A team of researchers, academics and music enthusiasts based in Tarpon Springs, Florida, is publicly seeking funds to cover the costs of translating a critically-acclaimed book about the history of Greek Music in America by early 2022.
“Greek Music in America” (2019) remains the only comprehensive book devoted to the topic and includes contributions from principal scholars in the field. The book samples all genres, sounds and contributions of Greek music in the diaspora and received the 2019 prize for best edited volume from the Modern Greek Studies Association.
Tina Bucuvalas, a writer and former folklorist and curator of art and historical resources in Tarpon Springs, is spearheading the project through her 501(c)(3) non-profit organization Florida Cultural Resources, Inc. The organization is collecting tax-deductible donations to pay for Greek-language translation expenses which would cost approximately $9,000, Bucuvalas told The Pappas Post.
“Due to the current economic situation in Greece, there are no funds available there to hire an experienced translator with expertise in music,” she said. “Income from book sales rarely exceeds publication expenses and this is primarily a project to educate people about the role of Greek Americans in the history and development of Greek music.”
Bucuvalas and Florida Cultural Resources have launched a fundraiser via Facebook.
Greece developed a rich variety of traditional, popular and art music that immigrants brought with them to the United States. Greek music created in the country continues to have an enduring influence on the musical culture of Greece and other communities worldwide including Canada, Australia, Great Britain and beyond.
From 1896 to 1942, more than 1,000 Greek records in many genres were made in the U.S., and thousands more have appeared since then. These records encompass not only Greek traditional music from all regions, but also emerging urban genres, stylistic changes and new songs of social commentary.
Catalog for Greek player piano rolls from Chicago in 1923. (Courtesy / Meletios Pouliopoulos) 
Marika Papagika. “Armenaki.” Chicago: Greek Record Co. Circa early 1920s. (Courtesy / Meletios Pouliopoulos)
“Greek Music in America” includes essays regarding the aforementioned topics as well as history and genre, places and venues, the recording business and profiles of individual musicians.
“Since we published the book, scholars, performers and fans in Greece have expressed substantial interest in a Greek-language version,” Bucuvalas said.
The project leader said that, if funds were raised, a publisher in Athens could publish a Greek-language version by early 2022.
Bucuvalas has published multiple books during her career including “The Florida Folklife Reader,” “Just “Above the Water: Florida Folk Art,” “South Florida Folklife” and “Greeks in Tarpon Springs.”
For more information about how to support the project, Bucuvalas requests inquiries to be made via email. Donations to the project can be made via the Facebook fundraiser. All donations are tax-deductible.
Featured photo at top of article: Pan-Hellenic Mandolinata. Ipswich, Massachusetts. Late 1940. Left to right: James George/mandolin; Spiros Aloupis/banjo and mandolin; Fotis Sotiropoulos/ mandolin; William Kokoras/accordion; Arthur Sotis/guitar; Andrew Giannakakis/drums. (Photo courtesy of Meletios Pouliopoulos)
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