International vs. national? Issues of (Hellenic/Greek) identity within Greek musical modernism (1950s ‐ 1970s)

Abstract or Summary:

Modernism in music was constructed in post‐1950 Greece in opposition to the nationalist ideas, which had been institutionally strong within Greek musical life and composition from the beginning of the twentieth century. The dichotomy of national/international was at the core of musical discourse in the 1950s and 1960s from proponents of both sides, while it seriously influenced the historiography of Greek music. However, Greek antiquity (the Hellenic side of Greek identity, as the latter was developed since the eighteenth century), had a strong presence in the music, ideas and institutional support of modernist ideas. For example, many modernist composers utilize ancient Greek texts and/or ancient Greek themes or make overt use of elements derived from ancient Greek drama. The appraisal of the dichotomy of national/international becomes difficult with regard to the use of Greek antiquity in Greek modernist music: Greek antiquity is loaded with a tremendous weight within the Western musical tradition (having a strong international appeal within this tradition), while at the same time acted as a strong element in the post‐World War II rethinking of Greek identity in Greek politics and arts. With analytical reference to the very use and the theoretical perception of Greek antiquity in musical extracts and texts by Greek modernists (Yorgos Sicilianos, Yannis Papaioannou, Iannis Xenakis), the present paper reveals ideas central to nationalist ideology (such as cultural/historical continuity, authenticity and the idealization of the past) and, thus, proposes to rethink the standard schema of Greek musical historiography.