Summary
Part I
In the first part of the seminar, the social and historical context which surrounds the urban popular song shall be examined, and in particular, the case of one specific person whose work played a crucial role in its subsequent evolution and definition; Vasilis Tsitsanis. In which way and under what conditions did the Greek peninsula become the place where characteristics of diverse musical cultures would ‘meet’ and network? What is the ‘musical language’ of popular composers? How did they develop it and how did Tsitsanis deal with it? What is the significance of the recording for the musicology of urban popular music?
See first video here
Part II
In the second part of the seminar the musical elements of the work of Tsitsanis shall be analyzed, whose evaluation could help in understanding urban popular idioms in general. What is ‘collective composition’ and what is its importance in popular musicology? Which is the original ‘musical text’ in the analysis of musical traditions which are based on orality? What is, ultimately, the composition style of Tsitsanis? How was it developed, how was it shaped and how is it conveyed through time via the historical commercial recordings?
