Dimitrios Levidis facts for kids

Dimitrios Levidis (Greek: Δημήτριος Λεβίδης) was a Greek composer. He was born in Athens, Greece, on April 8, 1885 or 1886. Later, in 1929, he became a French citizen. He passed away on May 29, 1951, in Palaio Faliro, Greece.

Early Life and Studies

Dimitrios Levidis came from a noble family with old roots in Constantinople. He studied music in several cities. These included Athens, Lausanne, and Munich.

He learned from famous teachers. Some of his teachers were Friedrich Klose and Felix Mottl. From 1907 to 1908, he studied composition with Richard Strauss. Levidis even won the Franz Liszt Prize for one of his piano pieces. It was called his Piano Sonata op.16.

After a short time in Greece, he moved to Paris in 1910. He lived there until 1932. During World War I, he served in the French Army. In 1929, he officially became a French citizen.

Musical Career

Levidis wrote many musical pieces. He used a special technique in his music. It mixed the rich harmonies of Strauss with the dreamy sounds of Ravel. He also used Greek musical styles. His music had a clear and appealing sound.

He was very interested in new sounds and instruments. Levidis was one of the first composers to write music for the Ondes Martenot. This was a new electronic instrument. His piece, Poème symphonique (op.43-B), was for this instrument and an orchestra. It was played for the first time on April 20, 1928. This happened at the Paris Opéra. Maurice Martenot, who invented the instrument, played it himself.

After this impressive debut, the conductor Leopold Stokowski brought Martenot to the United States. They performed Levidis's work with the Philadelphia Orchestra. This led many other composers to write music for the Ondes Martenot.

Around 1932, Levidis returned to Greece. He taught at the Hellenic Conservatory and the Music Lyceum. In 1934, he started the Phaleron Conservatory. This school later joined the Hellenic Conservatory. He was also the president of the Union of Greek Composers from 1946 to 1947. He visited Paris again from 1947 to 1948.

Main Works

(This is not a complete list of all his music)

• Menuet (1898)
• Tristesse (1899)
• Piano Impromptus (1902)
• Erste Griechische Romantische Piano Sonate op.16 (1908)
• Preludes In d. minor (1910)
• Divertissent Orch. (1911)
• 4 Persian Rubajats (1912–1914)
• Chant payen for oboe and strings
• Divertissement op.25 (1911)
• Patre et Nymphe (1924) - a ballet
• Poeme Symphonique, pour solo d'Ondes Musicales et Orchestre, op.43-B (1928)
• De Profundis (1929)
• 4 tableaux en un acte op.45(?)
• L' illiade, Orch. Oratorio. (1942–1943)
• La Terre dans l'Espace. Symphonic Poem for Orchestra
• The Talisman of The Gods op.41 - a ballet (incomplete) (1925–1945)