Andreas Nezeritis (1897-1980)

He was born in Patras on 30 November 1897. He started music lessons with local composer and pianist Antigone Papamikropoulou and continued his musical studies at the Athens Conservatory. He took private lessons in composition and orchestration (1926 – 1933) with Heptanesian composer Dionysios Lavrangas (1864 – 1941), a student of Jules Massenet (1842 -1912). Nezeritis was influenced by his teacher in orchestrating Greek melodies and came up with ingenious solutions concerning Greek traditional music. As of 1945 he gradually developed a personal language dominated by an innate religiosity. He composed musical dramas (the operas King Sunless, Hero and Leander and the oratorio Prelude and Five King David Psalms), symphonic works (two rhapsodies, three symphonies, ballet music, concerts for strings and other instruments), chamber music and songs with piano accompaniment. He died in Athens on 19 November 1980. For his work he was repeatedly awarded by the Academy of Athens.