The music of Epirus (), in

Epirus Epirus () is a Region#Geographical regions, geographical and historical region, historical region in southeastern Europe, now shared between Greece and Albania. It lies between the Pindus Mountains and the Ionian Sea, stretching from the Bay ...

, northwestern

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

, present to varying degree in the rest of Greece and the islands, contains folk songs that are mostly

pentatonic A pentatonic scale is a Scale (music), musical scale with five Musical note, notes per octave, in contrast to heptatonic scales, which have seven notes per octave (such as the major scale and minor scale). Pentatonic scales were developed inde ...

and

polyphonic Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice ( monophony) or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords ...

, characterized as relaxed, gentle and exceptionally beautiful, and sung by both male and female singers. Distinctive songs include lament songs ( mirolóyia), shepherd's songs ( skáros) and drinking songs ( tis távlas). The

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

is the most prominent folk instrument in Epirus, used to accompany dances, mostly slow and heavy, like the menousis, fisouni, podhia,

syrtos sta dyo SyrtosModern Greek συρτός ''syrtós''; accusative singular συρτό ''syrtó''; plural συρτοί ''syrtoí''; from σύρω ''sýro'' . Also known as sirtos or sirto in English. is a traditional Greek dance in which the dancers link ha ...

(pogonisios), syrtos sta tria, zagorisios, kentimeni, koftos, yiatros and

tsamikos The Tsamikos (, ''Tsamikos'') or Kleftikos () is a popular traditional folk dance of Greece, done to music of 3/4 meter. The dance The dance follows a strict and slow tempo not emphasising on the steps, but more on the "attitude, style and gr ...

. Other instruments used are violin,

floghera The floghera (, ) is a type of flute used in Greek folk music. It is a simple end-blown bamboo flute without a fipple, which is played by directing a narrow air stream against its sharp, open upper end. It typically has seven finger holes. See al ...

and sterianó

laouto The laouto (, pl. laouta ) is a long-neck fretted instrument of the lute family, found in Greece and Cyprus, and similar in appearance to the oud. It has four double-strings. It is played in most respects like the oud (plucked with a long ple ...

. Notable composers include clarinist Petroloukas Chalkias and laouto player Vasilis Kostas. The

polyphonic song of Epirus The polyphonic song of Epirus is a form of traditional folk polyphony practiced among Albanians, Aromanians, Greeks and ethnic Macedonians in southern Albania and northwestern Greece. The polyphonic song of Epirus is not to be confused with other v ...

constitutes one of the most interesting musical forms, not only for the east

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

and the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

, but also for the worldwide repertoire of the

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

polyphony Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice ( monophony) or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chord ...

like the

yodeling Yodeling (also jodeling) is a form of singing which involves repeated and rapid changes of pitch between the low-pitch chest register (or "chest voice") and the high-pitch head register or falsetto. The English word ''yodel'' is derived from t ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. Besides its scale, what attests to its very old origin is its vocal, collective, rhetorical and modal character.Engendering Song: Singing and Subjectivity at Prespa by Jane C. Sugarman,1997,, page 356, A striking counterpart from outside the Balkans is the polyphonic Yodeling of juuzli from the Muotatal region of Switzerland The corresponding dances are slow and stately; they are invariably danced in counter-clockwise circles. Women's dances are especially noble, allowing for a minimum of leg and arm movement, and calling for formal traditional attire: ankle-length black coats,

gold thread Goldwork is the art of embroidery using metal threads. It is particularly prized for the way light plays on it. The term "goldwork" is used even when the threads are imitation gold, silver, or copper. The metal wires used to make the threads h ...

tuque A knit cap, colloquially known as a beanie, is a piece of knitted headwear designed to provide warmth in cold weather. It usually has a simple tapered shape, although more elaborate variants exist. Historically made of wool, it is now often mad ...

s with a single long

tassel A tassel is a finishing feature in fabric and clothing decoration. It is a universal ornament that is seen in varying versions in many cultures around the globe. History and use In the Hebrew Bible, the Lord spoke to Moses instructing him to ...

, and hammered gold jewellery.

References

External links

Greek traditional music from EpirusSongs from PolitsaniEpirus Music"Deropolitissa", Greek traditional song from EpirusSkaros, Greek traditional shepherd's song from EpirusMoiroloi, Greek traditional lament song from Epirus
{{Music of Southeastern Europe Music of Greece Epirus

References

Further reading

External links