Crete has its own special music which is called Cretan songs aka ‘Kritika’. It constitutes as a variation of traditional Greek music and differs mostly because of the unique instruments that are used.
The dominant folk instrument of Crete is lyra, a three-stringed fiddle with a shrill sound. It is often accompanied by the Cretan lute (laouto) and the oud (outi) which is a pear-shaped stringed instrument similar to lute. These instruments make the Cretan music unique. You can see these instruments in the pictures below.
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Lyra |
Lute |
Oud |
In addition, one form of Cretan songs are ‘mantinades’. They are small two-lines (usually) poems which are making a special rhyme. Cretans tease or praise each other using ‘mantinades’. Most of the times they are made instantly in proportion of the situation and they move from mouth to mouth. The best of them remain through the years and usually become songs.