Role

:

Composer

Country

:

Greece

Birth

:

January 22, 1914 in Platanousa, Epirus

Death

:

December 18, 2001 in Athens, Greece

Period

:

Modern

Genre

:

Orchestral

 

Dimitris Dragatakis was a Greek composer born on August 14, 1914, in the city of Chalcis, on the island of Euboea. He was the son of a wealthy family, and his father was a lawyer. From a young age, Dragatakis showed an interest in music, and he began taking piano lessons at the age of six. He also learned to play the violin and the guitar. In 1932, Dragatakis moved to Athens to study law at the University of Athens. However, he soon realized that his true passion was music, and he began taking composition lessons with the composer Manolis Kalomiris. In 1936, he traveled to Paris to study with the composer Nadia Boulanger, who was one of the most influential music teachers of the 20th century. Boulanger recognized Dragatakis's talent and encouraged him to pursue a career in music. During World War II, Dragatakis served in the Greek army and was captured by the Germans. He spent several months in a prisoner-of-war camp in Germany, where he continued to compose music. After the war, he returned to Athens and began working as a composer and music teacher. Dragatakis's music is characterized by its use of Greek folk melodies and rhythms, as well as its incorporation of elements of modernism and avant-garde techniques. His early works, such as the Piano Sonata No. 1 (1940) and the String Quartet No. 1 (1942), show the influence of Boulanger and the neoclassical style of Stravinsky and Hindemith. In the 1950s, Dragatakis became interested in electronic music and began experimenting with tape recorders and other electronic equipment. His electronic works, such as the Electronic Music No. 1 (1959) and the Electronic Music No. 2 (1960), were some of the first electronic compositions to be produced in Greece. In the 1960s, Dragatakis's music became more experimental and avant-garde. His works from this period, such as the Symphony No. 2 (1962) and the String Quartet No. 3 (1964), incorporate elements of serialism, aleatoric music, and other avant-garde techniques. One of Dragatakis's most famous works is the ballet Electra (1965), which was based on the Greek myth of Electra. The ballet was choreographed by the famous Greek dancer and choreographer Rallou Manou and premiered at the Athens Festival in 1965. The music for Electra is characterized by its use of Greek folk melodies and rhythms, as well as its incorporation of electronic sounds and avant-garde techniques. In addition to his work as a composer, Dragatakis was also a music educator and served as a professor of composition at the Athens Conservatory from 1957 to 1979. He was a mentor to many young Greek composers, including Yannis Xenakis, who went on to become one of the most important composers of the 20th century. Dragatakis died on January 20, 2001, in Athens, at the age of 86. He left behind a legacy of innovative and influential music that continues to be celebrated and studied today.

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