Michail Sougioultzoglou ( gr, Μιχαήλ Σουγιουλτζόγλου ; 1 August 1906 – 16 October 1958), known professionally as Michalis Souyioul ( gr, Μιχάλης Σουγιούλ ) was a prominent Greek composer of light music in the early 20th century.

Biography

He was born in Aydın, in the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

on 1 August 1906. His family were wealthy skinners. They emigrated to

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

in 1920. He was a relative of well-known Greek photographer

Nelly's Elli Sougioultzoglou-Seraidari ( el, Έλλη Σουγιουλτζόγλου-Σεραϊδάρη; 3 November 1899 – 8 August 1998), better known as Nelly's, was a Greek female photographer whose pictures of ancient Greek temples set against sea an ...

. He initially worked as a self-employed pianist and later went to

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...

to study music. From 1931, he toured Europe with an Argentinian orchestra. During the Interwar period and the 1950s, he was extremely prolific, writing over 700 songs in different styles (

tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries as the result of a combina ...

waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the w ...

serenades In music, a serenade (; also sometimes called a serenata, from the Italian) is a musical composition or performance delivered in honor of someone or something. Serenades are typically calm, light pieces of music. The term comes from the Italian w ...

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fo ...

, laiko, romances amongst others). He composed also music for the Greek theatre (45 productions) and for Greek movies (ten films). His compositions were among some of the most popular pieces of the time. He co-worked with some of the most well-known lyricists (such as

Alekos Sakellarios Alekos Sakellarios ( el, Αλέκος Σακελλάριος, 13 November 1913 in Athens – 28 August 1991 in Athens) was a Greek writer and a director. He was born in Athens and grew up in Agios Panteleimonas and began to study journalis ...

) and singers ( Sofia Vembo,

Nikos Gounaris Nikos Gounaris ( el, Νίκος Γούναρης; Zagora, 1915 – 5 May 1965 in Athens) was a Greek tenor who was enormously popular as a "pop" singer in the 1950s. Biography Gounaris began playing the mandolin at the age of four. He attende ...

, Tony Maroudas, Kalouta sisters) of the time. Souyioul had four children: daughters Maria, Iro and Aliki and son Thanos. Thanos (born 1942) was an actor (who worked alongside famous actress

Aliki Vougiouklaki Aliki Stamatina Vougiouklaki (Greek: Αλίκη Σταματίνα Βουγιουκλάκη Greek pronunciation: ˈlici stamaˈtina vuʝuˈklaci 20 July 1934 – 23 July 1996) was a Greek cinema and theater actress, singer and theatrical producer ...

in films such as Maiden's Cheek and Alice in the Navy) and musician in a well-known Greek pop band of the early 1960s, The Juniors. Thanos was killed in a car accident on 10 October 1965, along with fiancée, the manager of The Juniors and the manager's wife. Souyioul died of a stroke in Athens on 16 October 1958. Many mourners in Athens turned out for his funeral and burial in the

First Cemetery of Athens The First Cemetery of Athens ( el, Πρώτο Νεκροταφείο Αθηνών, ''Próto Nekrotafeío Athinón'') is the official cemetery of the City of Athens and the first to be built. It opened in 1837 and soon became a prestigious ceme ...

References

External links

Μιχάλης Σουγιούλ: λήμμα στην Μεγάλη Μουσική βιβλιοθήκη της Ελλάδος
{{DEFAULTSORT:Souyioul, Michalis Greek composers Greek songwriters Greek film score composers Male film score composers People from Aydın 1906 births 1958 deaths 20th-century male musicians Emigrants from the Ottoman Empire to Greece