Rebético, E. Arvanitaki, A. Remos y metal: Pervivencia de la cultura clásica en la canción griega moderna

Abstract

The present work analyses the influence of classic culture in 20th and 21st century Greek popular music, focusing on the following musical genres: rebetiko, pop and metal. As pointed out by O'Nidel (2004) and Politis (2006), music is one of the most relevant manifestations of Neo-Hellenic popular culture. However, classical tradition and reception studies have thus far not paid much attention to it. For this reason we decided to focus our research on this form of artistic expression, hoping that our work will serve to open new avenues of research in the future. In order to study the extent of Greco-Latin influence in modern Greek music we analysed a collection of just over two thousand songs, focusing on detecting and analysing classical references and Greco-Latin themes present in the compositions studied. The thesis consists of six sections. In the first section we explain why we believe our research is necessary, the objectives of said research and the methodology used throughout. We also explain key concepts related to popular culture, classical tradition and classical reception. The second section is devoted to rebetiko. After briefly explaining the main characteristics and history of this musical genre, we analyse the use of Greco-Latin topics and the historical and mythological references in the rebetiko songs of the collection studied. The third section discusses Greco-Latin influence in Greek pop song, focusing on two artists who are representative of the genre: Eleftheria Arvanitaki and Antonis Remos. After explaining the general characteristics of pop and the specific characteristics of the Greek pop song, we move on to study classical influence on the musical repertoire of the two singers in question. The fourth section is dedicated to metal. After a brief review of the history of the genre in Greece, we analyse the extent of classical influence in the repertoires of the three selected bands: Northwind, Kawir and Sacred Blood. In the fifth section we develop the results of our work and reflect on the importance of ancient Greece for contemporary Greek society and the different forms of appropriation of the classical legacy in the field of music. We also reflect on how today's Greeks draw on the classical heritage to assert their identity. In the sixth section we conclude that classical influences on Greek popular culture have existed over the centuries, as evidenced by one of its most fertile, successful and popular manifestations: the song.