Sadness for the loss of the great musician Demos Motsis

The great composer and songwriter Demos Motsis has died at the age of 86. He was a songwriter like “Don't Knock on My Door in the Middle of the Night”, “Piraeus Girl”, “I've Seen You in My Eyes”, “Tomorrow Again”, “With a Complaint”, While his songs were performed by artists such as Grigoris Pethikotsis, Vicky Muskolio, Manolis Mitsias, Dimitra Galani, Sotiria Bello and of course himself. He also set poetry to music and orchestrated works by other composers.

It was one of the most emblematic records of his career “Saint February” Which was issued in 1972, with Manos Eleftheriou In the lyrics and Dimitris Mitropanos in the interpretation.

Demos Motsis was born in Piraeus in 1938 and began studying at the Athens Conservatory since he was seven years old. At the age of 20-21 he finished his music studies and received first prize as a violin soloist. Somewhere in the mid-1960s he met Nikos Gatso and Manos Hadjidaki. In 1967, Nikos Gatsos began giving him lyrics for his songs and so he wrote his first songs, the first of which was “It's Raining God”, and performed them. Stop by Cucuta.

The collaboration between Gatso and Motsi continued with songs such as “Don't Knock on My Door in the Middle of the Night”, “Piraeus” with the same performer, “I've Seen You in My Eyes” with Vicki Musculio, and in 1969 with “Tomorrow Again”, performed by Grigoris Pethikotsis and “With a Complaint”, with Pithikotsis and newcomer Manolis Mitsias. In 1970, Manos Hadjidakis commissioned Mutsias to take care of the orchestration and musical direction of his songs on the album “Return”, all with lyrics by Nikos Gatsos and performance by Grigoris Pithikotsis and Dimitra Galani, who was making his debut on it. Time. This album included Hadjidki's songs “Talk to Me”, “Ivory Boat” and “Bitterness Today”. At the same time, the composer continues to write songs such as “These Hands” (lyrics by Lefteris Papadopoulos) and “Once Upon a Time in Eleusina” (lyrics Vassilis Andreopoulos), played by M. Mitsias.

After a series of wonderful folk songs performed by old and new singers such as Mitsias and Galani, as well as albums by “Kabuyo Kalokayri” and “Ena Hamogilou”, he recorded “Agios Vevrourios” at the end of 1971. The album, which was released at the beginning of 1972, with lyrics by Manos Eleftherio and the performance of Dimitris Mitropanos and Petris Salpis, concludes the entire first period, opening new paths in the Greek discography. In it, in addition to the harmonious “Agios Februaryarios”, other songs that left an era will be heard, such as “And if it is someone's fault”, “The house on the hill”, “Sosta has advanced”, “Another has gone to Chios”.

In 1972 he directed it “Area A”in the verse Yiannis Logothetis, Gatso, Eleftheriou and Varvaras Tsimoulis And their performers Mr. Antonis KalogiannisBy Vicki Moscoglio. On this album, wonderful songs will be heard, such as “White, Red, Yellow, Blue”, “Etsi ein' izöi” with Moscholiou, “Looking at the window” with Kalogiannis and others. In 1973, “Strofes”, another popular and at the same time very melodic album by Dimos Motsis, with Vicki Musculio as performer, in the lyrics Pythagoras, Logothytes, Eleftherio and Gatso. Among the songs that will stand out is the wonderfully atmospheric song “Stous baxedes” dedicated to his memory. Marcus Vamvakaris.

In 1974, “Certificates – Recommendations”, which included the songs of Motsis that were cut through the censorship of the military junta, with lyrics by Manos Eleftheriou, Yiannis Logothetis, Giorgos Kronas, Varvaras Tsimoulis and the composer himself and their performer Manolis Mitsias, Vasiliki Lavina, in one of her first entries in the record labels and Christos Leitonos. In 1975, “Quartet”One A pioneering poetry cycle with music based on the poems of K.P. Cavafy, Kostas Kariotakis, Giorgos Seferis and Yannis Rizzo, And with performers Manolis Mitsias, Christos Letonos And with the new singer at that time Alkisti protopsalti. Followed in 1976 AD “Work agreement”music from Giorgos Skourtis' play “Apergia” while “Dromologio” was released in 1979 with lyrics by Nikos Gatsos and translation by Manolis Mitsias.

In 1981 it was released “Pragma” written by Kostas Tribulitis, with songs like “You Don't Speak”and “Delenda est (my greetings)” and “A message from the Foreign Legion” and “ Dalika ” and so on. Recorded folk songs sung by the great rebetista sotriya bello, With Demos Motsis singing only the chorus from the famous “De les kuveda”. The composer sang electric ballads. In the same work Demos Moutzis sang “Quventules with Freud” with Lucianos Kelaidonis and Alcesti Protopsalti.

In 1983 with “pledge” The solo march begins. In 1987 followed “to!” Which also contains his famous songs “The Dream” and “Harmonica Crying” in 1990 “The traveler in everything” With the Nana Mushori, Which was also the last recording he wrote for another singer. In 1994 he returned with “For sale okay!” Again with his words and interpretation. In 1999, Dimos Motsis collaborated again with Dimitris Mitropanos and Dimitra Galani in a major concert in Erodeon where they sang together the oldest and newest songs of the great creator.

Source: RES-MPE