Modern Greek Music
The musical world owes a lot to the ancient Greeks. Pythagoras, who was the father of music theory, was Greek. The word 'music' is derived from the nine muses of ancient Greece. However, with the fall of ancient Greece and the collapse of the Roman and Byzantine empires, Greek music hibernated for several centuries until it was reborn in the 19th century.
Greek music was reborn in the 1800s. Composers such as Spyridon Xyndas, Spyriod Samaras, (composer of the Olympic anthem), and Nikolaos Mantzaros influenced Greek music in the 19th century. As the 20th century dawned, female vocalists led bands. Some of the noted musicians included Marika Papagika, Ross Eskenazi, Agapios Tomboulis and Rita Abatzi. During the 1970s, Greek folk music styles known as amanethes and rebetika were derived, which combined Greek and Byzantine traditions. Greek youth turned to pop and rock music in the 1960s as groups such as the Idols and Charms rose in popularity.
Modern Greek music includes folk music with these traditions combining both Eastern and Western influences.