The Philharmonic Society of Corfu (, ''Philharmonice Ɛtaerɛia Cɛrcyras'', ), or ''Old Philharmonic'' (Παλαιά Φιλαρμονική) (to be distinguished from the other 17 bands on the island), is a widely known community

music band In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musician A musician is someone who Composer, composes, Conducting, conducts, or Performing arts#Performers, performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a ...

in Corfu, Greece. When it was founded in 1840, its initial scope was to become the first Greek music academy organised on European prototypes. Its first Artistic Director was Nikolaos Halikiopoulos Mantzaros, who retained this office until his death in 1872. The Philharmonic (PSC) had a fully organised programme of tuition both in

music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

theory A theory is a systematic and rational form of abstract thinking about a phenomenon, or the conclusions derived from such thinking. It involves contemplative and logical reasoning, often supported by processes such as observation, experimentation, ...

and practice. Its students, who for the first time in modern Hellenic history could learn music regardless of their social class, had the opportunity to be taught by professional musicians and teachers basic music theory, harmony, counterpoint, instrumentation, composition, as well as piano, vocal music, string and wind instruments.

History

The tuition of the latter category found its artistic expression through the wind band of the philharmonic, an ensemble, which became very popular by developing into an integral part of public and religious festivities. Nonetheless, the popularity of the band (which was the fourth civilian band of the

Ionian Islands The Ionian Islands (Modern Greek: , ; Ancient Greek, Katharevousa: , ) are a archipelago, group of islands in the Ionian Sea, west of mainland Greece. They are traditionally called the Heptanese ("Seven Islands"; , ''Heptanēsa'' or , ''Heptanē ...

after those of

Zante Zakynthos (also spelled Zakinthos; ; ) or Zante (, , ; ; from the Venetian form, traditionally Latinized as Zacynthus) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the third largest of the Ionian Islands, with an area of , and a coastline in ...

(1816), Argostoli (1836) and Lixouri (1838) in

Kefalonia Kefalonia or Cephalonia (), formerly also known as Kefallinia or Kephallonia (), is the largest of the Ionian Islands in western Greece and the 6th-largest island in Greece after Crete, Euboea, Lesbos, Rhodes and Chios. It is also a separate regio ...

) was so strong, that in the end in the public opinion of Corfu 'band' became synonymous to the 'philharmonic'. This misunderstanding, however, became gradually a reality, especially after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, mainly because of the financial problems that a non-governmental institution like PSC came across. as well as a result of the shortage of professional teachers. Nonetheless, it was only in 1907, as well as during the 1930s when the symphonic orchestra of the society performed in the Municipal Theatre of Corfu, to much critical acclaim. The symphonic orchestra of the Philharmonic made sporadic appearances until the early postwar years. Since 2003 the orchestra has again commenced its activities (as a result of the re-organization of the tuition of the string instruments within the Society). In 1979

Maria Desylla-Kapodistria Maria Desylla-Kapodistria (, 1898–1980) was the mayor of Corfu from 1956 until 1959. Her election as mayor on 15 April 1956 made her the first woman elected mayor of a city in the history of modern Greece. She donated the land on which the Kapo ...

, former mayor of Corfu and the first female mayor in Greece, bequeathed the Kapodistrias summer home under contract No. 4541/3.11.1979 to the Reading Society of Corfu, the Philharmonic Society of Corfu and the Society of Corfiote Studies for the purpose of converting it to a museum dedicated to the memory of

Ioannis Kapodistrias Count Ioannis Antonios Kapodistrias (; February 1776 –27 September 1831), sometimes anglicized as John Capodistrias, was a Greek statesman who was one of the most distinguished politicians and diplomats of 19th-century Europe. Kapodistrias's ...

. The

Kapodistrias Museum The Capodistrias Museum – Center of Capodistrian Studies (also known as: The Kapodistrias Museum or Kapodistrias Museum–Centre of Kapodistrian Studies) () is a museum dedicated to the memory and life's work of Ioannis Kapodistrias. It is locate ...

, under the stewardship of the three societies, was formally inaugurated in 1981.

Music Museum "Nikolaos Chalikiopoulos Mantzaros"

The Museum of the Corfu Philharmonic Society, which opened to the public on September 18, 2010, documents the history of the institution. It occupies the first floor of the Society's building (Nikiforou Theotoki 10). The museum honours Nikolaos Halikiopoulos Mantzaros (1795–1872), the Society's first artistic director (1841–1872), composer–among others–of the Greek national anthem, well-known music teacher and contrapuntist. The Museum of the Corfu Philharmonic Society «Nikolaos Halikiopoulos Mantzaros» consists of five thematic sections: # Foundation, Administration, Organization: Features historical documents related to the Society's early days and organization. #Educational activities: Presents documents and artifacts related to the music pedagogy within the limits of the Society. #The concerts: The Philharmonic as a concert society for vocal and orchestral music. #The wind band: Documents, scores, instruments and artifacts related to the repertory and the activities of the Society's wind band. #The people and their work: Important composers and teachers, who related themselves through their presence and their works with the history of the Society, as well as with the development of art music in 19th-century Greece. Scores by

Spyridon Samaras Spyridon-Filiskos Samaras () (29 November 1861 - 7 April 1917) was a Greek composer particularly admired for his operas. His compositions were praised worldwide during his lifetime and he is arguably the most important composer of the Ionian Scho ...

(Spiro Samara),

Pavlos Carrer Pavlos Carrer (also Paolo Carrer; ; 12 May 1829 – 7 June 1896) was a Greek composer, one of the leaders of the Ionian art music school and the first to create national operas and national songs on Greek plots, Greek librettos and verses, as ...

(Paolo Carrer), the Liberali brothers, Spyridon Xyndas, Domenikos Padovanis, Dionissios Rodotheatos, Alexander Grek, Napoleon Lambelet, Andreas Seiler, as well as women composers from Ionian Islands are exhibited in this section. The Museum also organizes an annual circle of musicological lectures and has initiated a series of musicological publications.

References

*Kostas Kardamis, “Corfu Philharmonic Society: An overview of its history”, in ''Six Essays for the Corfu Philharmonic Society'' (''Publications of the Museum of Music “Nikolaos Halikiopoulos Mantzaros'', vol. 1) (Corfu: Corfu Philharmonic Society, 2010), 13–36 *Spyridon Motsenigos, ''Neoelliniki moussiki'' odern Greek Music(Athens, 1958)

External links

Philharmonic Society of CorfuMuseum of the Philharmonic Society of Corfu
{{Authority control Corfu (city) Performing arts museums Music museums Museums in Corfu 1840 establishments in Greece Marching bands Music organizations based in Greece Culture of Corfu

History

Music Museum "Nikolaos Chalikiopoulos Mantzaros"

See also

References

External links