Asia minor bilingual songs in Greece after the population exchange

There are many songs which are adopted traditional and still popular today in the two border countries, Turkey and Greece. Many common melodies that can be heard at any city of Greece, at traditional festivals, fairs or at any Turkish village in Anatolia are known with their Turkish lyrics in Turkey or Greek and Turkish lyrics in Greece. It is observed that these songs were first arranged and recorded in records by many Greek musicians before and after the Population Exchange (January 30, 1923) and become popular in Greece. Along with the trend, which can be called a revival in traditional music, appeared at the beginning of the 1980's and attracted the attention of especially young generation musicians once again, it has been recognized that an interest for the repertoire of Anatolian songs has begun to emerge and since the 2000's, many Turkish-Greek musicians and choruses established through exchanged population associations both in Turkey and Greece have started to sing traditional common songs together on memorial days of population exchange and at peace and friendship themed concerts. The finding which initiated this study is the fact that this popularity in Greek society bears more conservative, nostalgic and sensitive approaches compared to Turkish society. During the research, it is inferred that traditional Anatolian songs has an importance in history of Greek music and it has been observed that these Anatolian melodies in Turkish and Greek languages have more possessive, symbolic and nostalgic meaning rather than a folk song heard in the albums and that the identity of being an Anatolian was emphasized especially by the musicians through songs. This can be seen as the cultural effects of the Population Exchange in the Greek society, as well as the consequences of the national identity understanding of the society and ideological approach developed by the state policies against the Anatolian music. Religious and cultural bonding of more than a million of exchanged Greek people with Anatolia may also caused them to establish a more emotional connection with the songs of the land which is still adopted by them as their homeland and so attributed a symbolic meaning to the these songs. Today, why the Anatolian songs are so popular in Greece? This popularity of the Anatolian songs, which can even be listened in Turkish lyrics, and sensitive and conservative approach of the society toward these songs is the cultural consequence of the Population Exchange? This study, approaching in terms of cultural identity of the society looks the story of Anatolian songs known to the Turkish community, inside from the history of Greece which is not well known for us, by taking time, space and changing circumstances into consideration. This study aims to explain the effects of historical changes and transformations in Greece after Population Exchange through traditional Anatolian songs which are an indication of cultural belonging socially, and present and express the results obtained in the study objectively.