordinator: Socrates Sinópoulos; produced by Greek Record Club, 2002).

In October 2002 he released a book with the title Anthology of Arvanitic songs from Greece, a CD-accompanied book with 152 traditional songs in score form, complete with musicological, historical, metrical and linguistic notes; theoretical introduction and musicological analysis by Demetrios Lekkas; (Centre of Asia-Minor Studies).

In April 2003 he released the CD Oimi, phos tou kosmou, in which chants Hymns from the Holy Passion with master cantor Spyros Pavlakis and actress Lydia Koniordou (Protasis 2003).

Compositions: Symphonic works (on poetry by Kostas Karyotakis and Constantine Cavafy, works for choir, orchestral works, a Mass (Missa Graeca), a Requiem (Requiem Grecum), string quartets, works for traditional instruments, a concert for guitar, suites and sketches for solo guitar, lullabies, songs et al.

Publications as a composer:

1. 17 Lullabies , (on his own lyrics) for a small instrumental group, interpreted by Nena Venetsanou, Sonia Theodoridou, Maria Dimitriadi and actress Lydia Koniordou, that circulated as a musical album jointly with pieces of literature and pictorial art under the title Lull the blossom of blossoms – Ode to Mother (Indictus, October 2005· re-issued in CD form by the title Lull, my laugh and my light, white jasmine of the world, LYRA 2009).
2. Pictures for the sadness of the blond girls and of Eleni2double CD with 6 works), in cooperation with Megaron Orchestra, Camerata of the Friends of Music (in 2 works) conducted by Alexandros Myrat. Soloists: Sonia Theodoridou, soprano / Dimitris Kotronakis, guitar / Vangelis Christopoulos, oboe / Renato Ripo, violoncello / New Hellenic Quartet / Ourania Lampropoulou, dulcimer / Sophia Lampropoulou, quanun (EMI Classics 2010).

Publications as a researcher: Anthology of Arvanitic songs from Greece, a CD-accompanied book with 152 traditional songs in score form, complete with musicological, historical, metrical and linguistic notes; theoretical introduction and musicological analysis by Demetrios Lekkas (Centre of Asia-Minor Studies 2002).

Website: www.thanassismoraitis.gr