Composer (1795 – 1873)
Born in Corfu, Nikolaos Mantzaros was a prominent composer and founder of the Ionian School of music. He was a major influence in his field, setting the foundation for modern Greek music.
Having studied music from an early age, Mantzaros declined numerous offers, including an offer of becoming headmaster of the prestigious Milan Conservatory, in order to focus on his goal of reviving the Greek classical arts through music. As president of the Philharmoniki Hetairia of Kerkyra, he taught music for free and published academic works on music.
Mantzaros holds the distinction of being the first Greek composer of Greek opera (Don Crepuscolo), the first Greek string quartet (Partimenti), the first Greek pedagogic music texts, and the first Greek piano repertoire, among many others.
Mantzaros is most famous for setting the music of the Greek national anthem ”Hymn to Liberty”in 1865, with lyrics by Dionysios Solomos. He did so for the first two stanzas of the original anthem and then for the entire anthem. ”Hymn to Liberty” remains both Greece’s and Cyprus’ national anthem, with both Manztaros and Solomos hailed on national commemorations. He also set to music many poems by Dionysios Solomos such as ”Evrikomi”, ”The Poisoned” and ”To the Death of Lord Byron”.
The Nikolaos Mantzaros Museum of Music in Corfu honors Manztaros’ services to the Greek state by exhibiting his work and history.
Bibliography
- ”Mantzaros, Nikolaos”. Helios New Encyclopaedic Dictionary. Passas, I. Athens: 1946. Print.
- Xanthoudakis, Kardamis, and Dimitris Brovas. ”The Unknown Mantzaros”. Ionio.gr. 18 Jan. 2016.
