Polyphonic song of Epirus

The polyphonic song of Epirus constitutes one of the most interesting musical forms, not only for the east Mediterranean and the Balkans, but also for the worldwide repertoire of the folk polyphony. The music is found among Albanians,Greeks,Aromanians & Slavs [Engendering Song: Singing and Subjectivity at Prespa by Jane C. Sugarman,1997,ISBN 0226779726,page 356,"Neither of the polyphonic textures characteristic of south Albanian singing is unique to Albanians.The style is shared with Greeks in the Northwestern district of Epirus (see Fakiou and Romanos 1984) while the Tosk style is common among Aromanian communities from the Kolonje region of Albania the so called Faserotii (see Lortat-Jacob and Bouet 1983) and among Slavs of the Kastoria region of Northern Greece (see N.Kaufamann 1959 ).Macedonians in the lower villages of the Prespa district also formerly sang this style "] .This polyphonic singing is also attested in Switzerland in yodeling songs of the region of Muotatal [Engendering Song: Singing and Subjectivity at Prespa by Jane C. Sugarman,1997,ISBN 0226779726,page 356,A striking counterpart from outside the Balkans is the polyphonic Yodeling of juuzli from the Muotatal region of Switzerland] .

Origin

Although the research hasn’t reached certain conclusions, this polyphonic form is considered to be very old (possibly, even pre-HellenicFact|date=July 2008). The melodies of polyphonic songs, including some more songs of Epirus and Thessaly, are the only ones in Greece that have preserved the pentatonic scale without semitones (a scale consisted of five tones without semitones). According to some musicologists, this scale is identified with the Doric way of the ancient Greek Dorians, the par excellence Hellenic harmony. Except from its scale, what pleads for the very old origin of the kind is its vocal, collective, rhetorical and modal character. The tradition of Polyphonic singing has being contested and used by both sides of the Greek and Albanian border in a nationalistic manner [Notes from the Balkans: Locating Marginality and Ambiguity on the Greek-Albanian Border,2005,ISBN-10: 0691121990,page Back matter ,"... the appropriate manner(Adkins 2002; Adkins and Lury 1999; Skeggs 1997). 16. Theodosiou (2003); Nitsiakos and Mantzos (2003) note that polyphonic singing has become one of those traditions that is argued about by nationalist folklorists on both sides of the border, .."] .

Polyphonic Music in Greece

These days, polyphonic song is found in northwestern Greek [Greek Folk Dances by Rickey Holden, Mary Vouras - 1965 - ,page 10,"The tonal variations produced on this instrument by Greek musicians, particularlyin the music of Epirus"] region of Ioannina [World Music: The Rough Guide by Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham - 1999 - ISBN 1858286352,page 149,"The city of Ioannina in Epirus has long been an important centre of this style"] (villages of Pogoni, Parakalamos and some villages north of Konitsa), in very few villages in northeastern Thesprotia (Tsamantas, Lias, Vavouri, Povla) and, mainly, in Northern Epirus [World Music: The Rough Guide by Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham - 1999 - ISBN 1858286352,page 5,"south of Gjirokastër, has a sizeable ethnic Greek population, and their music is related to the music of Epirus,"] some significant examples are the villages of the recognized from the Albanian government Greek minority zone [World Music: The Rough Guide by Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham - 1999 - ISBN 1858286352,page 127 ,"The folk music ot Epirus (//игл.) exhibits strong connections with that of Northern Epirus (now in Albania)"] (Delvino, Dropolis, Upper Pogoni, Politsani, Vuthroto, Himara and others). Also found in to varying degree in the rest of Greece & the islands [World Music: The Rough Guide by Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham - 1999 - ISBN 1858286352,page 127,"The repertoire tends to fall into three categories which are also found further south mirologya or laments (the instrumental counterpart is called skaros); drinking songs or tis tavlas ;and various dancable melodies as noted above common to the entire mainland and the islands also"] .

tructure

Polyphonic groups of Epirus consist of four members at least. There are four distinct roles that compound the group.

Voices

"Πάρτης" (partis) or "σηκωτής" (sikotis) is the voice that sings the main melody, beginning, "παίρνοντας" (pernontas, taking) or "σηκώνοντας" (sikonontas, lifting) the song. The second voice answers, "γυρίζει" (yirizei, turns) or "τσακίζει" (tsakizei, crimps) the song; that’s why it is called the "γυριστής" ("yiristis", the turner). Sometimes, instead of "yiristis", or according to some musicologists parallel with it, we find the role of "κλώστης" (klostis, spinner), which makes peculiar yodels, "κλώθοντας" (klothontas, spinning) the song between the tonic and subtonic of the melody, a technique that reminds the movement of the hand which holds the spindle and spins the thread.A role that is often, but not always, found is the one of "rihtis", who "ρίχνει" (drops) the song in the end of the introduction of "partis", singing an exclamation (e.g. "αχ ωχ ωχ" (ah oh oh), "άντε βρε" (ante vre) a fourth lower than the tonic of the melody, resting "partis" and uniting its introduction with the entrance of "ισοκρατές" (isokrates).The rest members of the polyphonic group, "isokrates", keep the "ίσο" (iso, vocal drone), namely the sound of the tonic of the melody, creating the modal base of the song. The isokrates' role is particularly important; the louder the «ισοκράτημα» (isokratima, keeping of the vocal drone) is, the more "βρονταριά" (vrontaria) the song goes (i.e. the better).The perfection of the rendition of the polyphonic song presupposes the existence and the unity of the several voices–roles of the polyphonic group. As a result, polyphonic song presupposes the collectiveness of expression and the firm distinction between the roles it reflects, and the unwritten hierarchy in the composition of the group and the distribution of the roles.

References

ee also

*Music of Greece
*Yodeling

Further reading

* World Music: The Rough Guide by Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham - 1999 - ISBN 1858286352
* Greek Folk Dances by Rickey Holden, Mary Vouras – 1965
* Engendering Song: Singing and Subjectivity at Prespa by Jane C. Sugarman,1997,ISBN 0226779726

External links

* [http://www.polyphonic.gr/ Greek Polyphonic Song]
* [http://www.politsani.com/music.asp Songs from Politsani]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYV3ml4AT3g&feature=related Polyphonic Song from Delvino]
* [http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=358695002 Polyphonic Festival, MySpace]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b41OFxPY8hw Polyphonic Singing from Epirus, Greece]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zH8_a1dP6g&feature=related Polyphonic Song from Deropolis]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vIYef1b8bA&feature=related Greek Polyphonic Song]
* [http://www.vasiltole.com/English/Index-EN.html Vasile Tole (in English)]
* [http://www.people.iup.edu/rahkonen/ilwm/Switzerland.bib.htm Switzerland’s Music]
* [http://www.unesco.org/culture/intangible-heritage/01eur_uk.htm Unesco]