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Nisiotika (Greek: νησιώτικα, meaning "insular (songs)") are the songs and dances of the Aegean islands with a variety of styles. Outside of Greece, it is played in the diaspora in countries such as Turkey, Australia, the United States and elsewhere.

The lyre is the dominant folk instrument along with the laouto, violin, tsampouna, and souravli with widely varying Greek characteristics.

Representative musicians and performers of Nisiotika include: Mariza Koch, credited with reviving the field in the 1970s, Yiannis Parios, Domna Samiou and the Konitopoulos family (Giorgos and Vangelis Konitopoulos, Eirini, Nasia and Stella Konitopoulou).

There are also prominent elements of Cretan music on the Dodecanese Islands and Cyclades.

Notable artists

Composers

• Giorgos Konitopoulos
• Vangelis Konitopoulos
• Stathis Koukoularis
• Yiannis Parios
• Nikos Ikonomidis
• Stamatis Hatzopoulos

Singers

• Glykeria
• Vagelis Konitopoulos
• Stella Konitopoulou
• Yiannis Parios
• Domna Samiou
• Mariza Koch
• Nasia Konitopoulou

Folk dances

The Aegean Islands have a rich folk dance tradition. For example; syrtos, sousta and ballos.

• Ballos
• Ikariotikos
• Kamara
• Kalymnikos
• Karavas of Naxos
• Lerikos of Leros
• Mihanikos
• Parianos
• Pentozalis
• Pirgousikos of Chios
• Pidikhtos
• Rhoditikos
• Sousta (Sousta Lerou, Sousta Tilou)
• Syrtos (Syrtos Kythnou, Syrtos Serifou, Syrtos Naxou)
• Trata

See also

• Greek folk music
• Greek dances
• Cretan music
• Greek musical instruments

References

1. Martin, Andrew R.; Ph.D, Matthew Mihalka (2020-09-08). Music around the World: A Global Encyclopedia [3 volumes]: A Global Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. pp. 602–603. ISBN 978-1-61069-499-5.
2. Glaros, Angela (2022). "Nisiotika: Music, Dances, and Bitter-Sweet Songs of the Aegean Islands by Gail Holst-Warhaft (review)". Journal of Modern Greek Studies. 40 (2): 481–483. doi:10.1353/mgs.2022.0035. ISSN 1086-3265.

Further reading

• Holst-Warhaft, Gail (2021). Nisiotika: music, dances, and bitter-sweet songs of the Aegean islands. Denise Harvey. ISBN 9789607120441.

External links

• Musipedia: Νησιώτικα

• Greek dances
• Greek words and phrases