The development of chordal harmony in Greek rebetika and laika music, 1930s to 1960s

Abstract

This article addresses the effects of chordal harmony on makam‐ or dromos‐based Greek popular music, a feature almost completely ignored in previous research. The goal is to reconsider the asserted rapid Westernization of rebetika and especially laika styles after the World War II. Processes of change examined are Westernization, modernization and Orientalization. The analyses are based on interviews with professional musicians and transcriptions from a large corpus of gramophone recordings. The most important characteristics studied are droning, relative major and minor chords and common‐practice and modal harmony in makam‐related songs. The analyses lead to a new theory for dromos harmonization. Cultural meanings of developments in Greek popular music are analysed as well. It is evident that many musicians, researchers and listeners have interpreted Greek popular music as more Westernized than it actually is.