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ROAD TO REMBETIKA
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Songs of passion, pain and survival sung by the dispossessed and the urban poor. This is Rembetika. Greek blues. Rembetika was the music of the Greek underworld in the early 20th century; despised by the middle classes and suppressed by the authorities. The lyrics reflected poverty, drug addiction, police oppression, prison, love, and betrayal. |
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| This fascinating musical genre is the subject of the exhibition, Road to Rembetika, at the Hellenic Museum and Cultural Center, June 30, 2006 - January 19, 2007. Featuring archival photographs, period musical instruments, vintage recordings, and a re-creation of a Café-Aman setting in which Rembetika music was typically performed, the exhibit traces the turbulent evolution of Rembetika. Road to Rembetika reveals the lives of the many intriguing and noteworthy musicians who contributed to its development and tells the colorful story of a music that not only embraced rejection with defiance but reveled in it. At specially designed listening stations, visitors will be able to trace the history of Rembetika through an audio timeline that compliment the exhibit’s visual components. Road to Rembetika also explores the effect social, economic and cultural conditions had on Rembetika, showing overwhelming similarities between Rembetika and other genres such as Blues, Flamenco, Argentine Tango and the Palestinian Zajal. Rembetika was born in the tekedes (hash dens), ghettos and prisons of Greece, and flourished in port cities along the Aegean coast of Asia Minor. Rembetes (musicians) were known as Manges, loosely translated as “hep cats.” Rembetes had an inherent distrust of any authority, used an elaborate form of slang, loved their bouzoukis, their hash pipes and often wore extravagant clothes. Arguably, the most significant event in the history of Rembetika was the forced population exchange at the end of the Greek-Turkish war in 1923. Well over 1 million Turkish-speaking Greeks from Asia Minor were expelled to Greece, putting a tremendous strain on the country. The poverty stricken refugees lived in shantytowns around Athens and Piraeus. Faced with overcrowding, unemployment and famine, a new Greek underclass emerged. The music the refugees brought with them, called the “Smyrniac” style, significantly influenced Rembetika. Synergies between these two schools contributed to a blending of genres, and recording companies such as His Masters Voice, Columbia and Odeon were quick to recognize the market viability of this new genre. The period during 1923-1936 was considered the golden age of Rembetika. Despite the increasing popularity of Rembetika, it was still the target of intense government repression. Between 1936 and 1941, under the strict Metaxas dictatorship, tekedes were shut down and Rembetes summarily imprisoned. With the German occupation in 1941, all recording activity ceased, effectively forcing Rembetika underground. However these repressive measures failed to deal it a fatal blow. Rembetika again evolved after the ensuing Greek Civil War of 1946. Music clubs became popular; musicians respectable and better paid, writing songs with lyrics that spoke more about love, less about drugs and despair. A significantly different style of Rembetika emerged in the 1950’s, incorporating western musical intervals and chord structures. A 4th string was adapted to the bouzouki, giving it greater technical capacity. Amplified bouzouki, snare drums, electric organs and female vocalists became a staple. By the early 1960’s, classic Rembetika was completely eclipsed by more contemporary works. This would remain the fate of Rembetika until the 1970’s when it began to enjoy a revival. Today, Rembetika enjoys international awareness and patronage with many performing groups dedicated to presenting the “classic” Rembetika style of the 1920’s and 1930’s – surprisingly, in countries with no heritage link to this musical tradition! After you’ve traveled the Road to Rembetika, take a few minutes to remember that as we enter the 21st century, there are no clear signs that we are any closer to reducing the social and economic marginalization which inspires such musical traditions. Whether it be the disenfranchised of Africa and the Middle East, or the plight of the world’s refugees, the pain of marginalization will undoubtedly continue to find a voice in various musical genres, some in fact not yet born. And like Rembetika, these new genres will be just as much about the people as the music. Road to Rembetika was made possible by grants from the Illinois Humanities Council, the Illinois Arts Council, City Arts Program II, and The MacArthur Foundation for Arts and Culture/The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation. Underwriters for this exhibit are Mr. Demetris and Mrs. Eleni Bousis, Mr. Peter G. Peterson, The Weasel Fund, Dr. Nicholas and Mrs. Georgia Mitchell. |
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(Posting date 10 July 2006) The Hellenic Museum and Cultural Center’s mission is to be the nation’s foremost center of Hellenic history, culture, and the arts, where the public can explore the legacy of Greek immigrant experience in America and examine the influence of Hellenic culture and people from antiquity to the present. Since its opening on May 8, 1992, the museum has become such a presence in Chicago that it has been designated by Mayor Richard M. Daley as the anchor of the new Greektown redevelopment project which is transforming the Halsted Street area into a world-class ethnic neighborhood. For more information, contact the museum at 801 West Adams Street, 4th floor, Chicago, IL 60607, tel. 312.655.1234, fax 312.655.1221; Media Relations Mgr., Antonia Callas, at 312.655.1234 x27 or tcallas@hellenicmuseum.org. HCS encourages readers to view other articles and releases in our permanent, extensive archives at the URL http://www.helleniccomserve.com/contents.html. |
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2000 © Hellenic Communication Service, L.L.C. All Rights Reserved.
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