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THE MUSICAL TRADITION OF EPIRUS

"Ancient Greece"

Aristotle

Epirus is a geographical region of Greece consisting of four prefectures: Ioannina, Thesprotia, Arta and Preveza. The region is mainly mountainous, with wild mountains, dense vegetation and picturesque villages. However, it is a region with a rich historical, national and cultural heritage. Epirus residents included King Pyrrhus, the Tzavelai, the Botsarai and benefactors such as Melas, Zografos and Averof. One of the characteristic elements of Epirus is its rich tradition, which includes local dialect, song, dance, costumes, customs and traditions.

The songs of Epirus are varied and refer to all aspects of human existence: birth, marriage, exile, mourning, heroic deeds, love. This historical region starred in the struggle of the Souliotes against Ali Pasha and his attempts to conquer. Their warlords, their captains, were the heads of the Tzavelas and Botsari families.

In Souli comes out, little Fotaina, in Souli comes out the Dawn.

Puglia is coming to Kiafa, Captain Foto-Tzavela.

There in the dry Tsagaro, a Bairaki emerged.

Isn't it the Light, my dear Fotaina, isn't it the Light that is coming?

Not only men but also women participated in the struggle of the Souliotes. A typical example is Moscho Tzavela, wife of Lambros Tzavela, who as the leader of the Souliotisses did not hesitate to hunt down Ali's Turko-Albanians. The folk muse praised this action:

At the fountain in Tsaritsaina, on the edge of Chora.

Bouloukpasades were sitting there, and they were all Margaritiots.

And they watched the war, how Souli fought.

How does Javelina fight like a worthy lad?

Epirus, as a mountainous region, experienced a high rate of migration. Both the difficult conditions of economic poverty and the hope for a better future led many to emigrate. Many migrations also occurred during the period of Turkish rule due to the conditions of slavery.

Yannis, give me your handkerchief, come on.

 What's wrong with you, my Giannis-Giannakis?

What's wrong with you, my boy?

The foreignness has tainted it, come on.

The foreign deserts, my Giannis-Yiannakis.

Northern Epirus is a part of Epirus which was liberated three times by the Greek Army but was not able to integrate into the national body. The Greek national minority, despite persecutions, threats and restrictions of its rights, maintains its language, Orthodoxy and tradition:

Delvino and Tsamouria

Children don't give them.

Delvino and Saranda

It will be Greek forever.

Delvino and Tepeleni

It will give birth to Greek again.

Tepeleni and Vlora

Greece's engagement.

Special mention should be made of the Epirus polyphonic song, which is almost unlike any other Greek folk song from another region and is sung from the region of Northern Epirus, passes throughout the Pogoni region and reaches some villages of Filiates and Konitsa.

I forget and rejoice, I remember and grieve,
I remembered being abroad and I want to go.
Get up, mother, and knead a clean rusk.
With pains he pours water, with tears he kneads it.

The dances of Epirus "tie" the songs together in a beautiful way and give them movement, flesh and blood. One of the most beautiful and special dances that requires special mastery is the proud dance of the "Thieves" and is mentioned in the song:

The Thieves from the Unwritten Laws - let's say the Thieves.

The Thieves were sitting and shaving.

They had razors made of brass - the Thieves, I guess.

The thieves dance the thieves' songs.

And the captain was looking - let's say the Thieves.

Of course, there is no shortage of songs that refer to the beautiful moments of human life. The Epirus wedding has an entire category of traditional songs and one of the most characteristic ones is:

Wake up, my little partridge - my child - and I have come to your neighborhood,

I brought you golden braids to braid your hair.

And if you came, welcome, even if you made an effort

You came and beautified our ugly place.

I didn't know, my dear - boy - what your boss is like,

To fly like a partridge - child - to come into your arms.

Unfortunately, life also has its bad moments. Epirus obituaries accompany loved ones to the other world. The clarinet "cries" along with the relatives of the deceased and wishes "a happy reunion".

Raise Mariola from the earth and from the black soil,

Mario- My Mariola.

and from the black soil, my soul, my little heart.

With what little black hands should I lift myself up, little hands should I touch,

Mario- My Mariola.

The traditional music of Epirus has brought forth many worthy musicians such as Tasos Chalkias, Vassilis Batzis, Grigoris Kapsalis, Stavros Kapsalis, Napoleon Damos, Nikos Filippidis and of course the "patriarch" Petroloukas Chalkias. Their worthy successors are Giorgos Kotsinis, Kostas Verdis, Vassilis Papageorgiou and Elias Plastiras. Sacred monsters of Epirus song are the "nightingale" Alekos Kitsakis, Savvas Siatras, Antonis Kyritsis, Kostas Tzimas, Pagona Athanasiou.

I'm dizzy, dizzy

I have a heartache and a loss.

Petros Lucas plays the clarinet,

in a continental purpose.

Getting to know the tradition of Epirus can be done both by participating in a local association or by traveling to the land of Epirus, especially during the festival season. Natural beauty with mountains, rivers, traditional settlements, unique gastronomy and of course Epirus songs in the village square and on the radio.

Deputy Miltiadis Parlantzas, MSc, MSS