Rebetika
Yannis Chorbajoglou

In 1923-1924, over a million and a half Greeks were forced to leave the lands which upon which they settled for 3000 years. From the hoards of refugees, there emerged a group of musicians that would mark the century forever: the rebetes, Although they endured constant hardships and discrimination, rebetika allowed them to not only record their struggles through the evolution of music, but also to become enriched by their new challenges and embrace the circumstances with the tragic stoicism for which the Greeks are renowned. Rebetika has been compared to the American blues, the Portuguese fado, and the Spanish flamenco. 

Music From the Old Greek Underworld is an electrifying story of the anguish of a people uprooted from their ancestral homes. Through innovative musical forms, the songs of these refugees arose from their poverty and suffering, their fruitless dreams, their current and lost loves, and underlying it all, their spirited and determined will to survive. 

Though many of the original composers and singers are no longer living, this book captures the soul of their work to pass on and keep alive the tradition of the rebetika for new generations of singers and players. 

Includes various images and illustrations. 

Yannis Chorbajoglou was born in Constantinople in 1922. In 1923. he and his family were expelled from Turkey along hundreds of thousands of other Greeks. While in refugee camps in Greece, he learned rebetika and became a mangas. He eventually fled from Pireaus to London, England, where he established himself as a musician, musicologist, folklorist, and lecturer. A musician who is regarded as a master of the bouzouki, he toured Europe, the United States, and Australia. 

2012; 97 pages

Rebetika Retail Prices
Paperback:
978-1-55164-338-0 $15.99
Hardcover:
978-1-55164-339-7 $39.99
PDF eBook:
978-1-55164-597-1 $11.99