Dēmētrios Semsēs (Δημήτρης Σέμσης)
Dimitrios Semsis, also known as Dimitrios Salonikios (Greek: Δημήτρης Σέμσης; 1883 – 13 January 1950), was a Greek violinist born Dimitrios Koukoudeas (Δημήτριος Κουκουδέας) in Strumica, in the Salonica Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire (present-day North Macedonia). At the end of the 19th century, he joined the band of a circus, which was traveling all over the Balkans. In 1908 married his first wife Sonhoula Bochor Hanne and become his daughter Enriquette, cousin of Eskenazi Rosa, in the year about 1910. Later, he joined other traveling bands and played in several places such as Turkey, Syria, Egypt, Sudan and elsewhere. After the end of the World War I, as Strumica remained in the kingdom of Serbia, Dimitrios Semsis' family moved to Thessaloniki (1919). In 1923, he married Dimitra Kanoula and had four children. At the beginning of 1927 he moved to Athens. By that time he took the nickname "Salonikios", probably because some agents from recording companies thought that his origin was from Thessaloniki. At the end of the 1920s, Semsis was Recording Director of HMV and Columbia. He participated in hundreds of recordings of folk and smyrnaic songs between 1924 and 1931. He presented his first songs in 1928 and became the Director of Arts of His Master's Voice, in 1931 until his death. He composed over 100 songs. In the 1930s, Dimitrios was recording with Roza Eskenazi, with great successes. He often was accompanying her to the taverns with Tompoulis, Lampros Savvaidis and Lampros Leonaridis. His compositions were being recorded by the greatest artists of that time, such as Rita Ampatzi, Stelios Perpiniadis and Stratos Pagioumtzis. He composed folk, smyrnaic and amane songs. Dimitrios Semsis recorded hundreds of discs and plenty of them are re-released nowadays. In 1972, in an interview, Roza Eskenazi said that Dimitrios was playing "the best violin in the world". After a short time of illness, he died of cancer in Athens on 13 January 1950. |
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 26-50 of 127 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gramophone | 0GA69 | 10-in. | 11/24/1934 | Ē Voliōtissa (Η Βολιώτισσα) | Roza Eskenazē (Ρόζα Εσκενάζη) | Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, violin | |
Gramophone | 0GA70 | 10-in. | 11/24/1934 | To neo chanoumaki (Το νεο χανουμακι) | Roza Eskenazē (Ρόζα Εσκενάζη) | Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, violin | |
Gramophone | 0GA93 | 10-in. | 12/12/1934 | Mē me stelneis manna stēn Amerikē (Μη με στέλνεις μάννα στην Αμερική) | Rita Abatzi (Ρίτα Αμπατζή) | Female vocal solo, with instrumental trio | instrumentalist, violin, songwriter | |
Gramophone | 0GA95 | 10-in. | 12/12/1934 | Argētopoula (Αργητοπούλα) | Rita Abatzi (Ρίτα Αμπατζή) | Female vocal solo, instrumental trio | instrumentalist, violin | |
Gramophone | 0GA138 | 10-in. | 12/15/1934 | Soulimiōtisa (Σουλιμιώτισα) | Roza Eskenazē (Ρόζα Εσκενάζη) ; Ap. Stamelos (Απ. Σταμιλος) | Female vocal solo and clarinet, with instrumental ensemble and talk | composer | |
Gramophone | 0GA161 | 10-in. | 12/28/1934 | Kophtēn Elenē tēn elia (Κόφτην Ελένη την ελιά) | Roza Eskenazē (Ρόζα Εσκενάζη) ; Ap. Stamelos (Απ. Σταμιλος) | Female vocal solo and klarino (clarinet) | composer | |
Gramophone | 0GA187 | 10-in. | 1/5/1935 or earlier | O kokoras (Ο κόκορας) | Roza Eskenazē (Ρόζα Εσκενάζη) | Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | composer | |
Gramophone | 0GA204 | 10-in. | 9/20/1935 | Ē pi omorph' eisai sto choro (Η πι όμορφ' είσαι στο χορό) | Rita Abatzi (Ρίτα Αμπατζή) | Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | composer | |
Gramophone | 0GA208 | 10-in. | 9/20/1935 | Etsi Marika dechomai (Έτσι Μαρίκα δέχομαι) | Roza Eskenazē (Ρόζα Εσκενάζη) | Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | composer | |
Gramophone | 0GA235 | 10-in. | 9/27/1935 | Pote the narthei o kairos (Πότε θε νάρθει ο καιρός) | Rita Abatzi (Ρίτα Αμπατζή) ; Nikos Karakostas (Νικος Καρακōstas) | Female vocal solo and klarino (clarinet) | songwriter | |
Gramophone | 0GA274 | 10-in. | 10/10/1935 | Chronia stēn xenēteia (Χρονια στην ξενητεια) | Roza Eskenazē (Ρόζα Εσκενάζη) | Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | songwriter | |
Gramophone | 0GA275 | 10-in. | 10/10/1935 | Mes to vathy skotadi (Μες το βαθύ σκοτάδι) | Roza Eskenazē (Ρόζα Εσκενάζη) | Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | songwriter | |
Gramophone | 0GA292 | 10-in. | 1/21/1936 | Cheimariōtikos choros (Χειμαριωτικος χορος) | Ap. Stamelos (Απ. Σταμιλος) | Klarino (clarinet) solo, with instrumental ensemble | composer | |
Gramophone | 0GA316 | 10-in. | before 12/1/1936 | Trava s' allē geitonia (Τραβα σ' αλλη γειτονια) | Rita Abatzi (Ρίτα Αμπατζή) | Female vocal solo | composer | |
Gramophone | 0GA336 | 10-in. | before 12/1/1936 | Varethēka tēn xenitia (Βαρέθηκα την ξενιτιά) | Rita Abatzi (Ρίτα Αμπατζή) ; Ap. Stamelos (Απ. Σταμιλος) | Female vocal solo and klarino (clarinet) | songwriter | |
Gramophone | 0GA339 | 10-in. | Apr. 1936 | Apopse me pantreuoune (Απόψε με παντρεύουνε) | Rita Abatzi (Ρίτα Αμπατζή) ; Ap. Stamelos (Απ. Σταμιλος) | Female vocal solo and klarino (clarinet) | songwriter | |
Gramophone | 0GA344 | 10-in. | Apr 1936 | Ta vasana tis plistras (Τα βάσανα της πλύστρας) | Roza Eskenazē (Ρόζα Εσκενάζη) | Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | songwriter | |
Gramophone | 0GA345 | 10-in. | April 1936 | Apopse an theleis (Απόψε αν θέλεις) | Roza Eskenazē (Ρόζα Εσκενάζη) | Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | songwriter | |
Gramophone | 0GA364 | 10-in. | 6/19/1936 | Spasta phōs mou gia ta mena (Σπάστα φως μου για τα μένα) | Rita Abatzi (Ρίτα Αμπατζή) | Female vocal solo | songwriter | |
Gramophone | 0GA367 | 10-in. | 6/19/1936 | Klepsan tē vasilikē (Κλέψαν τη Βασιλική) | Rita Abatzi (Ρίτα Αμπατζή) ; Nikos Karakostas (Νικος Καρακōstas) | Female vocal solo and klarino (clarinet) | songwriter | |
Gramophone | 0GA368 | 10-in. | 6/19/1936 | Samarina (Σαμαρίνα) | Rita Abatzi (Ρίτα Αμπατζή) ; Nikos Karakostas (Νικος Καρακōstas) | Female vocal solo and klarino (clarinet) | songwriter | |
Gramophone | 0GA399 | 10-in. | 1936 | Mias chēras thygatera (Μιας χήρας θυγατέρα) | Rita Abatzi (Ρίτα Αμπατζή) | Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | songwriter | |
Gramophone | 0GA402 | 10-in. | 1936 | Stazoun ta keramidia sou (Στάζουν τα κεραμίδια σου) | Roza Eskenazē (Ρόζα Εσκενάζη) ; Nikos Karakostas (Νικος Καρακōstas) | Female vocal solo and klarino (clarinet) | composer | |
Gramophone | 0GA438 | 10-in. | before 6/18/1937 | Vlacha plenei sto potami (Βλάχα πλένει στο ποτάμι) | Rita Abatzi (Ρίτα Αμπατζή) ; Nikos Karakostas (Νικος Καρακōstas) | Female vocal solo and klarino (clarinet) | composer | |
Gramophone | 0GA445 | 10-in. | before 6/18/1937 | Mēn orkizesai vre pseutra (Μην ορκίζεσαι βρε ψεύτρα) | Roza Eskenazē (Ρόζα Εσκενάζη) | Female vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble | songwriter |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Semsēs, Dēmētrios (Σέμσης, Δημήτρης)," accessed November 19, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/107289.
Semsēs, Dēmētrios (Σέμσης, Δημήτρης). (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 19, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/107289.
"Semsēs, Dēmētrios (Σέμσης, Δημήτρης)." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 19 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Δημήτρης Σέμσης
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Semsēs, Dēmētrios, approximately 1883-1950 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n95075720
Wikidata: Δημήτρης Σέμσης - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1226062
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/52498228
MusicBrainz: Δημήτρης Σέμσης - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/b11404fe-328b-4326-961b-c9afc8ffc14d
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
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