Description
The epic poem Erotokritos, composed by Vitsentzos Kornaros in 17th-century Crete, is a key work of Cretan literature. With its 10,012 rhyming fifteen-syllable verses in the local dialect, it tells the story of the love between Erotokritos and Aretousa, exploring themes of honour, friendship, and perseverance. While originally a literary piece, the poem gained renewed life in the 20th century through Nikos Xylouris, a central figure in the Cretan folk music revival. His renditions, starting in the late 1970s, reinterpreted the poem, blending traditional Cretan sounds with modern influences, and making it a symbol of Cretan identity.
This study examines Erotokritos’ journey from its Venetian roots to its 20th-century revival. In addition to Xylouris’s recordings, field recordings from Crete and Corfu, where the poem spread and took on local melodic variations, will be analyzed. These interpretations reflect the adaptability of this musical heritage across regional contexts.
Drawing on my works on Cretan music (2017, 2025) and Alexandros M. Hatzikiriakos’s 2021 study A maniera greca, which explores the hybridization of Venetian and Cretan musical cultures during Venetian rule, this paper situates Erotokritos within a broader discourse. It connects with Kate van Orden’s Seachanges (2022) on musical revivals, demonstrating how they reactivate historical connections. Contributions from Dawe (2007), Hagleitner (2017), and Hnaraki (2007, 2009, 2011, 2013) provide a critical framework for understanding performance in Mediterranean island societies, while Kallimopoulou (2009) explores music, meaning, and identity in contemporary Greece.
Central to this analysis is the theme of cultural exchange across the Mediterranean, from Venice to Crete, across the Ionian Islands, where the song of Erotokritos transcends time and place, embodying the sea’s role in the exchange of artistic and cultural traditions.
| IMPORTANT | YES, I confirm I have read it. |
|---|
