Kostis Papadakis (Naftis)

 Violins in Crete exist from 1260. The lyre was brought by the Karamanlides 
and Lazi Muslims in 1723, five hundred years later, till then the music of Crete was played with violins. Cretans didn’t accept the lyre for 100 years because it was considered a Muslim instrument. The first Christian that played with a lyre was the Thodoromanolis from Epanohw'rj. Simos Karas, director of the Public Greek Radio, with a clique of other persons, tried to destroy the musical heritage of Crete by prohibiting violin from all broadcasting, a prohibition that has never been cancelled, even today! ....

Full text (in Greek) of the authentic narrations  of the Great Masters of Cretan music in STIGMES magazine no 68