# Dimitri Terzakis

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Greek composer (born 1938)

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**Dimitris Terzakis** ([Greek](/source/Greek_language): Δημήτρης Τερζάκης; born March 12, 1938) is a Greek [composer](/source/Composer). His father was the author [Angelos Terzakis](/source/Angelos_Terzakis).

## Biography

Terzakis was born on March 12, 1938 in [Athens](/source/Athens). From 1959 to 1964, Terzakis studied [composition](/source/Musical_composition) with [Yannis Papaioannou](/source/Yannis_Papaioannou) at the Athens [Hellenic Conservatory](/source/Hellenic_Conservatory), followed by five years spent at the [Hochschule für Musik](/source/Hochschule_f%C3%BCr_Musik_K%C3%B6ln) in [Cologne](/source/Cologne), [Germany](/source/Germany) where he studied composition with [Bernd Alois Zimmermann](/source/Bernd_Alois_Zimmermann) and [electronic music](/source/Electronic_music) with [Herbert Eimert](/source/Herbert_Eimert). Works by Terzakis have been performed at the [International Society for Contemporary Music Festival](/source/International_Society_for_Contemporary_Music) in [Basel](/source/Basel) (1970), the [Darmstadt Artists' Colony](/source/Darmstadt_Artists'_Colony) summer courses (1970) and the [Hamburg](/source/Hamburg) Das Neue Werk series (1972). He taught [counterpoint](/source/Counterpoint) and [fugue](/source/Fugue) (1974–94) and [Byzantine music](/source/Byzantine_music) and composition (1989–94) at the [Musikhochschule](/source/Robert_Schumann_Music_College), Düsseldorf. In 1980, he began to organize summer courses in Western and south-eastern European music in [Nafplion](/source/Nafplion). In 1985–6 he was guest professor of composition at the [Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler](/source/Hochschule_f%C3%BCr_Musik_Hanns_Eisler). From 1994 to his retirement, he held the chair for composition at the Leipzig [Felix Mendelssohn College of Music and Theatre](/source/Felix_Mendelssohn_College_of_Music_and_Theatre).

He has been a German citizen since 1985 and is living and composing in [Leipzig](/source/Leipzig), Germany, and Nafplion, Greece.

## Compositions

As a composer, Terzakis' music began with an expanded tonality (*Prelude* (1961) and *Legend* (1964)) moving to 12-note serialism (e.g. the *Sinfonietta* (1965)) and then to a fruitful exploration of micro-intervals and glissandi, principally in his melody, based on Byzantine music. In recent years, Terzakis's view of Western harmony, polyphony and the tempered system as constituting only an extended episode in the evolution of music has increasingly led him to an essentially monophonic output. In this he has drawn example from Greek traditional music, as well as from other parts of the Mediterranean and the Near East.

Terzakis has written numerous [symphonic](/source/Symphonic) works, [chamber music](/source/Chamber_music) pieces, vocal art songs, and choral pieces such as *Kassandra* after [Aischylos](/source/Aeschylus) for the [ensemble amarcord](/source/Ensemble_amarcord). He has also written three [operas](/source/Opera): *Circus Universal* (1975), *Thomas Torquemada* (1976), and *Hermes* (1984).

## Sources

- George Leotsakos. The *[New Grove Dictionary of Opera](/source/New_Grove_Dictionary_of_Opera)*, edited by Stanley Sadie (1992). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-333-73432-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-333-73432-7) and [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-56159-228-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-56159-228-5)

## External links

- [Official website](http://dimitriterzakis.com/index_en.html)

- [Biography and interview at the Music Library of Greece](http://www.mmb.org.gr/page/default.asp?la=2&id=1170)

Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF GND FAST WorldCat National United States France BnF data Netherlands Latvia Israel Artists MusicBrainz FID People Deutsche Biographie DDB Other IdRef RISM Yale LUX

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Dimitri Terzakis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimitri_Terzakis) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimitri_Terzakis?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.