Microsoft Encarta (US / UK)
We have realized, that the world's most famous Encyclopaedia on CD doesn't even mention Mikis Theodorakis and that its comments on Greek culture are very, very poor. Therefore FILIKI has sent an strong e-mail to the editorial staff on 6 June 1998, and, already two days later we got a first answer, and another two days later a second one. Here they are:
A) 8.6.1998
Hello Guy --
Thank you for contacting Microsoft Encarta Encyclopaedia. We appreciate you taking the time to write us and value your feedback regarding the content of an Encarta article.
Your email has been forwarded to the appropriate member of our editorial staff for further research.
We hope you have many hours of enjoyment with Encarta Encyclopaedia.
Encarta Editorial Research Team
B) 10.6.1998
Hello Mr. Wagner,
Thank you for your mail regarding the Greek Music article and the absence of Mikis Theodorakis from Encarta. We appreciate your feedback regarding the encyclopedia as it helps us in our attempt to make it a well rounded resource. As I am sure you are aware, it is difficult to cover every topic well in a work as general as an encyclopedia and our oversight of Mikis Theodorakis was not intentional. Their is an initiative here at Encarta to expand our coverage of international biographies in future editions of the encyclopedia and from what I read on your website and in other reference works, Theodorakis is a excellent candidate for inclusion.
I am going to recommend to our subject editor that he be considered for a new biography article, and, as well, will recommend a review of the Greek Music article for updating.
Thank you again for taking the time to write us with your concern.
We are dedicated to expanding the coverage of the encyclopedia and it is users like you who help us to keep improving it. Every year we update articles and add new material to the Encyclopaedia making the latest version the most complete and up-to-date. I hope you enjoy using the Encarta product and will consider buying it again in the future.
Sincerely,
Aaron
Editorial Researcher
Encarta Reference Products
http://encarta.msn.com/ee98/eehome.asp
We have highly have appreciated the prompt and accurate answer of the editors.
Autumn
Alas, nothing new... Encarta 99 refers to Mikis Theodorakis only through the movie "Z".
We wrote to the editor and got the following message on 21 December 1999:
Hello again Guy,
Thanks for following up on our previous correspondence. My last message to you was on the 10th of June this last summer. At that time, we were in the process of finalizing the content for the 99 version so it would have been impossible to include it at that late date in the editing cycle.
I contacted the editor in charge of musicians and she indicated that your suggestion of an article on him has not been forgotten, however, the new article emphasis for the 2000 edition is writers' and poet's biographies. I will be sure to pass your latest letter on to her, though, as she likes to know what subjects interest our readers.
Thanks again for taking the time to write us about this issue. We value your input and it helps us to formulate our content plans for the future. We are continually updating and adding content to the encyclopedia which makes the latest version the most extensive and up-to-date.
Sincerely,
Aaron Oesting
Editorial Research Dept.
Encarta Reference Products
Autumn 99
Encarta 2000 mentions Mikis Theodorakis on the pages about Greece and concerning the movie "Z"!
Here what we found on Theodorakis in other electronic encyclopaedias:
Multipedia
quotes the Oxford Dictionary of Music:
Theodorakis, Mikis. ( b Chios, Gr., 1925). Gr. composer. Studied Athens and Paris Cons. Lived in Paris 1953-61 and studied with Messiaen. Arrested as Communist after Greek military coup and imprisoned 1967 70. Works incl. 2 operas; ballets; oratorios; 7 syms.; pf. conc.; 7 Songs of Lorca ; Requiem ; and mus. for film Zorba The Greek (1962).
IBM World Book
presents the composer under...
Arts. The most famous artist born in Greece was probably Domenikos Theotokopoulos. He became known as El Greco (the Greek) in Spain, where he did most of his painting during the late 1500's and early 1600's. Important Greek writers of the 1800's and 1900's include the poets George Drosines, Kostes Palamas, and Dionysios Solomos. Others were Nikos Kazantzakis, a novelist, and Alexander Papadiamantis, known for his short stories. Two Greek poets have won the Nobel Prize for literature. George Seferis won the prize in 1963, and Odysseus Elytis received the award in 1979. Important Greek musicians of the 1900's have included the composers Manos Hadjidakis, Nikos Skalkottas, and Mikis Theodorakis; the conductor Dimitri Mitropoulos; and the opera singer Maria Callas.
So does
Encyclopaedia Britannica
The arts.
Against the background of this extraordinary artistic heritage, Greece enjoys a thriving cultural life. It is in the field of literature that Greece has made its greatest contributions. Constantine Cavafy (1863-1933), who lived most of his life in Alexandria, Egypt, is frequently ranked among the great poets of the early 20th century. His poetry is suffused with an ironic nostalgia for Greece's past glories. Two Greek poets have won the Nobel Prize for Literature, George Seferis in 1963 and Odysseus Elytis in 1979. The novelist best known outside Greece is the Cretan Níkos Kazantzákis, whose Zorba the Greek was made into a popular film. A number of Greek composers have acquired an international reputation, including Nikos Skalkottas, Manos Hadjidakis, Mikis Theodorakis, and Iannis Xenakis, a French composer of Greek descent. Well-known painters in the post-World War II period include Ghika, Yannis Tsarouchis, and Photis Kontoglou, who drew his inspiration from the ascetic traditions of Byzantine art.
And here other (electronic) encyclopaedias:
Who's Who in the Twentieth Century, Oxford University Press, © Market House Books Ltd 1999
Theodorakis, Mikis (1925)
Greek composer and politician, who led a revival of Greek folk music in the 1960s and wrote a song that became the rallying call of opposition to the military government.
Theodorakis studied at the Athens Conservatory and, after war service and deportation during the civil war (1947-52), in Paris with Olivier Messiaen. He wrote a symphony (1948-50) and a number of song settings, including Five Cretan Songs (1950) for chorus and orchestra, before turning to such chamber music as his two sonatinas for violin and piano (1957; 1958). He then composed incidental music for the theatre, notably for the ballet Antigone (1958), produced at Covent Garden in 1959, and for Euripides' Phoenician Women. He first became known outside Greece, however, when he wrote the score for the film Zorba the Greek (1965), with its theme tune 'Zorba's Dance', which became an international best-seller. He also wrote pop oratorios, such as Axion Esti (1966).
Theodorakis returned to Greece in 1961 and was elected a member of parliament in 1964. In 1967 he was arrested for his left-wing political activities, but was released in response to worldwide appeals in 1970. While in detention he composed the music for Z, a film about political repression. He resigned from the Communist Party in 1972 and in 1981 was again elected member of parliament, this time representing the Moscow-orientated Communist Party of Greece (KKE). He was a minister without portfolio in the socialist government from 1989 to 1992, when he retired from politics to concentrate on his musical career. His most recent works include four more symphonies and the operas Kostas Kariotakis (1985), Medea (1990), and Electra (1993). He has published four volumes of autobiography under the title Roads of the Archangel (1986-92).
quoted under X-Refer
Oxford Paperback Encyclopedia, © Oxford University Press 1998
Theodorakis, Mikis (1925)
Greek composer
His prolific output includes the ballet Antigone (1958) and the well-known score for the film Zorba the Greek (1965). In 1964 he was elected as a member of the Greek Parliament, but in 1967 was imprisoned by the new military government for his left-wing political activities. He was released in 1970 after worldwide protests and re-elected to Parliament in 1981. His later work includes the opera Kostas Kariotakis (1985).
quoted under X-Refer
The Macmillan Encyclopedia 2001, © Market House Books Ltd 2000
Theodorakis, Mikis (1925)
Greek composer, who led a revival of Greek folk music in the 1960s and has incorporated elements of it into his compositions, which include music for the film Zorba the Greek (1964).
He has also been politically active in Greece and in 1967 was imprisoned by the military government for his left-wing activities. After international protests, he was released in 1970 and re-elected to parliament in 1981.
quoted under X-Refer
Compton’s Interactive Encyclopaedia
Greek popular music has has roots in the past and has been influenced by Turkish music. The most popular folk instrument is the bouzouki. Bouzouki music has become internationally known
through the composers Manos Hadjidakis, and Mikis Theodorakis, who also has set modern Greek poetry to music. The singer Nana Mouskouri has achieved fame abroad by her renditions of Greek songs.
The New Grolier Multimedia Encyclopaedia
Theodorakis, Mikis
{thay-oh-doh-rah'-kees}
The Greek composer Mikis Michael George Theodorakis, b. July 29, 1925, first attained international renown with his score for the film Zorba the Greek (1965). A political activist, he was elected (1964) as a Communist member of the Greek parliament. He was arrested in 1967 after a military coup and while in detention composed the music for Z, a film about political repression. International concern won his release, after which he went into exile in Paris. In 1989, Theodorakis affiliated himself with the conservative New Democracy party, calling for the electoral defeat of Andreas PAPANDREOU, leader of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement. In November 1989, Theodorakis won a seat in the national legislature on the New Democracy slate.
Karen Monson
The Hutchinson Multimedia Encyclopaedia
Theodorakis, Mikis. Greek composer. He was imprisoned 1967-70 for attempting to overthrow the military regime of Greece.
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