Polyphonic song of Epirus - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Polyphonic song of Epirus
Epirus
The name Epirus, from the Greek "Ήπειρος" meaning continent may refer to:-Geographical:* Epirus - a historical and geographical region of the southwestern Balkans, straddling modern Greece and Albania...

is a form of traditional folk polyphony

Polyphony

In music, polyphony is a texture consisting of two or more independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords ....

practiced among Greeks

Greeks

The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....

, Albanians

Albanians

Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...

, Aromanians

Aromanians

Aromanians are a Latin people native throughout the southern Balkans, especially in northern Greece, Albania, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, and as an emigrant community in Serbia and Romania . An older term is Macedo-Romanians...

and Macedonian Slavs in southern Albania and northwestern Greece

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

.
The polyphonic song of Epirus is not to be confused with other varieties of polyphonic singing, such as the yodeling

Yodeling

Yodeling is a form of singing that involves singing an extended note which rapidly and repeatedly changes in pitch from the vocal or chest register to the falsetto/head register; making a high-low-high-low sound.The English word yodel is derived from a German word jodeln meaning "to...

songs of the region of Muotatal

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

, or the Cantu a tenore of Sardinia

Sardinia

Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...

In Greece

Among Greeks

Greeks

, polyphonic song is found in the northwestern Greek region of Ioannina

Ioannina

Ioannina , often called Jannena within Greece, is the largest city of Epirus, north-western Greece, with a population of 70,203 . It lies at an elevation of approximately 500 meters above sea level, on the western shore of lake Pamvotis . It is located within the Ioannina municipality, and is the...

(villages of Ano Pogoni

Ano Pogoni

Ano Pogoni is a former municipality in the Ioannina peripheral unit, Epirus, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Pogoni, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 1,663...

) Parakalamos

Ano Kalamas

Ano Kalamas is a former municipality in the Ioannina peripheral unit, Epirus, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Pogoni, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 3,070 . The seat of the municipality was in Parakalamos....

and some villages north of Konitsa

Konitsa

Konitsa is a town in Epirus, Greece, near the Albanian border. It lies amphi-theatre shaped on a mountain slope of the Pindos mountain range, overlooking the valley where the river Aoos meets the river Voidomatis. The valley is used for farming. Konitsa is a regional centre for many small Pindos...

), in very few villages in northeastern Thesprotia

Thesprotia

Thesprotia is one of the regional units of Greece. It is part of the Epirus region. Its capital is the town of Igoumenitsa. It is named after the Thesprotians, an ancient Greek tribe that inhabited the region in antiquity.-History:...

(Tsamantas

Tsamantas

Tsamantas is a village located in Epirus. Tsamantas lies near to the border with Albania in northern Greece, in the prefecture of Thesprotia. Indeed, the border is visible from the high lofts that are Tsamantas....

, Lias

Lias

Lias may refer to:*In geology:**The Lias Group, a group in the stratigraphy of Great Britain, formed during the Late Triassic to Early Jurassic epochs. It includes the Blue Lias and White Lias...

, Vavouri, Povla) and mainly among the Greek minorities in southern Albania (Northern Epirus

Northern Epirus

Northern Epirus is a term used to refer to those parts of the historical region of Epirus, in the western Balkans, that are part of the modern Albania. The term is used mostly by Greeks and is associated with the existence of a substantial ethnic Greek population in the region...

), for instance in the Greek-speaking

Greek language

Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...

villages such as Delvinë

Delvinë

Delvinë is a small town in Vlorë County in southern Albania, 16 km northeast of Saranda. Delvinë is the seat of the Delvinë District. Delvinë has lost over a third of its citizens since 1990, having a population of 4,200 .The city is built on a mountain slope...

, Dropull

Dropull

Dropull is a predominantly Greek-inhabited region in Gjirokastër District, in southern Albania. The region stretches from south of the city of Gjirokastër to the Greek-Albanian border, along the Drinos river. The region's villages are part of the Greek "minority zone" recognized by the Albanian...

, Pogon

Pogon, Albania

Pogon is a municipality in the Gjirokastër District, Gjirokastër County, southern Albania. It consists of seven villages: Poliçan, Skore, Hllomo, Sopik, Mavrojer, Çatistë and Selckë, of which Poliçan is the administrative center. Greek is widely spoken in the villages.Historically each village of...

(Kato Pogoni), Poliçan, Himara and the cities of Sarandë

Sarandë

Sarandë or Saranda is the capital of the District of Sarandë, Albania, and is one of the most important tourist attractions of the Albanian Riviera. It is situated on an open sea gulf of the Ionian Sea in the Mediterranean 2 nautical miles from the Greek island of Corfu. The city of Saranda has a...

and Gjirokastër

Gjirokastër

Gjirokastër is a city in southern Albania with a population of 43,000. Lying in the historical region of Epirus, it is the capital of both the Gjirokastër District and the larger Gjirokastër County...

. Among Greeks a second kind of polyphonic singing differing in maximum roughness is also performed in Karpathos

Karpathos

Karpathos is the second largest of the Greek Dodecanese islands, in the southeastern Aegean Sea. Together with the neighboring smaller Saria Island it forms the municipality Karpathos, which is part of the Karpathos peripheral unit. From its remote position Karpathos has preserved many...

and Pontos

Pontós

Pontós is a municipality in the comarca of Alt Empordà, Girona, Catalonia, Spain....

In Albania

Among Albanians, all four regions of Myzeqe, Toskeri, Chameria

Chameria

Chameria is a term used today mostly by Albanians for parts of the coastal region of Epirus in southern Albania and northwestern Greece It was also used by Greeks till the mid of 20th century and is frequently found in Greek literature. Today it is obsolete in Greek, surviving mainly in Greek folk...

, and Labëria

Labëria

Labëria is a region in southern Albania roughly reaching from Vlorë south to the Greek border near Sarandë, incorporating Gjirokastër and extending east to the city of Tepelenë. The people of Labëria are known as Labs, who have their own tradition of songs, dances and costumes....

have the polyphonic song as part of their culture. Among Albanians a related form of polyphonic singing is also found in northern Albania

Albania

Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...

in the area of Peshkopi

Peshkopi

Peshkopi is a city in Dibër District, Dibër County, northeastern Albania.It is located away from Tirana, the capital of Albania, and from the Macedonian border. It is situated at 41°40'N and 20°25'. It sits above sea level. In the 2004 census, there were approximately 14,100 residents. It is...

, the Albanian communities of Kaçanik

Kacanik

Kačanik or Kaçanik is a town and municipality in southern Kosovo, in the Uroševac district. The municipality covers an area of , including the town of Kačanik and 31 villages. It has a population of approximately 33,454...

in Kosovo

Kosovo

Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...

, the areas of Polog

Polog

Polog also known as the Polog Valley , is located in the north-western part of the Republic of Macedonia near the border with Serbia.It is divided into Upper and Lower Polog...

, Tetovo

Tetovo

Tetovo is a city in the northwestern part of Macedonia, built on the foothills of Šar Mountain and divided by the Pena River.The city covers an area of at above sea level, with a population of 86,580 citizens in the municipality. Tetovo is home to the State University of Tetovo and South East...

, Kicevo

Kicevo

Kičevo is a city in the western part of the Republic of Macedonia, located in a valley in the south-eastern slopes of Mount Bistra, between the cities of Ohrid and Gostivar. The capital Skopje is 112 km away. The city of Kičevo is the seat of Kičevo Municipality.-Population:The municipality...

and Gostivar

Gostivar

Gostivar , is a city in the Republic of Macedonia, located in the upper Polog valley region. It is one of the largest municipalities in the country with a population of 81,042, and the town also covers . Gostivar has good road and railway connections with the other cities in the region, such as...

in Macedonia

Republic of Macedonia

Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...

and the region of Malësia

Malësia

Malësia or Malësia e Madhe, is a historical geographical region in northern Albania and eastern Montenegro. It consists of an area of land that stretches from the southeast of Podgorica to northern shores of Lake Scutari, and includes much of the Malësi e Madhe District of Albania...

in northern Albania and southern Montenegro

Montenegro

Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...

.

The region of Labëria is a particular region for multipart singing. Songs can be of two, three, or four parts. Two part songs are sung only from women. Three part songs are more diffused and can be sang by men and women. Four part songs are a Labëria specialty. Research has shown that four part songs have come after three part ones and that are the most complex form of polyphonical singing.

The Gjirokastër National Folklore Festival

Gjirokastër National Folklore Festival

Gjirokastër National Folklore Festival is an artistic festival taking place every five years in Gjirokastër Castle in Gjirokastër, southern Albania. The festival showcases Albanian traditional music, dress, and dance from Albanian inhabited lands throughout the Balkans and Southern Italy...

, Albania

Albania

, , has been held every five years in the month of October, starting from 1968 and it has typically included many polyphonic songs.

The tradition of polyphonic singing has been contested and used by both sides of the Greek and Albanian border in a nationalistic manner.

Structure

Polyphonic groups of Epirus consist of four members at least. Each group has two soloists and a drone group, which provides and maintains the vocal rhythm of the song.

The first soloist (or the taker) ( or "σηκωτής" (sikotis), ) is the voice that sings the main melody. The first soloist performs the beginning of the song , and literally acts as the narrator

Narrator

A narrator is, within any story , the fictional or non-fictional, personal or impersonal entity who tells the story to the audience. When the narrator is also a character within the story, he or she is sometimes known as the viewpoint character. The narrator is one of three entities responsible for...

and leader of the group, singing the main part of the song.
The second soloist (or the turner) answers (or "turns") the voice ( (yirizei, turns) or "τσακίζει" (tsakizei, crimps) ).

Sometimes, instead of the "turner", or according to some musicologists parallel with it, we find the role of the spinner ( (klostis, spinner)). The "spinner" spins 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. This is a role that is often, but not always, found is the one of "rihtis", who drops the song in the end of the introduction of "partis", by singing an exclamation (e.g. (ah oh oh) or , "άντε βρε" (ante vre)), which is a fourth lower than the tonic of the melody, resting "partis" and uniting its introduction with the entrance of the drone group.

The drone group is composed by the rest of the members of the polyphonic group and is also called iso keepers group , and ), from the Greek

Greek language

Isocrates

Isocrates , an ancient Greek rhetorician, was one of the ten Attic orators. In his time, he was probably the most influential rhetorician in Greece and made many contributions to rhetoric and education through his teaching and written works....

"ισοκράτης" and that from the Medieval Greek

Medieval Greek

Medieval Greek, also known as Byzantine Greek, is the stage of the Greek language between the beginning of the Middle Ages around 600 and the Ottoman conquest of the city of Constantinople in 1453. The latter date marked the end of the Middle Ages in Southeast Europe...

"ισοκρατών" (isokraton), "one who holds the ison", the note that holds on the whole length of a song, from Ancient Greek

Ancient Greek

Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...

"ἴσος" (isos) generally meaning "equal" but here "equal in flight of song" + "κρατέω" (krateo) "to rule, to hold". The words ison and isos literally mean the continuous base note and isocrates creates and holds the modal base of the song. The isokrates role is particularly important; the louder the keeping of the vocal drone, , the more "βρονταριά" (vrontaria) (i.e. better) the song goes, because the rhythm and the vocal base of the song are maintained. The term derives from the Byzantine Greek musical tradition, where the "ίσον" also features.

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.

External links

Songs in Greek

Songs in Albanian

Songs from Labëria

Songs from Skrapar

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