Early Popular Songs in Greece

The Heptanesean kantadhes are based on the famous Italian music of the early 19^th century and became the founder of the Greek modern song, influencing its establishment to a measured degree. For the first part of the next century, several Greek singers continued to borrow elements from the Heptanesean pattern.

The most successful songs during the era from 1870 to 1930 were the so-known Athenian serenades and the songs performed on stage (theatrical revue songs) in revues, musical comedies, operettas and nocturnes that were dominating Athens theatre scene. Notable singers of operettas or nocturnes were Kostas Giannidis, Dionysios Lavrangas, Spyridon Samaras, Nikos Hatziapostolou, while Theophrastos Sakallaridis the Godson remains probably the famous operetta.

In spite the fact that the Athenian songs were not autonomous artistic making (in contrast with the serenades) and despite their fundamental link with mainly dramatic form of art, they eventually became hits as independent songs. Notable actors of Greek operettas, who also made a number of melodies and songs that are famous at that period include Kalouta sister, Vasilis Avlonitis, Orestis Makris, Afroditi Laoutari, Eleni Papadaki, Rena Vlahopoulou, Mariaka Krevata, Marika Nezer, Aris Maliagros and others. Italian opera had also a great influence on the musical aesthetics of the present Greeks.

After the year 1930, wavering among American and European musical influences as well as the Greek musical tradition, Greek singers start to write music using the tunes of the waltz, swing, bolero, tango, samba, foxtot, sometimes mixed with melodies in  the pattern of Athenian serenades’ repertory. Nikos Gounaris was probably the most well-known composer and singer of the period (often known as Mr. Greece). Giorgos Mouzakis was a prominent virtuoso trumpeter (borrowed latin jazz elemnts) while Attik and Michalis Souyioul were also among the most succeeded and famous singers. Notable singers of this pattern include also Sofia Vembo (a star of the period), Mary Lo, Fotis Polymeris, Tzimis Makoulis, Danae Stratigopoulou, Tony Maroudas and Stella Greca.