International » Mediterranean Traditions » Nisiotika

The primary musical tradition of the Greek Isles, nissiotiko's origins most reflect the influence of Western idioms; because the islands remained under Venetian protection during Greece's centuries of Turkish occupation, nissiotiko is the only one of the nation's three major musical strains -- laiko and dimotiko being the others -- that is largely free of the Turks' impact. The chief instrumental hallmarks of the nissiotiko are the violin and the Greek luth.