Dimitrios Semsis, also known as Dimitrios Salonikios (; 1883 – 13 January 1950), was a Greek violinist born Dimitrios Koukoudeas (Δημήτριος Κουκουδέας) in

Strumica Strumica (, ) is the largest city2002 census results
in English and Macedonian (PDF) in so ...

, in the

Salonica Vilayet The Vilayet of Salonica () was a first-level administrative division (vilayet) of the Ottoman Empire from 1867 to 1913. In the late 19th century it reportedly had an area of .

of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

(present-day

North Macedonia North Macedonia, officially the Republic of North Macedonia, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. It shares land borders with Greece to the south, Albania to the west, Bulgaria to the east, Kosovo to the northwest and Serbia to the n ...

). At the end of the 19th century, he joined the band of a circus, which was traveling all over the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

. In 1908, he married his first wife Sonhoula Bochor Hanne, and became his daughter Enriquette, cousin of Eskenazi Rosa, in the year about 1910. Later, he joined other traveling bands and played in several places, such as

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

and elsewhere. After the end of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, as

Strumica Strumica (, ) is the largest city2002 census results
in English and Macedonian (PDF) in so ...

remained in the kingdom of

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

, Dimitrios Semsis' family moved to

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...

(1919). In 1923, he married Dimitra Kanoula and, they had four children. At the beginning of 1927, he moved to

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

. By that time, he had taken the nickname "Salonikios", probably because some agents from recording companies thought that his origin was from Thessaloniki. At the end of the 1920s, Semsis was the Recording Director of HMV and Columbia. He participated in hundreds of recordings of folk and smyrnaic songs between 1924 and 1931. He presented his first songs in 1928 and became the Director of Arts of His Master's Voice in 1931 until his death. He composed over 100 songs. In the 1930s, Dimitrios was recording with

Roza Eskenazi Roza Eskenazi (mid-1890s – 2 December 1980, Greek: Ρόζα Εσκενάζυ) was a Jewish-Greek dancer and singer of ''rebetiko'', Greek folk music, Kanto and Turkish folk music born in Istanbul, whose recording and stage career extended fro ...

, with great success. He often accompanied her to the taverns with Tompoulis, Lampros Savvaidis, and Lampros Leonaridis. His compositions were being recorded by the greatest artists of that time, such as Rita Ampatzi,

Stelios Perpiniadis Stelios Perpiniadis (; 14 May 1899 – 4 September 1977), better known as Stellakis (Greek: Στελλάκης), was a Greek folk musician who wrote, sang, and played guitar in the ''rebetiko'' style. He was the father of Greek folk musician, Vangel ...

, and

Stratos Pagioumtzis Stratos Pagioumtzis ( 1904 – 16 November 1971) was a Greek ''rebetiko'' singer, also known with the nickname ''Stratos the sluggard (Στράτος ο τεμπέλης)'' or simply ''Stratos''. Biography Pagioumtzis was born in 1904 in the Asi ...

. He composed folk, smyrnaic, and amane songs. Dimitrios Semsis recorded hundreds of discs and plenty of them are re-released nowadays. In 1972, in an interview, Roza Eskenazi said that Dimitrios was playing "the best violin in the world". After a short period of illness, he died of cancer in Athens on 13 January 1950.

References

External links

Dēmētrios Semsēs recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database catalog of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The 78rpm era was the time period in which any flat disc records were being played at ...

. 1883 births 1950 deaths Greek folk musicians 20th-century Greek male singers Greek Macedonians Greek male singer-songwriters Greek singer-songwriters Greek violinists Rebetiko musicians People from Strumica People from Salonica vilayet Deaths from cancer in Greece 20th-century violinists Immigrants to Greece Yugoslav emigrants {{violinist-stub