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 51-75 of 127 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gramophone | 0GA448 | 10-in. | before 6/18/1937 | Poia ein' autē pou perase (Ποια ειν' αυτή που πέρασε) | Roza Eskenazē (Ρόζα Εσκενάζη) ; Nikos Karakostas (Νικος Καρακōstas) | Female vocal solo and klarino (clarinet) | composer | |
Gramophone | 0GA452 | 10-in. | before 10/20/1937 | Zeimpekiko bam (Ζειμπέκικο μπαμ) | Orchestra Populaire (Λαϊκή Ορχήστρα) | Instrumental ensemble | composer | |
Gramophone | 0GA500 | 10-in. | before 10/20/1937 | Treis lampadoules (Τρεις λαμπαδούλες) | Athanasia Athraïdu (Αθανασία Ατραϊδου) ; Nikos Karakostas (Νικος Καρακōstas) | Female vocal solo and klarino (clarinet) | songwriter | |
Gramophone | 0GA501 | 10-in. | before 10/20/1937 | Pou einai ē nyphē mas (Που είναι η νύφη μας) | Athanasia Athraïdu (Αθανασία Ατραϊδου) ; Nikos Karakostas (Νικος Καρακōstas) | Female vocal solo and klarino (clarinet) | songwriter | |
Gramophone | 0GA516 | 10-in. | before 8/12/1938 | Chōriatopoula (Χωριατοπούλα) | Rita Abatzi (Ρίτα Αμπατζή) | Female vocal solo | songwriter | |
Gramophone | 0GA518 | 10-in. | before 3/4/1938 | Den thelō geron antra (Δεν θέλω γέρον άντρα) | Rita Abatzi (Ρίτα Αμπατζή) | Female vocal solo | songwriter | |
Gramophone | 0GA519 | 10-in. | before 3/4/1938 | Mou pēran tēn agapē mou (Μου πήραν την αγάπη μου) | Rita Abatzi (Ρίτα Αμπατζή) | Female vocal solo | songwriter | |
Gramophone | 0GA568 | 10-in. | before 7/24/1939 | Ta dyo sou matia (Τα δυο σου μάτια) | Stellakēs Perpiniadēs (Στελλάκης Περπινιάδης) | Male vocal solo, with klarino (clarinet) | songwriter | |
Gramophone | 0GA569 | 10-in. | before 4/5/1938 | Ē diprosōpē (Η διπρόσωπη) | Stellakēs Perpiniadēs (Στελλάκης Περπινιάδης) | Male vocal solo | composer | |
Gramophone | 0GA581 | 10-in. | before 10/20/1937 | Apophasisa pouli mou (Αποφάσισα πουλί μου) | Rita Abatzi (Ρίτα Αμπατζή) | Female vocal solo | songwriter | |
Gramophone | 0GA591 | 10-in. | before 4/5/1938 | Ē pseutophilia (Η ψευτοφιλία) | Stratos Pagioumtzis (Στρατος Παγιουμτζης) ; Stellakēs Perpiniadēs (Στελλάκης Περπινιάδης) | Male vocal duet | songwriter | |
Gramophone | 0GA599 | 10-in. | before 4/5/1938 | Mana tēs Giōrgainas o gios (Μάνα της Γιώργαινας ο γιος) | Rita Abatzi (Ρίτα Αμπατζή) | Female vocal solo | songwriter | |
Gramophone | 0GA600 | 10-in. | before 4/5/1938 | To balkonaki (Το μπαλκονάκι) | Rita Abatzi (Ρίτα Αμπατζή) | Female vocal solo, with violin | instrumentalist, violin | |
Gramophone | 0GA601 | 10-in. | before 9/23/1938 | Paei to pouli mou (Πάει το πουλί μου) | Rita Abatzi (Ρίτα Αμπατζή) | Female vocal solo, with violin | instrumentalist, violin | |
Gramophone | 0GA602 | 10-in. | before 1/27/1938 | Steile me mana (Στείλε με μάνα) | Rita Abatzi (Ρίτα Αμπατζή) ; Stellakēs Perpiniadēs (Στελλάκης Περπινιάδης) | Female-male vocal duet | songwriter | |
Gramophone | 0GA603 | 10-in. | before 1/27/1938 | Giati me xechases (Γιατί με ξέχασες) | Stellakēs Perpiniadēs (Στελλάκης Περπινιάδης) | Male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Gramophone | 0GA660 | 10-in. | January 1938 | O deilos (O δειλος) | Nikos Gounarēs (Νίκος Γούναρης) ; Stellakēs Perpiniadēs (Στελλάκης Περπινιάδης) | Male vocal duet | songwriter | |
Gramophone | 0GA695 | 10-in. | March 1938 | Namoun vrysē namoun sterna (Νάμουν βρύση νάμουν στέρνα) | Athanasia Athraïdu (Αθανασία Ατραϊδου) ; Nikos Karakostas (Νικος Καρακōstas) | Female vocal solo and klarino (clarinet) | composer | |
Gramophone | 0GA696 | 10-in. | March 1938 | Eicha mia kota (Είχα μια κότα) | Athanasia Athraïdu (Αθανασία Ατραϊδου) ; Nikos Karakostas (Νικος Καρακōstas) | Female vocal solo and klarino (clarinet) | composer | |
Gramophone | 0GA700 | 10-in. | March 1938 | Se xerō (Σε ξέρω) | Roza Eskenazē (Ρόζα Εσκενάζη) | Female vocal solo, with instrumental quartet | songwriter | |
Gramophone | 0GA701 | 10-in. | March 1938 | Boemēs (Μποέμης) | Stratos Pagioumtzis (Στρατος Παγιουμτζης) ; Stellakēs Perpiniadēs (Στελλάκης Περπινιάδης) | Male vocal duet | songwriter | |
Gramophone | 0GA702 | 10-in. | March 1938 | Mē kaneis pia tēn exypnē (Μη κάνεις πια την έξυπνη) | Stratos Pagioumtzis (Στρατος Παγιουμτζης) | Male vocal solo | songwriter | |
Gramophone | 0GA723 | 10-in. | March 1938 | Ē Magdalō (Η Μαγδάλω) | Stellakēs Perpiniadēs (Στελλάκης Περπινιάδης) | Male vocal solo | composer | |
Gramophone | 0GA747 | 10-in. | April 1938 | Esy 'sai trelo koritsi (Εσύ 'σαι τρελό κορίτσι) | Rita Abatzi (Ρίτα Αμπατζή) | Female vocal solo | composer | |
Gramophone | 0GA787 | 10-in. | August 1938 | An phygēs gia tēn xenēteia (Αν φυγής για την ξενητειά) | Rita Abatzi (Ρίτα Αμπατζή) ; Stellakēs Perpiniadēs (Στελλάκης Περπινιάδης) | Female-male vocal duet | songwriter |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Semsēs, Dēmētrios (Σέμσης, Δημήτρης)," accessed November 9, 2024, https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/107289.
Semsēs, Dēmētrios (Σέμσης, Δημήτρης). (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 9, 2024, from https://adpprod1.library.ucsb.edu/names/107289.
"Semsēs, Dēmētrios (Σέμσης, Δημήτρης)." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 9 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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