Nikolaos Chalikiopoulos Mantzaros

ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ

Nikolaos Chalikiopoulos Mantzaros (Italian: Niccoló Calichiopulo Manzaro; Corfu, October 26, 1795 – Corfu, April 12, 1872)

Nikolaos Chalikiopoulos Mantzaros was a leading figure in 19th-century Greek musical creation and the founder of the so-called Ionian School. His contribution was decisive not only for laying the foundations of Greek art music, but also for shaping a national musical identity in the newly formed Greek state. He is also known as the composer of the music for Hymn to Liberty by Dionysios Solomos, which was later established as the national anthem of Greece.

Historical and Social Background

Mantzaros was born in Corfu, which at the time belonged to the Septinsular Republic—a semi-autonomous state under Russian and later British suzerainty. He came from a noble family of Italian descent—the Chalikiopoulos branch, a distinguished lineage with roots in Epirus. His social status gave him access to a rich education and exposure to the musical currents of Europe.

Musical Education and Influences

Mantzaros began his musical education in Corfu under teachers such as the priest and musician Stefano Moretti. Starting in 1814, he traveled regularly to Italy, where he studied in Milan, Bologna, and Naples under prominent Italian composers and theorists such as Nicola Zingarelli and Francesco Fenaroli. There, he immersed himself in Italian opera, symphonic music, and choral traditions, and became familiar with the works of composers like Rossini, Bellini, and later Verdi.

Musical Work and Compositional Style

Mantzaros composed a large body of work, mainly for voice and choir, but also for instruments, including:

Choral music, especially settings of poems by Dionysios Solomos, such as Hymn to Liberty (1828), To the Muse, On the Death of Lord Byron, and others.

Piano music, including sonatas and fantasies.

Sacred music, masses and motets for Catholic and Orthodox choirs.

Symphonic music, mainly in the form of marches and works for military bands.

Operas and dramatic works, in the Italian style, although these had limited success beyond the Ionian Islands.

His music is characterized by a blend of Italian melodicism and Greek lyricism. He elevated the Greek language as a vehicle for serious musical expression and laid the groundwork for the further development of Greek musical tradition with cultivated characteristics.

The Founding and Significance of the Ionian School

Mantzaros is considered the founder of the Ionian School, the first organized musical movement in Greece, which:

Integrated Western (mainly Italian) elements with Greek themes.

Taught music systematically and methodically to a broad audience.

Carried political and national significance, serving as a medium for cultivating national consciousness.

Sought to elevate music according to the standards of Western European classical tradition.

Among his most important students were Spyridon Xyndas, Pavlos Carrer, Lorenzo Petritsopoulos, and others who continued his legacy.

Hymn to Liberty

The musical setting of Dionysios Solomos’s Hymn to Liberty is one of Mantzaros’s crowning achievements and the most influential work of his career. He worked on the poem repeatedly, producing multiple versions:

The first setting in 1828 as a song for voice and piano.

Later arrangements for choir and orchestra.

In 1865, after the union of the Ionian Islands with Greece, King George I officially adopted the first two stanzas of the hymn as Greece’s national anthem.

This music continues to be performed today as the national anthem of both Greece and the Republic of Cyprus.

Educational Work and Musical Pedagogy

Mantzaros was a teacher and pedagogue of great influence. In 1840, he became the artistic director of the newly established Philharmonic Society of Corfu, which evolved into one of Greece’s most important musical institutions. There, he taught theory, composition, performance, choral conducting, and band direction in a systematic and methodical way.

He was also an advocate for public access to music education, often teaching the poor without charge.

Later Years and Legacy

Mantzaros died in Corfu in 1872, leaving behind a rich musical, educational, and intellectual legacy. Posthumously, his reputation grew, and he came to be recognized as:

The father of Greek music.

The founder of the Ionian School.

One of the first Greek composers to set Greek texts to music with national themes.

The Philharmonic Society of Corfu preserved his memory and work, along with the Corfu State Archives, which house his manuscripts. His home now functions as a museum.

Significance and Evaluation

Mantzaros was not a radical innovator, but rather a creative bridge between Italian music and the Greek spirit. He transformed Greek identity into music at a time when music education in Greece was in its infancy. His work holds primarily historical, educational, and cultural value, and he stands as a symbol of cultural renaissance for the Greek nation of the 19th century.

Songs Set to Poetry by D. Solomos

Hymn on the Death of Lord Byron (first two stanzas)

Xanthoula, for mezzo-soprano; also arranged for two tenors and for two basses

The Poisoned Woman, for soprano and bass; multiple versions exist including for two tenors and two basses

Flying at the Sea’s Crest, for four voices; also versions for tenor and bass, or soprano, mezzo, tenor, and bass (from Lambros)

Eurycome

Hear in a Dream, My Soul

The Little Angels (from Lambros)

A Little Voice Calls Me with Bitterness (from Lambros), for two tenors and two basses

Epigram for Frances Fraser

The Dream

Let Us Rejoice in Nature’s Gifts

Dawn

Other Works

1830: Doxology for four-part choir (lost)

1831: Fountain Festival (lost)

From 1832 onward: Composed 24 symphonic "overtures" (20 survive)

1840: Troparion of Kassiani, Lamentations of Jeremiah (lost), Psalms of David (lost)

His output, large in volume, shows a marked preference for setting poetry to music. He also wrote six major theoretical treatises.

Discography

1976 – School Songs No. 1: Patriotic (Panvox 16174 LP)

Includes the first two stanzas of Hymn to Liberty, performed by children's choir and piano under Angeliki Kapsaski

1981 – 4 Symphonies (CBS 85517 LP)

Symphonies No. 1, 2, 4, and 5 for piano, arranged by Kostas Samoilis for wind ensemble

1985 – Ionian Music (PKDHA CP 998 LP)

Includes Symphony No. 6 arranged for winds by the Nikolaos Mantzaros Chamber Ensemble

1988 – The Hymn to Liberty (EPG 91114 LP & Lyra 064 CD)

Complete setting of Solomos’s poem with Aris Garoufalis (piano), Byron Fidetzis (conductor), and Giorgos Konstandzos (choirmaster)

1989 – Art Songs from the Ionian Islands, 19th Century (FMSEZ 02 LP)

Includes Dawn, This Moment Now Arises, Xanthoula, sung by mezzo-soprano Kiki Morfoniou with Biliou Moraitou-Kavalieratou (piano)

1990 – Philharmonic Society of Corfu (Motivo 1031 LP)

Symphony No. 1 (di genere orientale) performed by the Philharmonic Society of Corfu Band under Dimitrios Kafyris

2011 – G.F. Haendel: Alessandro Severo / N. Manzaro: Don Crepuscolo (MDG LC06768, 3 CDs)

Mantzaros’s one-act opera Don Crepuscolo, the oldest surviving Greek opera, performed by Armonia Atenea under George Petrou. Christoforos Stamboglis in the title role. Booklet by Kostas Kardamis

2011 – Partimenti for String Quartet (Irida Classical 009 CD)

Selections from Fedele Fenaroli's partimenti, arranged by Mantzaros for organ or string quartet, dedicated in 1856 to Queen Victoria. Performed by the Ionian String Quartet. Booklet by Dimitris Brovas