Aristidis Moschos
Encyclopedia
Aristeidis Moschos was a Greek
player and teacher of the santouri
.
in the Aitoloakarnania
prefecture. He was the fifth out of ten children. The family was originally from the village of Pentalofos near the town of Agrinio. In that village his father owned a large amount of land which he later sold and moved the family to Agrinio where he opened two cafés where music was played. In the first musicians from Constantinople
, Smyrna
and Armenia
appeared while the other han a European orchestra. His father was a gifted clarino
player who used it to play traditional Greek as well as European music. His brother played the violin. The family's cafes were visited by some of the greatest musicians of that time including Rita Abatzi
, Marika Politissa, Eskenazi
, etc. Aristidis Moschos first heard the santouri from a Romanian touring musical group and came to love the instrument.
His first teacher was a member of that group, Nestoras Batsi. He quickly learned how to play and started appearing in his father's businesses. After the war, he left Agrinio and went to Athens
where he attended the Greek Lyceum. With the Lyceum he did tours all over the world. He participated with many singers, musicians and actors. He made many radio and television broadcasts with modern and folk music. He released fifteen records, of which three became gold and two became platimum. He participated as a soloist in around 150 other records.
In 1985, he ran the Traditional Music People's School which functioned as a nonprofit company. There he taught several musical instruments as well as Byzantine music
.
He was honoured by several municipalities and organizations as well as the Greek parliament.
He died on November 8, 2001.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
player and teacher of the santouri
Santur
The santur is a Persian hammered dulcimerIt is a trapezoid-shaped box often made of walnut or different exotic woods. The Persian classical santur has 72 strings. The name santur was first referenced in ancient Persian poetry...
.
Biography
Moschos was born in AgrinioAgrinio
Agrinion is the largest city and municipality of the Aetolia-Acarnania peripheral unit of Greece, with 96,321 inhabitants. It is the economical center of Aetolia-Acarnania, although its capital is the town of Mesolonghi. The settlement dates back to ancient times...
in the Aitoloakarnania
Aetolia-Acarnania
Aetolia-Acarnania is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the region of West Greece. It is located in the western part of Greece; the regional unit is a combination of the geographic regions Aetolia and Acarnania. Its capital is Missolonghi for historical reasons, with its biggest...
prefecture. He was the fifth out of ten children. The family was originally from the village of Pentalofos near the town of Agrinio. In that village his father owned a large amount of land which he later sold and moved the family to Agrinio where he opened two cafés where music was played. In the first musicians from Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, Smyrna
Smyrna
Smyrna was an ancient city located at a central and strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Thanks to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to prominence. The ancient city is located at two sites within modern İzmir, Turkey...
and Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
appeared while the other han a European orchestra. His father was a gifted clarino
Clarion (instrument)
Clarion is a common name for a trumpet in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. It also is used as a name for a 4' organ reed stop. There is wide confusion over whether clarion invariably refers to a type of trumpet or simply the upper register of the standard trumpet....
player who used it to play traditional Greek as well as European music. His brother played the violin. The family's cafes were visited by some of the greatest musicians of that time including Rita Abatzi
Rita Abatzi
Rita Abatzi was a Greek rebetiko musician who began her career in the first part of the 1930s.She was born in Smyrna, Asia Minor, now İzmir, Turkey. A versatile singer of rebetiko, Smyrneika and other music, she was a popular performer on gramophone records in the 1930s...
, Marika Politissa, Eskenazi
Eskenazi
Eskenazi is a surname of Jewish origin: it is a variation of Ashkenazi:* Roza Eskenazi , Greek singer , French painter * Giuseppe Eskenazi , oriental art dealers...
, etc. Aristidis Moschos first heard the santouri from a Romanian touring musical group and came to love the instrument.
His first teacher was a member of that group, Nestoras Batsi. He quickly learned how to play and started appearing in his father's businesses. After the war, he left Agrinio and went to Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
where he attended the Greek Lyceum. With the Lyceum he did tours all over the world. He participated with many singers, musicians and actors. He made many radio and television broadcasts with modern and folk music. He released fifteen records, of which three became gold and two became platimum. He participated as a soloist in around 150 other records.
In 1985, he ran the Traditional Music People's School which functioned as a nonprofit company. There he taught several musical instruments as well as Byzantine music
Byzantine music
Byzantine music is the music of the Byzantine Empire composed to Greek texts as ceremonial, festival, or church music. Greek and foreign historians agree that the ecclesiastical tones and in general the whole system of Byzantine music is closely related to the ancient Greek system...
.
He was honoured by several municipalities and organizations as well as the Greek parliament.
He died on November 8, 2001.