Listening to Greece: A Journey Through Music and Traditions

This was the first book — the one that started everything. Published in 2019, Listening to Greece grew out of years of fieldwork, performance, and research across the country: from the mountains of Epirus to the Aegean islands, from Crete to Macedonia, from the tekedes of old Piraeus to the village squares where folk dances are still performed at festivals and weddings.

The book is organized by region. Each chapter opens with a brief geographical and historical introduction, then moves into the music itself: the instruments and ensembles characteristic of that area, the modal scales and rhythms, the most representative songs and dances, and the local customs and traditions that are inseparable from the musical heritage. The approach is panoramic but never superficial — the writing moves between personal observation, historical documentation, and musical analysis, holding all three together in a voice accessible to readers with no prior knowledge of music theory.

Listening to Greece is not available on Amazon. It can be purchased directly from the author by email or WhatsApp — which also means you can ask questions, request a signed copy, or combine your order with other books.

What the book contains

• A region-by-region survey of Greek musical traditions: instruments, ensembles, dances, songs, and customs
• Coverage spanning mainland Greece, the Aegean and Ionian islands, Crete, Epirus, Macedonia, Thrace, and more
• An introduction to the instruments of Greek folk and urban music and their regional variants
• Analysis of modal scales, rhythms, and dance forms characteristic of each area
• A Listenings PDF with audio references for the songs and recordings discussed in the text
• Written in an accessible style suitable for musicians and non-musicians alike

Who this book is for

This is the right starting point for anyone new to Greek music who wants a broad, vivid, and well-grounded introduction before going deeper into specific traditions or instruments. Philhellenes and travelers with a curiosity about Greek culture will find it as readable as a travel memoir. Musicians beginning to explore Greek repertoire will find the regional overview invaluable for orientation. And readers who have already encountered the other books in this catalogue — on rebetiko theory, folk song, or the Tommaseo parallels — will find Listening to Greece the natural companion volume: the wide view that puts everything else in context.

The book moves through mainland Greece, the Aegean and Ionian islands, Crete, Epirus, Macedonia, Thrace, and the musical heritage of the Asia Minor Greeks — a geographic range that makes it a useful map before going deeper into any specific tradition.

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