Music of Cyprus

Folk music on Cyprus is similar to the folk music of Greece, and includes dances like the sousta, syrtos, zeimbekikos, dachas, and the kartsilamdhes.

Medieval music

Cyprus changed hands numerous times prior to the Medieval era, and was an important outpost of Christianity and European civilization during the Crusades. The tumultuous history introduced a variety of styles, including music from Armenia, France, Greece and Arabs. The island's peak as a cultural capital of Europe occurred from 1359 to 1432.

During that peak, Pierre I de Lusignan made a three year tour of Europe, bringing with him an entourage of musicians that so impressed Charles V in Rheims that he donated 80 francs in gold to them. On his return to Cyprus, Pierre I brought with him the French Ars Nova and, later, the Ars Subtilior. French musicians became well established in Cyprus, and the city of Nicosia became a capital of the Ars Subtilior style.

Pierre I's successor, Janus I de Lusignan saw Cypriot music evolve into its own variety of music. His daughter, Anna, brought a manuscript after her marriage to Louis, Count of Geneva, which contained 159 folios with over two hundred polyphonic compositions, both sacred and secular. The manuscript is now contained within the National Library of Turin.

Rock

In Northern Cyprus, the biggest rock band is SOS, founded in 1987.

Classical music

Notable composers include: