Rebetiko

Rebetiko (, ), plural rebetika ( ), occasionally transliterated as rembetiko or rebetico, is a term used to designate previously disparate kinds of urban Greek music which in the 1930s went through a process of musical syncretism and developed into a more distinctive musical genre. Rebetiko can be described briefly as the urban popular song of the Greeks, especially the poorest, from the late 19th century to the 1950s, and served as the basis for further developments in popular Greek music. The music, which was partly forgotten, was rediscovered during the so-called rebetika revival, which started in the 1960s and developed further from the early 1970s.

Definition and etymology

The word (plural ) is an adjectival form derived from the Greek word (, ), which is construed to mean a person who embodies aspects of character, dress, behavior, morals and ethics associated with a particular subculture. The etymology of remains a subject of dispute and uncertainty. An early scholar of rebetiko, Elias Petropoulos, and the modern Greek lexicographer Georgios Babiniotis each offer suggested derivations, but leave the question open. where the word is defined as a 'wanderer', 'blind', 'misguided'.

Musical bases

Although nowadays treated as a single genre, rebetiko is, musically speaking, a synthesis of elements of European music, the music of the various areas of the Greek mainland and the Greek islands, Greek Orthodox ecclesiastical chant, often referred to as Byzantine music, and the modal traditions of Ottoman art music and café music.

Although known in the rebetiko context, and often referred to in song lyrics, well before it was allowed into the recording studio, the bouzouki was first commercially recorded not in Greece, but in America, in 1926, when the Peloponnesian musician Konstandinos Kokotis (1878 – after 1948) recorded two Peloponnesian folk songs with the accordionist Ioannis Sfondilias. reveals that less than 7% of recorded rebetiko songs have drug-related themes.|group="nb" Rebetiko songs emphasizing such matters have come to be called (), counterculture of Greece (especially of the great urban centers: Athens, Piraeus, and Thessaloniki).

Mangas was a label for men belonging to the working class, behaving in a particularly arrogant/presumptuous way, and dressing with a very typical vesture composed of a woolen hat (, ), a jacket (they usually wore only one of its sleeves), a tight belt (used as a knife case), stripe pants, and pointy shoes. Other features of their appearance were their long moustache, their bead chaplets (, sing. ), and their idiosyncratic manneristic limp-walking (). A related social group were the Koutsavakides (, sing. ); the two terms are occasionally used interchangeably.

History

thumb|Depiction of a hookah shop in the [[Ottoman Empire.]]

Initially a music associated with the lower classes, rebetiko later reached greater general acceptance as the rough edges of its overt subcultural character were softened and polished, sometimes to the point of unrecognizability. Then, when the original form was almost forgotten, and its original protagonists either dead, or in some cases almost consigned to oblivion, it became, from the 1960s onwards, a revived musical form of wide popularity, especially among younger people of the time.

Origins

Rebetiko probably originated in the music of the large (mainly) coastal cities with large Greek communities of Western Anatolia during the Ottoman era. In these cities the cradles of rebetiko were likely the ouzeri, the hashish dens () with hookahs, coffee shops and even the prison. In view of the paucity of documentation prior to the era of sound recordings it is difficult to assert further facts on the very early history of this music. and the first English-language academic work was completed. have been released by various European and American labels. The following select discography includes some of these historical anthologies, which are likely to be available in English speaking countries, plus a few Greek issues. All are CDs unless otherwise noted. The emphasis on English-language releases in this discography is motivated both by their consistently high sound quality and by their inclusion, in many cases, of copious information in English, which tends to be lacking in Greek issues. See however link section below for one Greek source of historic CDs with website and notes in English.

Apostolos Hadzichristos – A Unique Greek Voice, (4CD), JSP Records, 2011.
From Tambouras to Bouzouki The History and Evolution of the Bouzouki and its First Recordings (1926–1932), Orpheum Phonograph ORPH-01 , 2013.
Great Voices of Constantinople 1927–1933, Rounder Records, 1997.
Greek-Oriental Rebetica-Songs & Dances in the Asia Minor Style:The Golden Years, Arhoolie Records, 1991.
Greek Rhapsody – Instrumental Music from Greece 1905–1956, (2CD & book) Dust-To-Digital DTD-27, 2013.
Marika Papagika – Greek Popular and Rebetic Music in New York 1918–1929, Alma Criolla Records, 1994.
Markos Vamvakaris, Bouzouki Pioneer, 1932–1940, Rounder Records, 1998.
Markos Vamvakaris, Master of Rembetika – Complete Recordings 1932–1937, plus selected recordings 1938, (4CD), JSP Records, 2010
Mortika – Rare Vintage Recordings from a Greek Underworld, ARKO records, Uppsala, 2005. CD and book, also issued as 2LP box by Mississippi Records, 2009.
Mourmourika: Songs of the Greek Underworld, Rounder Records, 1999.
My Only Consolation: Classic Pireotic Rembetica 1932–1946, Rounder Records, 1999.
Rembetica: Historic Urban Folk Songs From Greece, Rounder Records, 1992.
Rembetika: Greek Music from the Underground, JSP Records, 2006.
Rembetika 2: More of the Secret History of Greece's Underground Music, JSP Records, 2008.
Rebetiki Istoria, EMIAL-Lambropoulos, Athens 1975–76 – LP series in six volumes, later also issued on cassettes and CDs.
Roza Eskenazi – Rembetissa, Rounder Records, 1996.
The Rough Guide to Rebetika, World Music Network, 2004.
Vassilis Tsitsanis – All the pre-war recordings, 1936–1940 (5CD), JSP Records, 2008.
Vassilis Tsitsanis – The Postwar Years 1946–1954, (4CD), JSP Records, 2009.
Women of Rembetica, Rounder Records, 2000.
Women of Rembetika, (4CD), JSP Records, 2012.
Various – The Diaspora Of Rembetiko, Network Medien, (2CD), compilation, 2004

Notes

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References

External links

Markos Vamvakaris Autobiography for the first time in English
A unique live recording of Markos Vamvakaris
Se Chrono Rebetiko Kai Laiko (audio file), a weekly syndicated Greek radio show on Rebetika hosted by Photi Sotiropoulos and written by Vlassis Kokonis
Rebetiko On-line Offers a brief introduction in Greek and English, and a large photo collection. Listening facility at present disabled (7th Jan 2010)
Rembetiko Forum A forum about the Rebetiko Music with many discussions containing valuable information.
Tous aux Balkans: Rebetiko songs lyrics and videos, further useful links
Original History of Greek rebetico An official introduction in Greek, of Rebetico history
Rebetiko and folk music wiki (in Greek)
Listen to an example of Rebeticka from Australia on australianscreen online
Negros Tou Moria: Mavri Ellada review – a rebetiko rap riposte to Greek social division
Greek Music – Resources on Folk and Rebetiko