Musical Nationalism, Despotism and Scholarly Interventions in Greek Popular Music

Nikos Ordoulidis is an Academic Scholar and Lecturer in music at the University of Ioannina, Department of Music Studies, Greece. His research interests revolve around the condition of musical syncretism in popular music, in the networks of Eastern Europe, Balkans, Mediterranean and Middle East. Since January 2020, he has been undertaking postdoctoral research, titled ‘the eastwards heterotopias of the piano’, funded by the Greek State Scholarships Foundation. He is an active composer with six discographical works. He is a member of the Modern Greek Studies Association, the Association for Recorded Sound Collections, and the Hellenic Musicological Society.

• Glossary and transliterationFurther clarificationsList of music transcriptionsList of figuresPrefacePrelude PART ONE: A STORY OF ORIGIN1. A laiko (popular) song by Tsitsanis (1948)2. A hymn from the Orthodox musical tradition3. Comparison of the two pieces by Ilias Petropoulos (1968)4. Comparison by Mikis Theodorakis (1970)5. The stance of the laiko musician6. Manos Hadjidakis and laiki music7. The music critic Sophia Spanoudi8. Two key personas of laiki music: Perpiniadis and Keromytis9. PostludePART TWO: THE TWO MUSICAL WORLDS: THE BYZANTINE AND THE LAIKO10. The Greek nation-state and ecclesiastical music11. Systemizing chanting; and the protagonists12. The ‘musical issue’ at the forefront once again13. Urban music: Examination of a remarkable network14. Reaffirming the laikoPART THREE: FACTUAL HIGHLIGHTS REGARDING ECCLESIASTICAL MUSIC15. The reference text and the musical act16. ‘Notes not noted in the text’ – Constantinople as a reference point17. Style, scores and the teacher18. Modernists and conservatives PART FOUR: ANALYZING THE TWO MUSICAL PIECES19. Starting with the sound20. Starting with the sheet music21. A historical recording of the hymn22. Postlude23. EPILOGUEWorks citedIndex

Ordoulidis .. is well equipped to embark on this analysis through his combined expertise in musicology, Greek ecclesiastical chanting, and popular music performance. … Overall, the book is a product of evident passion and knowledge, impressive in its depth and detail.