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The
story of Rebetiko is a subject that has always been somewhat obscure
and often effectively shrouded, by the many underlying Ethnic
complexities, emanating from a regional historical context, that has
perennially dominated both sides of the Aegean. These issues
specifically involved the interaction of various forces and events
that were once prevalent before and during the developmental periods
in the evolution of Rebetiko. The relationship among these variables
and the influence they had on the music has always been difficult
to examine in detail. This for the most part is the consequence of a
poorly documented history, as well as a history that until
recently, was not considered worthy of serious examination. It is
considerably beyond the scope of this Web Site to attempt an
exhaustive systematic examination of some of the more contested issues on the
subject of the origins and evolution of Rebetiko. However it is
possible to at least attempt a topical examination, regarding some of
the more significant events, that are generally agreed to have been the
most significant, in the creation and development of Rebetiko music.
Hopefully the uninitiated will at least come away with a rudimentary
perspective regarding some of the conditions and circumstances that
were operational during the various periods of development.
Rebetiko
was essentially the music of the Greek urban "Underclass"
population, from the first half of the 20th Century. The word
" Rebetiko
" is actually a derivative term probably
originating from the Turkish word " Rebet ". This was
a word that is usually translated to wild, nonconforming, outsider
etc. The music itself was combined of various
elements from traditional Eastern and Western musical styles, that
eventually evolved into a sound that was unlike any other that
preceded it. Early elements of the genre were usually heard in
the Opium Dens , Hash houses (Tekedes), Cabarets and Prisons on
both sides of the Aegean. Mostly in urban areas and Port cities
such as Smyrna, Constantinople ( present day Izmir & Istanbul
respectively) Athens and Thessalonika. It was a sound that had
been created by Ethnic Greek composers for a primarily Greek audience.
Probably the best place to begin our journey, would be
the city of Smyrna, located on the west coast of present day Turkey.
This is arguably the best place to begin, for the simple reason that
Smyrna was the city where several of the constituent elements and
influences that eventually evolved into what later became renown as
" Ta Rebetika ", were first documented. The story goes
something like this...
In
the beginning once upon a time long ago and far away in a land called
Anatolia, there lived a group of people who were ethnic Greek by
birth, but long assimilated citizens of what was left of the old
Ottoman Empire. Many of these individuals were well represented
in the social spectrum of the middle and upper
Classes (see photo below), of the contemporary Turkish Status
Quo. They had descendent from primarily Anatolian Greeks, who had lived
there from practically time immemorial. After the fall of
Constantinople in 1453 and over the next 469 year period, many of
them along with a large number of Seraphidic Jews (who had been thrown
out of Spain at around the same time as the fall of Constantinople),
played an important and instrumental role in the day to day affairs
and administration of the old Ottoman system of Government. A
good number of them did rather well for themselves, having associated
their fortunes with that of the Ottoman Sultanate and they had attained a
fairly good measure of power, influence and wealth through-out the
Empire. Before and after the turn of the century, in cities such
as Constantinople, Smyrna and to some extent in Athens as well, there
appeared a number of establishments frequented (mostly) by men for the
purpose of recreation and entertainment. These often took the form of
nightly Cabarets that also provided their patrons with various types
of "Recreational Pharmacology" such as Opium, Cocaine and
Hashish. We must remember that until the 1920's, most of these drugs
were not illicit in this part of the world. In fact most were all
quite legal and long accepted forms of recreation during this period
and business as they say was booming. The regular Clientele as well
as just about anyone else who happened to be in town, would
occasionally frequent these places for the old time tested purpose of
"forgetting their troubles" for a while. Apparently it was
most effective. It was in this environment, that one of
the more exotic elements of what we have called the "Rebetiko
Ethos" was born. This was named the "Cafe Aman "
or Smyrnaic style of Rebetiko and it firmly established itself as the
most popular musical style from the period . The term "Aman"
often gets translated as the Turkish equivalent of the old American
Gospel expression " Have Mercy ". The conventional
contemporary conjecture regarding its use by vocalist of the day, was
that "Aman" was a term that was frequently used, when
performing songs whose lyrics were being improvised live on
stage. These performances were often characterized by a good deal of
subtle eastern style vocal and instumental Pyrotechnics. Singers would sing the term
" Aman Aman " while simultaneously creating additional
lyrics for the rest of the song. This period of the Smyrnaic
style flourished during the first part of the century and lasted until
the early 1930's. However this particular sound was
never actually recognized as Rebetika during it's time. It was usually
called "Smyrnakia " and referred to a specific style
that came to be most identified with the Ethnic Greeks who lived along the
West coast of Asia Minor. Some speculation has suggested it was
this group of Greeks, who (more or less) inherited
most of what was left of the musical legacy from middle-age Byzantium
and to some extent, possibly even that from Greek Antiquity. This inheritance along with a few other
eastern flavored influences, some from
Turkish Classical as well as some Mid Eastern music, combined to give
us the sound that comprised the Smyerniac mode of musical expression.
The " Cafe Aman " style cabarets also eventually became part
of the night life in a few cities across the Aegean, such as Athens and
Thessalonica.
Meanwhile
the Greeks on the mainland also had inherited something of a
musical tradition. This was the very rich and complex sound of
Hellenic Folk music. This was a style practiced by predominately
poverty stricken individuals, that had lived in the small towns and
villages scattered thru-out the Greek mainland. The Bourgeoisie Class
in the larger urban centers such as Athens however, had yet another
type reserved for them. It is important to take note of this
distinction because the difference in the patronage and especially the
sound of these two specific musical forms, illustrates some of the
social and economic disparities, that to a great extent were the
consequence of foreign imposed political and social institutions, that
had developed and evolved in Greece since the 15th century.
First by the Ottomans, then by an artificially contrived Bavarian
based Monarchy, that had been created by the European powers
following the Greek " War of Independence " about 1831. This
second type of music was a style that eventually became know as the " Cafe
Chantant ". This was the sound most associated with the
Bavarian influenced Greek " Upper Class ". It
represented the Western European musical influence in Greece from this
period. However from about the later part of the 19th century, some of
the more Traditional sounds of the Folk music began to be heard in
various areas of the urban mainstream. These songs and melodies
usually came from the small towns and villages, by people who had
migrated to the cities seeking employment. This authentic Folk music
eventually underwent a process of "urbanization ",
when many of it's practitioners were introduced into the city
environment. These three influences (Cafe Aman, Cafe Chantant, and
the Traditional Urbanized Folk music of the interior) served as the
primary constituent elements that would eventually combine, interact
and evolve into what we recognize today as the sound of Rebetika. How and when these elements combined and interacted is a very
complex issue and has always been problematic as well as the subject
of a good deal of debate and speculation by Academics familiar with
the genre. But combine and interact they did. However
there did take place an event, that can be clearly identified as having been the
single most responsible for having served, as something of a catalyst
that accelerated this cultural interaction. It was to occur in
Asia Minor during the Summer of 1922. For it was in the late
Summer of 1922, that the lifestyle of the upscale Ethnic Greeks
living on the west coast of Asia Minor was to come crashing down in
flames and much like the refrain from an old American Country &
Western song "The good times
were over for good "!
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