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Greek Music thorugh the years

Greek music is a celebrated factor in the countries history. The Greeks have developed their music throughout the years to keep up with modern times,  therefore appealing to the younger generation. Traditional music still remains unforgotten by most of the people, as it plays an important part in their lives. A mixture of modern and traditional Greek music can be heard at bars and at parties, where you may also see a group of dancers performing traditional Greek dances.

 

In Ancient Greek times, nine Greek gods and godesses were known as the Nine Muses in music. The word 'music' is derived from the Nine Muses of Ancient Greece. Other words related to music also originate from the Greek language such as: harmony, rhythm, psalm, scene, orchestra, choir and melody.  Inspiration has been taken from the Nine Muses and used by artists through the years, to create Greek music. Even today, many new artists and groups consider their muses to be the original Nine Muses.

Greek minority groups in Asia, bought a different type of music into Greece in the 1920's. This was most popular at the time and continued to be successful through to the 1950's. The music of the time incorporated traditional Greek music with the new styles of Western Europe. Updated versions of older, traditional Greek hits were later sang by popular artists of the 50's and 60's. Greek artists of this time include: Nana Mishouri, Vogiatzis, Giannis and Tzeni Vanou. Greek folk, which was also quite popular at the time, was thought of as the music of Greek nationalists. This is due to the Greek dictatorship that lasted seven years in Greece. Greek folk was listened to during these years. Although now, some of the older generation find that listening to Greek folk, reminds them of these dreadful times, which is why some choose not to listen to it.

Greece suffered a huge economic setback in the 40's and early 50's, due to suffering badly from both World War 2 and the Greek Civil War that followed. This economical crisis reflected on the music industry in Greece. After the Civil War had ended, Greece was gradually recovering in all aspects. By the late 1950's, people in Greece found that they were wealthier than before and were able to buy music players and radio's, which allowed them to listen to music more freely. The sudden popularity of Greek music led to an increase in the amount of music being produced.

Over the next few decades in the 60's and 70's, the music industry drastically improved. Music concerts and festivals were held and many new artists rose to fame. It is also rumoured that the Beatles visited Greece in the 60's to learn about the Greek style of music. It is said that they took inspiration from what they had seen and used it to write their song 'Girl', which is said to contain familiar aspects from Greek music.

In the 70's and 80's, Greek music began to change and was beginning to sound more oriental, as evidence of Asian influences could be distinguished in the popular music of this era. The music of the 70's and early 80's however, still remained similar to music from the past 40 years. Minor changes in the sound was noticable, but the foundations were still there.

From the middle to the end of the 1980's, music became a lot more modern, as different sounds and instruments were being experimented with. Less similarities could be found with this music and the music made from the previous decade. Keyboards and digital sound were featured in the music of the 80's and onwards. Since the 80's music has continued to change and develop.

Today most Greek music shows little or no resemblance to before. However Greek music still remains popular today. It is common to find that even within the younger Greek population, many prefer either Greek or foreign music and very rarely do they enjoy both.