Music of the Heptanese
Music of Greece | |
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Nationalistic and patriotic songs | |
National anthem | "Hymn to Liberty" |
Regional music | |
Related areas | Cyprus, Pontus, Constantinople, South Italy |
Regional styles |
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The music of the Heptanese is the folk music of the geographic and historical region of the Ionian Islands. It is based a lot on the western European style. It is dominant the use of guitars and mandolins, while the kantádhes are very popular. The island of Zakynthos has a diverse musical history with influences also from Crete. Notable musicians of the islands have also composed songs and kantádhes (serenades), such as Nikolaos Mantzaros, Dionysios Lavrangas and Nikos Hatziapostolou.
The Church music (Byzantine) of the islands is also different from the rest of Greece, with a lot of western and Catholic influences on the Orthodox rite. The region is also notable for the birth of the first School of modern Greek classical music (Heptanesean or Ionian School, Greek:Επτανησιακή Σχολή), established in 1815.
Folk dances of the islands include:
- Ai Georgis
- Ballos
- Cerigotikos
- Diavaritikos
- Fourlana
- Kerkiraikos
- Syrtos