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.Bart Plantenga. Yodel-ay-ee-oooo. Routledge, 2004. , p. 87 Albania: "Singers in Pogoni region perform a style of polyphony that is also practised by locals in Vlach and Slav communities [in Albania].Engendering Song: Singing and Subjectivity at Prespa by Jane C. Sugarman,1997,, 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 " The polyphonic song of Epirus is not to be confused with other varieties of polyphonic singing, such as the yodeling songs of the region of Muotatal, or the Cantu a tenore of Sardinia.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 Scholars consider it an old tradition, which either originates from the ancient Greek and Thraco-Illyrian era, or the Byzantine era, with influences from Byzantine music. The Albanian Iso-Polyphony – which is recognized as cultural heritage by UNESCO – is considered to have its roots in the many-voiced vajtim, the southern Albanian traditional lamentation of the dead. pp. 43–45. The Greek project Polyphonic Caravan, which aims at researching, safeguarding and promoting the Epirus polyphonic song since 1998, was inscribed in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List of Good Safeguarding Practices in 2020.
Polyphonic Music in Greece and Albania In Greece
Among Greeks, polyphonic song is found in the northern part of the Greek region of Ioannina;Ricky Holden, Mary Vouras: Greek Folk Dances, 1965, page 10Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham: World Music: The Rough Guide, 1999, , page 149 in Ano Pogoni, (Ktismata, Dolo, Parakalamos) and some villages north of Konitsa), as well as in very few villages in northeastern Thesprotia (Tsamantas, Lias, Vavouri, Povla). Among the Greek minorities in southern Albania,Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham: World Music: The Rough Guide, 1999, , page 5, 127 polyphonic singing is performed in the regions of Dropull, Pogon (Kato Pogoni) (Poliçan) and the cities of Delvinë, Himara, Sarandë and Gjirokastër.Ardian Ahmedaja, Gerlinde Haid. European voices: Multipart singing in the Balkans and the Mediterranean. Böhlau Verlag Wien, 2008 , p. 267.
Greek polyphonic groups can include six different parts: taker (partis), turner (gyristis), spinner (klostis), isokrates, rihtis (the one who "drops" the voice) and foreteller (prologistis). Songs are performed in two (taker and turner or taker and isokrates), three, four or five voices. In five-voice singing all parts are present, while the role of the spinner and the rihtis is performed by one part. The main voice, the taker, can be sung either by men or women, but it can also alternate between them. Greek polyphonic groups usually consist of 4 to 12 persons.
Among Greeks a second kind of polyphonic singing differing in maximum roughness is also performed in Karpathos and Pontos.Ardian Ahmedaja, Gerlinde Haid. European voices: Multipart singing in the Balkans and the Mediterranean. Böhlau Verlag Wien, 2008 , p. 283.
In 2020, the Polyphonic Caravan, which is a Greek project with the purpose of researching, safeguarding and promoting the Epirus polyphonic song since 1998, was inscribed in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List of Good Safeguarding Practices.
In Albania
Among Albanians, all four regions of Myzeqe, Toskeri, Chameria, and Labëria have the polyphonic song as part of their culture. Among Albanians a related form of polyphonic singing is also found in northern Albania in the area of Peshkopi, the Albanian communities of Kaçanik in Kosovo, the areas of Polog, Tetovo, Kicevo and Gostivar in North Macedonia and the region of Malësia in northern Albania and southern Montenegro.European voices: Multipart singing in the Balkans and the ..., Volume 1 By Ardian Ahmedaja, Gerlinde Haid page 210, 243-44
The region of Labëria is a particular region known for multipart singing and home to many different genres like that of pleqërishte. Songs can be of two, three, or four parts. Two part songs are sung only by women. Three part songs are more diffused and can be sung 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 they are the most complex form of polyphonical singing.European voices: Multipart singing in the Balkans and the ..., Volume 1 By Ardian Ahmedaja, Gerlinde Haid pages 214-215
The Gjirokastër National Folklore Festival, Albania, (), has been held every five years in the month of October, starting from 1968 and it has typically included many polyphonic songs.European voices: Multipart singing in the Balkans and the ..., Volume 1 By Ardian Ahmedaja, Gerlinde Haid page 241
Albanian iso-polyphony is included in UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list.
The tradition of polyphonic singing has been 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,, 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, .."
Structure
Polyphonic groups of Epirus consist of at least four members. 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), ,European voices: Multipart singing in the Balkans and the ..., Volume 1 By Ardian Ahmedaja, Gerlinde Haid page 215 ) is the voice that sings the main melody. The first soloist performs the beginning of the song (, ), and literally acts as the narrator 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 (, (isokrates, iso keepers) ,European voices: Multipart singing in the Balkans and the ..., Volume 1 By Ardian Ahmedaja, Gerlinde Haid page 211 and ), from the Greek Isocrates "ισοκράτης" and that from the Medieval Greek "ισοκρατών" (isokraton),Takis Kalogeropoulos, Lexicon of the Greek Music, 2001, "one who holds the ison", the note that holds on the whole length of a song, from Ancient Greek "ἴσος" (isos) generally meaning "equal" but here "equal in flight of song"ἴσος, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus Digital Library + "κρατέω" (krateo) "to rule, to hold".κρατέω, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, on Perseus Digital Library The words ison and isos literally mean the continuous base notePsaltic Chant, Monastère de la Théotokos et de Saint martin 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.
See also Music of Greece Music of Albania Aromanian music Music of Epirus (Greece) Byzantine music Deropolitissa Song of Çelo Mezani Song of Marko Boçari Yodeling
References
Further reading World Music: The Rough Guide by Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham - 1999 - Greek Folk Dances by Rickey Holden, Mary Vouras – 1965 Engendering Song: Singing and Subjectivity at Prespa by Jane C. Sugarman,1997,
External links Greek traditional music from Epirus Vasil Tole (in English) Unesco
Songs in Greek
Himara Κόρη του Βουνού (Daughter of the Mountain) Του Σπυρομήλιου (Song of Spyromilios) Delvina Μάνα καημένη Μάνα (Mother poor Mother) Polyphonic Song from Delvino Dropull Δεροπολίτισσα (Woman of Dropull) Του Μάρκου Μπότσαρη (Song of Markos Botsaris) Κάστρο της Ωριάς (Song of the Castle of the Fair Maiden) Pogoni Gianni Γιάννη μου Του Γιοφυριού της Άρτας (Song of the Bridge of Arta) Αλισμωνώ και Χαίρομαι Song from Ktismata Permet Σύρε Μάνα πες του Γιάννη (Go Mother tell to Giannis)
Songs in Albanian Songs from Labëria Song from Labëria I'll Start by Thinking Ismail Qemali Song Albania Rock and Stone, You'd Kill Yourself for Your Flag Sons of Shepards Kurvelesh, What did You Do with Your Sons? ] Shake Your Handkerchief Get Out, May Your Root Get Out Songs from Skrapar I miss you Riza Cerova Month of August, Day the Twentieth When the Boyhood I Remember