Skip to main content
Kent Academic Repository

The Paréa: Participatory Musical Performances in the Island of Crete

Papadatos, Ioannis (2019) The Paréa: Participatory Musical Performances in the Island of Crete. Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) thesis, University of Kent,. (KAR id:73113)

PDF
Language: English
Download this file
(PDF/15MB)
[thumbnail of 227Thesis_Ioannis_Papadatos_D.pdf]

Abstract

This study is concerned with participatory musical performances of Cretan traditional music in the island of Crete, a practice that is commonly referred to as paréa ('company'). A paréa is a convivial occasion and usually describes a gathering in which the participants sit around a table, drinking, eating, playing music and socially engaging with each other within a collective atmosphere. Paréa performances are carried out by Cretan music enthusiasts and musicians in the island of Crete today, and represent a significant part of the expression of the everyday local musicality since, regardless of how natural a practice it may be in the everyday lives of its participants, the paréa is also highly esteemed as a performance space for Cretan music, whose enthusiasts often associate it with the oldest and most cherished expressions of this musical tradition. This work is based on long-term participant-observer fieldwork in the island of Crete. It comprises an ethnographical endeavour that focuses on the practices of local music enthusiasts and musicians of Cretan music, and proposes a new perspective for approaching this musical tradition through the study of paréa performances. This thesis attempts to define, describe and analyse the paréa as a space for participatory musical performance, as well as to unravel the intrinsic meanings that it conveys for its participants. The paréa is a space for communicating with other people through music, for learning to play by obtaining experiences within the social environment of Cretan music, and a space for perpetuating this musical tradition through everyday musical performances. Hence, this study of paréa performances comprises an approach to the musicality and musical perception of Cretan music enthusiasts and musicians, and ultimately paints a picture of Cretan music as an amalgam of practices, sounds, values and beliefs which construct what Cretan music represents beyond its repertory and instrumentation.

Item Type: Thesis (Doctor of Philosophy (PhD))
Thesis advisor: Dawe, Kevin
Uncontrolled keywords: parea paréa Crete Cretan music participatory participation lyra Rethymnon Rethemnos performance tradition folk island
Subjects: M Music and Books on Music > M Music
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Arts and Humanities > School of Arts
SWORD Depositor: System Moodle
Depositing User: System Moodle
Date Deposited: 21 Mar 2019 13:11 UTC
Last Modified: 10 Dec 2022 11:06 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/73113 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Papadatos, Ioannis.

Creator's ORCID:
CReDIT Contributor Roles:
  • Depositors only (login required):

Total unique views for this document in KAR since July 2020. For more details click on the image.