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Programme of the October
2002 Conference
Please Note: These sessions will take
place in the Melina Mercouri Hall on the harbourside. If that building is
required for mayoral election purposes, we shall transfer to another building.
A notice will be posted on the door to inform you.
The following order of speakers may also
be subject to change.
Flexibility is the order of the day!
THURSDAY
17 OCTOBER
Afternoon Session – Melina Mercouri Hall –
4.30-5.30pm
Registration for the Conference
Evening Session – Melina Mercouri Hall –
7.00pm to 9.00pm
Showing of a REBETIKO
FILM. Title to be
announced.
FRIDAY
18 OCTOBER [Most
papers presented in English]
Morning Session – Melina Mercouri Hall –
10.00am to 12.30pm
GENERAL INTRODUCTION AND
WELCOME [Ed
Emery]
HUGO STRÖTBAUM of Holland: "Rebetiko: what's in a
name?" [In English] [Summary below]
PETER VEJLESKOV of Denmark: "A
thematic-stylistic analysis of Vasilis Tsitsanis's censored pre-war lyrics"
[In English] [Summary below]
Afternoon Session – Melina Mercouri Hall –
2.30pm 5.30pm
ED EMERY of London: "The figure of
Stavrakas in the Karaghiozis shadow theatre" [In English] [Summary below]
NIKOS ZARKOS of Moosootoo.
"The Guitar Style of Katsaros" [In English and Greek] [Summary
below]
ANDREAS TSEKOURAS of Athens. Invited to speak on "The
Epicurean Ideal in Rebetiko "** [In English]
Evening Session – Time and venue to be
announced
The group MOOSOOTOO
will play a 60-minute
themed session on "Rebetiko and the World of Work: Songs from the
1930s"
JASON MELISSINOS of Athens: A shadow puppet performance of "Stavrakas
sto Tekke". [With live musical accompaniment]
SATURDAY 19
OCTOBER [Most papers
presented in Greek]
Morning Session – Melina Mercouri Hall –
10.00am to 1.00pm
MARIOS KOPTSAS-ANASTASSIOU
of the University of
Vienna. "Some points where scientific research about rebetiko is
lacking" [In Greek] [Summary below]
DIMITRIS HYPHANTIS of Athens: " Typology
of Hashish Users in Rebetiko" [In Greek] [Summary below]
ARIS RADIOPOULOS of Germany: "Rebetiko i laiko? Ena anuparkto
dilimma" [In Greek] [Summary below]
Afternoon Session – Melina Mercouri Hall –
2.30pm 4.30pm
JOHN HARRISON of Yorkshire. Contributor to the workshop on
instrument-making. [In English]
A ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION entitled "Rebetiko in
Today's World – Mapping a Musical Movement" [In Greek and English]
ALI FUAT AYDIN with CENK
GURAY of
Ankara. Will speak on: "The Characteristics of the Music of Asia Minor Greeks
and the Effects of 'Population Exchange' in Greek Music: A Comparative
Approach" [In English] [Summary below]
Followed by our REBETIKO
SUPPER AND CONCERT at the Douskos Restaurant from 9.30 till late.
Our performers will be:
Maryo from
Thessaloniki – singer
Kyriakos
Gouventas
– violin
Manolis
Pappos –
bouzouki, singer
Sophia
Papazoglou – singer
Christos
Papanikolaou – guitar
Andreas
Tsekouras
– accordeon – baglama – banjo – mandola tenore
with additional contributions from
Ivi Dermanci
from Istanbul – singer
the Ladies' Choir of Hydra
and Ali Fuat
Aydin and Cenk Guray from Ankara
SUNDAY 20
OCTOBER
Morning Session – Melina Mercouri Hall – 11.00am to 1.00pm
MARK DRAGOUMIS of the Centre for Asia Minor Studies, Athens: "A
paper on Kyria Koula and the 'Votsis March'." [In English]
A ROUND TABLE DISCUSSION of about the plans for next year's
Conference, October 2003, for which the sub-theme will be "REBETIKO, WOMEN
AND THE WOMEN OF REBETIKO"
This will be followed by a leisurely afternoon JAM SESSION at the Harbourside.
The Jam Session will be set off by Moosootoo
[Pavlos Melas, Asterios Pouftis and Nikos Zarkos]
with participation of the musicians of the
REBETIKO
FORUM
Then FAREWELL TILL NEXT TIME, which will be on the island of Hydra on
the weekend of 17-19 October 2003
SUMMARIES OF PAPERS
At 8.x.02 the following summaries
have been received.
Listed in alphabetical order of
speakers.
********************
"The
Characteristics of the Music of Asia Minor Greeks and the Effects of
'Population Exchange' in Greek Music: A Comparative Approach"
by Ali Fuat Aydin and Cenk Guray
SUMMARY: This study is an examination of some of the roots of
the today’s Greek Music in the region of Anatolia. The work starts with a brief
overview of the subject of the “makam”, on which the main content of this paper
will be based. In this section the musical and the spiritual theory of the
“makam” concept will be discussed. These discussion will be concluded with
musical examples from Turkish music and Anatolian based Smyrnaika and Politika.
After that, we will offer historical and geographical
observations on the exchange of Greek and Turkish populations in 1923, which
will help to locate the roots of the musical influences extending from Anatolia
to Greece.
The research will continue by a comparative study of
today’s Greek Music and the Greek Music before 1923. This stage of the paper
will concentrate on the observable application differences of the “makam”
theory in Greek Music in the past 100 years. The study will conclude with a
discussion of the possible effects of the Anatolian Music on today’s Greek
Music after 1923 in terms of “makam” applications.
[Paper
presented in English, with musical illustrations]
********************
"A paper on Kyria
Koula and the 'Votsis March'."
by Mark Dragoumis
[Paper presented in
English]
********************
"The figure of Stavrakas in the karaghiozis
shadow theatre"
by Ed Emery
SUMMARY: Rebetiko is not merely a musical genre. It is a way
of life, a social ambience with its own styles and rules. This paper looks at
the figures of the koutsavakis and the mangas as they are
presented in the tradition of the Greek karaghiozis shadow theatre. It is
designed as a prelude to the performance which will be given by Jason Melissinos.
[Paper presented in English]
********************
"Hashish users in Rebetiko and their
typology"
by Dimitris Hyphantis
SUMMARY:
Developing last year's paper in which I looked at the general question of drug
usage in Rebetiko, I examine the specific case of hashish usage and its
portrayal in Rebetiko song.
During the 1920s and 1930s the use of hashish becomes
markedly present in Greece. In rebetiko songs we find frequent references to
the use of hashish. I have examined 1,228 songs dated from 1924 to 1958. For
the period 1924-36, which is censorship-free, I have 151 songs where hashish
use is either mentioned or is the principle subject. Analysing the lyrics of
these songs I have classified three broad categories of hashish users, and
these are analysed in my paper.
[Paper presented in Greek]
********************
"Some points where scientific research about
rebetiko is lacking"
by Marios Koptsas-Anastassiou
SUMMARY: The aim of this paper is to focus on some particular
difficulties in studying Rebetiko, in relation to most of the existing
publications. The personal emotional approach of most writers, the tendency to
analyse and place Rebetiko within the historical events and important social
structures of modern Greek society – perhaps in order to make the genre better
understandable – has resulted in a certain interpretative slant being given to
Rebetiko. Beside this, a lot of less qualified statements, based on prejudice,
ignorance or rejection bring a lot of confusion, so that many significant
questions about Rebetiko still remain answered. On the other hand, scientific
musicological studies and archive publications are either non-existent, or are
obscure and hard to obtain. The repeated clichés and the simplified
interpretations, combined with exhaustive but unrealistic attempts to include
everything about Rebetiko and its people in a single publication, seems to lead
scientific research to a dead end, since a lot of Rebetiko facts and phenomena
cannot be explained within those “preconstructed” schemes. We need to be able
to develop new approaches in order to understand Rebetiko better. Flexibility,
precisely oriented research, organization and publications are necessary.
ΠΕΡΙΛΗΨΗ: Στόχος
αυτής της
παρουσίασης
είναι να
επιστήσει την
προσοχή σε
συγκεκριμένα
προβλήματα που
αντιμετωπίζει
ο ερευνητής
του Ρεμπέτικου
κυρίως σε σχέση
με τις
υπάρχουσες
δημοσιεύσεις. Η
προσωπική
προσέγγιση των
περισσότερων
συγγραφέων, η
τάση να
αναλύσουν το
Ρεμπέτικο και
να το
τοποθετήσουν
μέσα στο πλαίσιο
ιστορικών
γεγονότων και
σημαντικών
δομών της
σύγχρονης
ελληνικής
κοινωνίας-
ίσως για να το
παρουσιάσουν
ως πιο
κατανοητό-
δημιούργησε ένα
τυποποιημένο ερμηνευτικό
πλαίσιο. Πέρα
από αυτό,
πλήθος από
αυθαίρετες
ερμηνείες, βασισμένες
στην
προκατάληψη,
στην άγνοια
και στην απόριψη
του Ρεμπέτικου
έχουν
επιδεινώσει τη
σύγχυση, έτσι
ώστε
καθοριστικά
ερωτήματα για
το Ρεμπέτικο
να παραμένουν
αναπάντητα. Αντίθετα,
οι
επιστημονικές
μελέτες και οι
εκτεταμένες
δημοσιεύσεις
αρχειακού
υλικού
απουσιάζουν ή
βρίσκονται σε
δεύτερο πλάνο.
Τα
επαναλαμβανόμενα
στερεότυπα και
οι
απλοποιημένες
ερμηνείες σε
συνδυασμό με
την
εξουθενωτική
αλλά συγχρόνως
και ουτοπική
προσπάθεια να
συμπεριλάβουν
οτιδήποτε
σχετικό με το
Ρεμπέτικο και
τους ανθρώπους
του σε μια και
μόνη
δημοσίευση,
φαίνεται να
οδηγεί την
επιστημονική
έρευνα σε αδιέξοδο,
αφού ένα
μεγάλο μέρος
γεγονότων και
φαινομένων που
σχετίζονται με
το Ρεμπέτικο
δεν μπορεί να
ερμηνευθεί
μέσα σε αυτά τα
προκατασκευασμένα
πλαίσια.
Θα πρέπει
να φανούμε
πρόθυμοι να
αναζητήσουμε
μερικούς
καινούριους
δρόμους για να
μπορέσουμε να καταλάβουμε
καλίτερα το
Ρεμπετικο.
Απαραίτητα μέσα
είναι η
ευελιξία, η
έρευνα πάνω σε
ξεκάθαρους στόχους,
η οργάνωση και
οι
δημοσιέυσεις.
[Paper presented in Greek]
********************
"A karaghiozis shadow
theatre performance: STAVRAKAS IN THE TEKKE"
performed by Jason
Melissinos
This
performance will take place at the harbourside on Friday evening.
On
Saturday morning, for those who are interested, Jason will be conducting a Karaghiozis Workshop for
the children of the island. He will show how to construct and paint the
traditional figures. This event will take place in the Archaeological Museum.
********************
"Rebetiko or Laiko?
A false dilemma"
by Aris Radiopoulos
SUMMARY: The aim of this paper is to show that the widespread use of
the two terms, often in a way that implies a different musical and textual
content, is not based upon solid historical criteria or data but upon the
assumptions made by the first researchers of the topic. The terms “Rebetiko”
and “Laiko” – when referring to songs – were not used originally versus, but
only in addition to each other, in order to include the different nuances of
the same genre. The ideological distance that emerged in the last fifty years
is only another proof that history is not an objective discipline but rather
the most suitable version of one`s own past.
[Paper presented in Greek]
********************
"Rebetiko: what's in
a name?"
by Hugo Strötbaum
SUMMARY: This
paper will contain the following: Some facts and speculations about
"prehistoric" rebetika. An inventory of all available evidence on
"rebetiko" as a generic term and how it was used. And a look at other
generic terms used in Greek music.
Parallels are drawn with similar generic terms in other kinds of music.
[Paper presented in English]
********************
"A thematic-stylistic analysis of Vasilis
Tsitsanis's censored pre-war lyrics"
by Peter Vejleskov
SUMMARY: Which themes does Vasilis Tsitsanis write about in songs
issued on
record during the period from October 1937 till the end of 1940, and what are
the songs like from a literary point of view? My presentation aims at answering
the first of these two questions in full, and the second at least in part. This
is the first step in what is hoped to become a comparative analysis that may
answer questions such as the following:
Do Tsitsanis's lyrics differ from those of Markos
Vamvakaris, and if yes: how?
Do Tsitsanis's post-war lyrics differ from his pre-war
lyrics and how?
Do Tsitsanis's few uncensored lyrics differ from the vast
majority of his production which was
subject to preventive censorship, and how?
Do the song-texts written by Markos before and after October
1937 differ and how? Does the censorship influence the style as well as the
choice of subject matter?
During the presentation much emphasis will be given to the
question
of the accurate dating of the songs.
[Paper presented in English]
********************
"The Rebetiko Guitar Playing
of Yiorgos Katsaros"
by Nikos Zarkos
SUMMARY: The 'Giorgos Katsaros' project has the following structure:
1. I shall play two songs as examples. These songs
will be 'Chtes to vrady stou Karipi' (Yesterday at Karipis's place) and
'Vre ti mangas pou'mai 'go' (What a mangas am I).
2. I shall look at the technique that Katsaros used
in playing the guitar, analysing it through the eyes of a classical or flamenco
guitarist (finger-style, rasgueados, etc.)
3. Discussion and questions. I shall prepare a
photocopied text and a hand-written music score of the songs to hand out
to Conference members.
[Paper presented in English
and Greek, with musical illustrations]
********************
Also present will be members
of the band AMABOLA from London:
"Inspired
by crackly old 78's Amabola produce music of 'timeless quality' (LGR). Intent
on bypassing package-holiday sounds, the London-based band Amabola draw upon
the music of the rebetes to create their own brand of Greek roots music. They work
towards rich, emotional, acoustic performances, and feature the beautiful
voice of Katina Kangaris."
Katina
Kangaris (DV8) – Vocals
Chris
Morphitis (Arabesque+Spirit Talk Mbira)
– Guitar
Max
deWardener – Double Bass
Jack Arnold – Clarinet
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