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Dēmētrios Semsēs (Δημήτρης Σέμσης)

Dimitrios Semsis, also known as Dimitrios Salonikios (Greek: Δημήτρης Σέμσης; 1883 – 13 January 1950), was a Greek violinist born Dimitrios Koukoudeas (Δημήτριος Κουκουδέας) in Strumica, in the Salonica Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire (present-day North Macedonia).

At the end of the 19th century, he joined the band of a circus, which was traveling all over the Balkans. In 1908 married his first wife Sonhoula Bochor Hanne and become his daughter Enriquette, cousin of Eskenazi Rosa, in the year about 1910. Later, he joined other traveling bands and played in several places such as Turkey, Syria, Egypt, Sudan and elsewhere.

After the end of the World War I, as Strumica remained in the kingdom of Serbia, Dimitrios Semsis' family moved to Thessaloniki (1919). In 1923, he married Dimitra Kanoula and had four children. At the beginning of 1927 he moved to Athens. By that time he took the nickname "Salonikios", probably because some agents from recording companies thought that his origin was from Thessaloniki.

At the end of the 1920s, Semsis was Recording Director of HMV and Columbia. He participated in hundreds of recordings of folk and smyrnaic songs between 1924 and 1931. He presented his first songs in 1928 and became the Director of Arts of His Master's Voice, in 1931 until his death. He composed over 100 songs.

In the 1930s, Dimitrios was recording with Roza Eskenazi, with great successes. He often was accompanying her to the taverns with Tompoulis, Lampros Savvaidis and Lampros Leonaridis. His compositions were being recorded by the greatest artists of that time, such as Rita Ampatzi, Stelios Perpiniadis and Stratos Pagioumtzis. He composed folk, smyrnaic and amane songs.

Dimitrios Semsis recorded hundreds of discs and plenty of them are re-released nowadays. In 1972, in an interview, Roza Eskenazi said that Dimitrios was playing "the best violin in the world".

After a short time of illness, he died of cancer in Athens on 13 January 1950.

Birth and Death Data: Born 1883 (Strumica), Died January 13, 1950 (Athens)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1910 - 1949

Roles Represented in DAHR: songwriter, director, composer, violin, arranger

Notes: Also known by his nickname, Salonikiós.

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 76-100 of 127 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Gramophone 0GA788 10-in. August 1938 O krinos (Ο κρίνος) Laikē Orchēstra (Λαϊκή Ορχήστρα) ; Stellakēs Perpiniadēs (Στελλάκης Περπινιάδης) Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensmeble songwriter  
Gramophone 0GA790 10-in. August 1938 Na mēn pisteuēs philous (Να μην πιστεύης φίλους) Pános Hrisínis (Πάνος Χρυσίνης) ; Stellakēs Perpiniadēs (Στελλάκης Περπινιάδης) Male vocal duet, with instrumental ensemble songwriter  
Gramophone 0GA841 10-in. 1938 Dyo mēnes einai kai kairos (Δύο μήνες είναι και καιρός) Rita Abatzi (Ρίτα Αμπατζή) Female vocal solo songwriter  
Gramophone 0GA856 10-in. before 7/17/1939 Dyo merakia stēn kardia mou (Δύο μεράκια στην καρδιά μου) Rita Abatzi (Ρίτα Αμπατζή) ; Stellakēs Perpiniadēs (Στελλάκης Περπινιάδης) Female-male vocal duet composer  
Gramophone 0GA865 10-in. 2/15/1939 Periplanōmenos (Περιπλανώμενος) Stratos Pagioumtzis (Στρατος Παγιουμτζης) ; Stellakēs Perpiniadēs (Στελλάκης Περπινιάδης) Male vocal duet composer  
Gramophone 0GA868 10-in. before 7/24/1939 Vlachoula erovolage (Βλαχούλα εροβόλαγε) Giōrgos Papasiderēs (Γιώργος Παπασιδέρης) Male vocal solo songwriter  
Gramophone 0GA871 10-in. March 1939 Dyo maura matia gnōrisa (Δύο μαύρα μάτια γνώρισα) Stratos Pagioumtzis (Στρατος Παγιουμτζης) Male vocal solo songwriter  
Gramophone 0GA876 10-in. March 1939 Ē mikrē geitonopoula (Η μικρή γειτονοπούλα) Giōrgos Papasiderēs (Γιώργος Παπασιδέρης) Male vocal solo songwriter  
Gramophone 0GA881 10-in. March 1939 Gia des ta ta vlachopoula (Για δέστε τα τα βλαχόπουλα) Rita Abatzi (Ρίτα Αμπατζή) ; Anastasopoulos (Αναστασοπουλος) Female vocal solo and klarino (clarinet) solo songwriter  
Gramophone 0GA888 10-in. March 1939 Hempa Leniō mou sto choro (Έμπα Λενιώ μου στο χορό) Eftichia Papanikoláou (Ευτυχία Παπανικολάου) Female vocal solo composer  
Gramophone 0GA889 10-in. March 1939 Otan mou eipes eche geia (Οταν μου ειπες εχε γεια) Eftichia Papanikoláou (Ευτυχία Παπανικολάου) Female vocal solo composer  
Gramophone 0GA911 10-in. 1939 Apopse me tēn koursa mou (Απόψε με την κούρσα μου) Stratos Pagioumtzis (Στρατος Παγιουμτζης) ; Stellakēs Perpiniadēs (Στελλάκης Περπινιάδης) Male vocal duet songwriter  
Gramophone 0GA916 10-in. June 1939 Oi tratarēdes (Οι τραταρηδες) Giōrgos Papasiderēs (Γιώργος Παπασιδέρης) Vocal quartet songwriter  
Gramophone 0GA918 10-in. June 1939 Agapa me na s' agapō (Αγάπα με να σ' αγαπώ) Rita Abatzi (Ρίτα Αμπατζή) ; P. Stylianides Female-male vocal duet songwriter  
Gramophone 0GA935 10-in. August 1939 Gia kratēse ton orko sou (Για κράτησε τον όρκο σου) Nota Kalellē (Νότα Καλέλλη) ; Mairē Panagiōtakē (Μαίρη Παναγιωτάκη) Female vocal duet songwriter  
Gramophone 0GA998 10-in. before 8/29/1940 To phili den einai krima (Το φιλί δεν είναι κρίμα) Michalēs Kallergēs (Μιχαλης Καλλεργης) Male vocal solo songwriter  
Gramophone 0GA1036 10-in. April 1940 Xene pousai stēn xenitia (Ξένε πούσαι στην ξενιτιά) Giōrgos Papasiderēs (Γιώργος Παπασιδέρης) Male vocal solo songwriter  
Gramophone 0GA1037 10-in. April 1940 Mes ta glykocharamata (Μες τα γλυκοχαράματα) Giōrgos Papasiderēs (Γιώργος Παπασιδέρης) Male vocal solo songwriter  
Gramophone 0GA1058 10-in. June 1940 Me tylixane dyo phines (Με τυλίξανε δύο φίνες) Iōanna Geōrgakopoulou (Ιωαννα Γεωργακοπουλου) ; Stelios Kēromytēs (Στέλιοσ Κερομύτης) Female-male vocal duet, with instrumental ensemble director  
Gramophone 0GA1060 10-in. June 1940 Mē se planepsoun ta lephta (Μη σε πλανέψουν τα λεφτά) Iōanna Geōrgakopoulou (Ιωαννα Γεωργακοπουλου) ; Stelios Kēromytēs (Στέλιοσ Κερομύτης) Female-male vocal duet, with instrumental ensemble director  
Gramophone 0GA1062 10-in. June 1940 Aydiniko (Αϊδίνικο) Laikē Orchēstra (Λαϊκή Ορχήστρα) Instrumental ensemble songwriter, instrumentalist, violin  
Gramophone 0GA1063 10-in. June 1940 Tsifte telli (Τσιφτε τελι) Laikē Orchēstra (Λαϊκή Ορχήστρα) Instrumental ensemble songwriter, instrumentalist, violin  
Gramophone 0GA1064 10-in. June 1940 Mariō mou poios se philēse (Μαριώ μου ποιος σε φίλησε) Michalēs Kallergēs (Μιχαλης Καλλεργης) Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble director  
Gramophone 0GA1065 10-in. June 1940 Marathēke ē kardoula mou (Μαράθηκε η καρδούλα μου) Michalēs Kallergēs (Μιχαλης Καλλεργης) Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble director  
Gramophone 0GA1138 10-in. February 1941 Tous kentaurous den phovoumai (Τους κενταύρους δεν φοβούμαι) Dēmētrēs Bagianteras (Δημήτρης Μπαγιαντέρας) Male vocal solo, with instrumental ensemble director  
(Results 76-100 of 127 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Semsēs, Dēmētrios (Σέμσης, Δημήτρης)," accessed May 9, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107289.

Semsēs, Dēmētrios (Σέμσης, Δημήτρης). (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved May 9, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107289.

"Semsēs, Dēmētrios (Σέμσης, Δημήτρης)." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 9 May 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/107289

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