Rebetiko is a genre of Greek urban folk song that flourished in the first half of the 20th century, especially after the influx of refugees from Asia Minor in the 1920s. It is often called the “Greek blues,” for it was born among the downtrodden, the poor, and the exiles of the great port cities.
Rebetiko songs speak of hard life, love, separation, and longing for a lost homeland, and the central instrument is the bouzouki — a stringed lute with a characteristic ringing sound. At first this music was persecuted and condemned by the authorities, yet in time it became a recognised symbol of Greek cultural identity. In 2017 rebetiko was inscribed on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage as a unique phenomenon combining depth of feeling with a distinctive musical language.
