Nikos Skalkottas and Dimitris Dragatakis: Interactions of Their Lives and Creative Paths

Abstract

Nikos Skalkottas (1904–1949) and Dimitris Dragatakis (1914–2001) were two of the most important Greek composers of the twentieth century. From 1944 to 1947, they both played in the orchestra of the Greek National Opera, Dragatakis being a politically engaged apprentice composer and Skalkottas a marginalized violin virtuoso and avant-garde pioneer. While no direct connection between them is documented, new sources suggest some interaction of their lives and creative paths. Analysis of two pieces for violin and piano – the second movement of Skalkottas’ Sonatina no. 1 (1929), and Lullaby [Berceuse/Nanourisma] [1942–1949] by Dragatakis – indicates Dragatakis’ early adoption of the twelve-tone techniques from Skalkottas’ work, hinting at the initial influence of Skalkottas’ modern procedures in Greece.