Taking traditional Cretan dance music forward : interpretations with traditional Cretan instruments and with the Western flute

• Main Author: Zacharioudakis, George
• Published: University of Sheffield 2012
• Subjects: 781.620094959
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.577796

This project attempts an interpretation of traditional Cretan dance music with Cretan instruments and with the Western flute. Examining the changes in musical practices brought by the new socio-cultural conditions in Crete from the mid-twentieth century until today, it argues that Western musical trends have indirectly caused the neglect and loss of some pertinent musical qualities and the modification of the traditional Cretan musical character. More particularly, it argues that some old Cretan instruments and repertories are being abandoned, while the non-equal-tempered tuning and the Eastern Mediterranean modal systems are being replaced by Western equivalents. In this context the project endeavours to provide an alternative that restores these characteristics of traditional Cretan music, by revealing and using musical elements which were used around the first half of the twentieth century. In order to do so the project includes a musicological analysis of the traditional Cretan dance music. Specifically, it identifies and explains the non-equal-tempered tuning and the Eastern Mediterranean modal systems; it clarifies the distinct styles of interpretation and it examines other important facets of the music such as texture, structure, melodic development, improvisation and composition. Attempting to reduce the distance between earlier Cretan sound qualities and modern musical perception, the project adjusts the interpretations according to today's aesthetics and introduces modern audiences to new ways of performing traditional Cretan music. This is achieved by utilising the Western flute for the interpretation of the music and by extending the interpretative capabilities of the Cretan instruments. The project contains both written and practical components. The later consists of audio material which demonstrates in performance all the arguments and results presented in the thesis, offering new insights on the interpretation of Cretan music.