In the 1930s, "The Famous Quartet of Piraeus" shines in Piraeus. The gangsters of the time listen to the band that highlighted the Piraeus Rebetiko, and the coffeehouses resemble places of worship for the bouzouki.

Members of the group include Markos Vamvakaris, Anestis Delias, Giorgos Batis, and Stratos Payoumtzis. The pre-war work of the first three figures forms the subject of study in this publication.

The reader will initially learn about the lifestyle of the era and be introduced to the rebetiko idiom. Following that, there are separate chapters for each composer, which include biographical information, catalogues of their compositions, records and analysis of selected songs, and the characteristics of their work.

Particular emphasis was placed on the detailed recording of the bouzouki melody (or the baglamas in the case of Batis) and in-depth musicological and lyrical analysis of the songs, with special reference to the playing style, the tunings, and the interpretive-executive technique.

Finally, a comparative study of the three is presented along with the conclusions of the research.