A HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND REFLECTIONS OF ANCIENT GREEK, BYZANTINE, AND CYPRIOT FOLK MUSIC AND IDIOMS IN THE OPERAS OF MICHAEL HADJILOIZOU

Author

Photos Hadjiloizou, Southern Illinois University CarbondaleFollow

Date of Award

12-2009

Degree Name

Master of Music

Department

Music

First Advisor

Stemper, Frank

Abstract

Michael Hadjiloizou's operas show the influence of Ancient Greek, Byzantine, and Cypriot folk music, all coexisting harmoniously to provide a new distinctive, unified and quite personalized compositional style. The examination of Hadjiloizou's operas is primarily an ethnic musicological matter, which requires a study of his compositional ideology, as the understanding and enjoyment of the ethical expressions evident in these works requires knowledge of the historical background on which they are based. Nevertheless, as in the case of Wagner, these operas are self-contained and can be observed for what they represent as staged productions. Hadjiloizou's information will be presented in two steps. First, the historical information of each of the three musical eras of the title will be told in the music of Ancient Greece and Byzantine, and Cypriot folk will be told by the similarities of each style in Mr. Hadjiloizou's operas. Musical information mentioned here, will be: (1) the nature of Greek music, how it differed from modern music, and why we are attracted to the history of Greek music; (2) mythical sound events, the mythology of musical reminiscence, musical myths, timbre of ancient instruments, principles of voice production, mode(s), ancient Greek Harmoniai, scales, octave species, tonoi or tropoi, the invention of musical intervals, physical basis of sound, the birth of drama, the use of Ancient Greek music for the care of the soul, the evolution of Greek music in the Byzantine empire, and women musicians; (3) the origins of Cypriot folk song, its rhythmic elements, morphology, scales and instruments, and; (4) Hadjiloizou's music and information about it as told by him.