Music of Epirus
Encyclopedia
The music of Epirus in the northwest of Greece
(present to varying degree in the rest of Greece and the islands
) contains folk songs that are mostly pentatonic and polyphonic, sung by both male and female singers. Distinctive songs include lament songs (mirolóyia), shepherd's songs (skáros
) and drinking songs (tis távlas). The clarinet
is the most prominent folk instrument in Epirus, used to accompany dances, mostly slow and heavy, like the menousis, fisouni, podhia, sta dio, sta tria
, zagorisios, kentimeni, koftos
, yiatros and tsamikos.
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
like the yodeling
of Switzerland
. Except from its scale, what pleads for the very old origin of the kind is its vocal, collective, rhetorical and modal character.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
(present to varying degree in the rest of Greece and the islands
) contains folk songs that are mostly pentatonic and polyphonic, sung by both male and female singers. Distinctive songs include lament songs (mirolóyia), shepherd's songs (skáros
Skároš
Skároš is a village and municipality in Košice-okolie District in the Kosice Region of eastern Slovakia.-History:In historical records the village was first mentioned in 1270 , when it belonged to Trstené pri Hornáde.-Geography:...
) and drinking songs (tis távlas). The clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
is the most prominent folk instrument in Epirus, used to accompany dances, mostly slow and heavy, like the menousis, fisouni, podhia, sta dio, sta tria
TRIA
TRIA is an abbreviation that means transmit and receive integrated assembly. A TRIA is used on a two-way satellite dish to process signals to andt from a ground based system and an earth-orbiting satellite...
, zagorisios, kentimeni, koftos
Koftos
Koftos is a lively Greek dance typical of the areas of Thessaly, Epirus and central Greece. "Koftos" in Greek means to cut and the name of the dance comes from the periodic interruptions in the music/tune. When the music stops, the dancers yell "Hey", and you can also put your arms up, down, or...
, yiatros and tsamikos.
The polyphonic song of Epirus constitutes one of the most interesting musical forms, not only for the east Mediterranean and the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
, but also for the worldwide repertoire of the folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
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 ....
like 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...
of Switzerland
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....
. Except from its scale, what pleads for the very old origin of the kind is its vocal, collective, rhetorical and modal character.
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