The Academy Award for Best Original Song earned in 1961 by Manos Hatzidakis for "Never on Sunday" remained uncollected by the composer, who refused the prize due to his belief that the film misrepresented his home city of Athens. This decision underscored a career defined by an uncompromising commitment to artistic integrity and the development of modern Greek musical identity.
Early Development and Resistance
Born in 1925 in Xanthi, Hatzidakis moved to Athens following the death of his father in 1931. He pursued formal training at the Drama School of the Greek Art Theatre and the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. During the Axis occupation of Greece, he participated in the resistance as a member of the United Panhellenic Organization of Youth, where he established a lasting friendship with Mikis Theodorakis.
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Hatzidakis gained early prominence composing for the Art Theatre of Athens, including the score for A Streetcar Named Desire. His 1949 lecture on rembetika—the urban folk music of Piraeus—challenged the established musical order by highlighting the emotional authenticity of the genre. He bridged traditional and classical forms in works such as his 1951 composition Six Popular Pictures and his piano piece For a Little White Seashell.
International Recognition and Exile
Following international success with the soundtrack for the film Never on Sunday, Hatzidakis spent several years living in the United States between 1966 and 1972. During this period, he collaborated with the New York Rock & Roll Ensemble on the album Reflections and produced the expansive song cycle Magnus Eroticus. This work utilized texts from diverse sources including the Old Testament, Sappho, and contemporary poets such as Nikos Gatsos.
Institutional Leadership and Final Years
Upon returning to Greece in 1972, Hatzidakis occupied various leadership roles within national cultural institutions, including the Athens State Orchestra and the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation. In 1985, he established his own record label, Seirios, and in 1989 he founded the Orchestra of Colours to perform contemporary and lesser-known compositions. He received the Herder Prize in 1965 and remained active until his death in 1994.
Fast facts
- Born: 1925, Xanthi, Greece
- Died: 1994, Athens, Greece
- Citizenship: Greece
- Education: Drama School of the Greek Art Theatre, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
- Notable Awards: Academy Award (1961), Herder Prize (1965)
- Record Label: Seirios
- Key Ensemble: Orchestra of Colours
- Burial: Paiania Cemetery
Questions readers ask
Why did Hatzidakis refuse his Academy Award?
He believed the film Never on Sunday depicted Athens inaccurately and negatively through its focus on a prostitute.
What is the significance of the Orchestra of Colours?
Founded by Hatzidakis in 1989, it was an ensemble specifically dedicated to performing music by Greek composers and lesser-known works.
Achievements
- Herder Prize — 1965
- Academy Award for Best Original Song — 1961
- Notable work: Reflections
- Notable work: Gioconda's Smile
- Notable work: Magnus Eroticus
- Notable work: Dark mother
- Instruments: piano, violin and accordion
- Genres: 20th-century classical music and light music