The Paréa: Participatory Musical Performances in the Island of Crete

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.