Greek music

Nine guides to dive in

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At the listening table

Open an archive recording, official video or music catalogue. Then come back to the corresponding study. External providers may request an account; availability may vary by country.

A timeline with intersections

Selective landmarks on the guides, not a complete history of all Greek music.

1. Early 20th century

   Urban networks

   Rebetiko grows in a world of ports, migration, executions and plates.

2. 1922–1923

   Expatriation and new meetings

   The Asia Minor catastrophe and population exchange are changing society and music industry.

3. Years 1930

   Piraeus and censorship

   Small ensembles and bouzouki become influential; the Metaxas regime exerts pressure on repertoire.

4. After 1945

   A wider song audience

   Rebetiko and laïkó remain connected while implementation practices and audiences change.

5. 1967

   Mitropanos on plate

   The single Thessaloniki appears; an early recording is censored by the junta.

6. Early 1990s

   Kouka and her makers

   The work with Spanos and Nikolopoulos forms an important entrance to her repertoire.

7. 1996

   Roza

   Mikroutsikos, Alkaios and Mitropanos meet in a song that continues to circulate.

8. 2001 / 2002

   Ela

   Gia is published in 2001; single reviews include Ela at the 2002 promotion.

9. 2012

   To Nisi

   The song on Allaxa gets a video, recorded on Skiathos.

10. 2017

    UNESCO-erkenning

    Rebetiko is listed on the Representative List of intangible cultural heritage.

Find your own entrance

61 chapters

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20 words to listen better

ΡεμπέτικοRebetiko / rembetico

Historical urban song culture; the different Latin spellings indicate the same tradition.

ΛαϊκόLaïkó

Wide understanding for Greek popular song; no synonym for only rebetiko.

ΈντεχνοÉntechno

Song art in which artistic composition and poetic lyrics often come together explicitly; the boundaries are mobile.

ΔημοτικάDimotika

Regional popular traditions; not one uniform style for the whole of Greece.

ΜπουζούκιBouzouki

Longhal closes with strings in choir; hear the function in the ensemble, not only the recognizable sound.

ΜπαγλαμάςBaglamas

Small string instrument with a high sound, connected with small urban ensembles.

ΛύραLyra

Ironing instrument; Cretan form has its own regional playing practice.

ΛαούτοLaouto

Tortured string instrument that often sounds next to the lyra on Crete.

Δρόμος / δρόμοιDromos / dromoi

Literally road / weighing; melodic organization, not just a list of pitches.

ΤαξίμιTaximi

Free instrumental introduction or improvising exploration; not every foreplay is a taximi.

ΑμανέςAmanes

Vocal form with stretched melodic expression, connected with eastern Mediterranean melodic traditions.

ΖεϊμπέκικοZeïbekiko

Music and dance practice with a ninth-part metric basis and different patterns.

ΧασάπικοHasapiko

Music and dance form with a two-part or four-part metric base.

ΤσιφτετέλιTsifteteli

Music and dance practice often recorded in a four-part size; style and performance remain important.

ΜαντινάδαMantinada

Short rhyming verse; in Crete also a means of reaction and social contact.

ΡιζίτικαRizitika

Song tradition mainly connected to West-Kreta; distinguishes her from mantinades and dance music.

ΣτίχοιStichoi

Song text / words; in credits the lyricist is distinguished from the composer.

ΜουσικήMousiki

Music; in song credits, the composition.

ΕρμηνείαErmineia

Interpreting; the concrete form an performer gives to a song.

ΕνορχήστρωσηEnorchistrosi

Orchestra or arrangement; organization of instrumental sound.

Continue reading: University of Athens · Popular Music of the Greek World, bouzouki practice . · ARC Music · Zeybek / Zeibekiko, explanatory notes on rhythmic patterns · Virtual Museum · amanes . · Visit Greece · music, dance and togetherness on Crete . . . .

Sources & Accountability

Checked on October 15, 2026. Historical collections, public broadcasting, artist interviews and published recording credits form the basis for the actual context. Album overviews serve as additional catalogue information. Personal analyses and assignments are originally written for this guide.

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