Abstracts of issue 19 (2007)

On the Transcription of Greek Demotic Songs in the European Notation System

The question of the transcription of the Greek demotic songs in a certain system of musical notation has challenged and still challenges researchers of varied specialisations. Occasional information on the transcription of Greek demotic songs in the European Notation exists in various texts, articles, and collections of ethnographic and ethnomusicological subject. However, of prime importance is the problematic of transcription and not the occasional study of certain transcriptions. The purpose of the present study is to articulate certain basic difficulties that arise in attempting the transcription of Greek demotic songs in the European Notation, which are evident (1) in the currently existing studies of transcription, (2) in the “logos” of the researchers (ethnographers, ethnomusicologists, etc.) relating to the transcription of these songs in the European notation system, and (3) in the “logos” of the members of the community of Eastern Crete.

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