Nikos Gonianakis lyra player music of Crete

Nikos Gonianakis is a musician born at Kroussonas, province of Malevizi. When he was a boy, he would scale the mountains towering – with respect to his size – over his village to teach himself the lyre with tutors only the echo resounding on the solid rocky walls and his ears. On his way to the mountains he came across the chapel of prophet Elias where he vowed the prophet a "post-dated" offering of a wax candle the size of his body in return for the skills of an accomplished lyre player bestowed on him in installments until he reached adulthood. The numerous fans, young and old, who follow Mr. Gonianakis in his appearances at various folk Cretan clubs provide indirect proof that the prophet did honor his part of the deal. It is of little importance for us to know whether Mr. Gonianakis did the same. Besides, prophets and saints are easy to cheat or give them the "short end of the stick".

What is important however is the realization that folk Cretan music is very much alive and evolving beyond the classical notation of mediocre and spiritless performers. Mr. Gonianakis' performances appeal mainly to young people who are inundated with western music most of the day. This foretells a promising future for folk Cretan music . . .

"The fact that I was born on a mountainous village, in the clean air and close to nature, infused me with higher and higher artistic goals and inspiration. If you live at higher altitudes, you are forced to raise your standards in whatever you do. As for inspiration, I always looked upon the achievements of former music masters such as Skordalos, Mountakis, Skoulas and others whose public recognition falls short of their personal achievements, e.g. Stravos from Anogeia, Michael Kokolakis, etc.

I believe that I inherited my musical talent from my parents. My father was an art connoisseur although he did not have the opportunity to cultivate his talent because of the war, poverty, etc."

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Nikos Gonianakis

THE SOUL REBEL