Music in Greece

Inspired by my last article about music in Serbia, I decided to write about music in Greece, using interesting musical facts, from ancient Greece to today's customs. So let's start.

The music of ancient Greece is the cradle of the entire European civilization. It developed from the 8th to the 6th century BC, and experienced the golden age in the 5th century BC. The competitive spirit of this people, especially expressed in the Olympic Games, was reflected in a similar way in the competitions of musicians. The most important instruments were the lyre, guitar and lute.

At that time, Greek tragedy was developing, which united many arts, singing, acting and then epics, lyrics, drama, choral song. The choir has a special role in the Greek tragedy. The tragedy developed from dithyrambs, and these were songs dedicated to the god Dionysus.

Music was also present in Greek myths. The importance they attached to music can best be seen from the saying of the famous Greek philosopher Plato: "The better music a country has, the better it will be."

From personal experience, I think they are still guided by that saying. The Greeks are a very cheerful people. They need little to get up and play. Every year when I spend summer in Greece, there is a party on the beach for no reason. They like to rest in the evening with family and friends, where guitar, song and ouzo are included.

Greek people have a very interesting custom. They break plates when they celebrate and have fun. This is known all over the world. Lately, they have replaced the plates with napkins, so instead of breaking the plates, they throw away the napkins. I know these details because my godparents are from Greece. At my son's baptism, they were the happiest guests because they threw away all the napkins they found in the restaurant. Their music is very similar to Serbian, so it often happens that Serbs sing Greek songs and Greeks Serbian songs.

Greek folklore is also quite similar to Serbian folklore, so at all events, Greek guests are Serbs and Serbian guests are Greeks.

In the end, I would say that aside from being a fraternal people with my people, Greeks are the calmest people I know and yet the happiest. They are in no hurry, everything can be achieved only if you work slowly. They like to drink a glass of ouzo, coffee and cigars are a must and they spend everything they earn, they live every minute as if it were the last. Brief description, very cordial and friendly people.

Thanks a lot for reading. All content is original.

Stay well and safe!