Rizitika songs (Greek: ) are the oldest type of Cretan music. They mainly originate from Western Crete, but are also widespread in central and eastern Crete. Rizes ( ) are the foothills of the mountains. One view says that from the roots of the mountains those songs took their name, from Ida, Dikti and the White Mountains. Another view argues that «the songs of the roots» of the ancestors, were called by the people Rizitika.-ika (-ικα) it's a plural suffix of adjectives which indicates nouns that derive from or belong to the stem of the adjective, in this case rizit-ika (ριζίτ-ικα) are those who derive from the roots, ie the songs. An ancient example of this grammatical phenomenon in Cretan literature can be found on a lost writing of Epimenides with the title Cretica (Κρητ-ικά) those who derive from Crete. Encyclopedia Britannica: «Epimenides, (flourished 6th century bce?), Cretan seer, reputed author of religious and poetical writings, including a Theogony, Cretica, and other mystical works. Today, Rizitika considered all those songs of unknown artists that came to our day through tradition from past centuries.
«Ἀγρίμια κι΄ἀγριμάκια μου΄λάφια μου ΄μερωμέναπεστέ μου ποῦ 'ν οἱ τόποι σαςκαὶ ποῦ 'ν τὰ χειμαδιά σας;- Γκρεμνὰ 'ν ἐμᾷς οἱ τόποι μαςλέσκες τὰ χειμαδιά μαςτὰ σπηλιαράκια του βουνούείναι τὰ γονικά μας.»«Ferals, my little feralsmy tamed deerstell me, where are your landsand where are your shelters?- Cliffs are our landsgorges are our sheltersthe little caves of the mountainsare our ancestral estates.»
Description Rizitika songs commonly have no conventional names, and are instead referred to by with their first verse, or with some other verse. Rizika are generally not danced, and additionally they are traditionally divided into songs and in his book , classified them in 32 melodies, and found 31 songs to have their own unique melodies, always on major scales.Οι ρίζες των ριζίτικων, p. 28. Their music is serious, typically a singer first sings a verse, which is usually repeated chorally. This does not always happen, however. The songs do not always need to rhyme, and the verse does not always have fifteen syllables.
Songs Digenes is a monument of the Cretan music and for many the epitome of the Acritic circle, its lyrics are considered flawless. It presents the supernatural aspect that endue Digenes, not with feats and achievements, but by misplacing the feeling of fear. Men are terrified at the sight of the earth that is about to welcome them, and shudders at the sight of the grave slab that is about cover them, in the case of Digenes those feelings are misplaced. As he is dying, he does not ask for divine help to take him to heaven and relieve him of his misery, but he wishes to climb there on his own. «Ὁ Διγενὴς ψυχομαχεῖ, κι ἡ γῆς τόνε τρομάσσεικι ἡ πλάκα τὸν ἀνατριχιᾶ, πὼς θὰ τόνε σκεπάση;Γιατί από `κειά που κοίτεται, λόγια ἀντρειωμένου λέει.- Νά 'χεν ἡ γῆς πατήματα, κι΄ ὁ οὐρανός κερκέλιανὰ πάτου τὰ πατήματα, νά `πιανα τὰ κερκέλιαν' ἀνέβαινα 'ς τὸν οὐρανό, νὰ διπλωθῶ νὰ κάτσωνὰ δώσω σεῖσμα τ' οὐρανοῦ.»Praktika Tetartou Symposiou Poiēsēs: aphierōma sto dēmotiko tragoudi, Ekdoseis "Gnōsē", 1985. p. 422.«Digenes is dying, and the earth is terrifiedand the grave slab shudders, how she is gonna cover him?Because from where he lies, mighty words he utters.- If the earth had treads and the sky had gripsI would step on the treads, I would grab on the gripsto climb up to the sky, to fold there and sitto shake the heavens.» A historical song about the Cretan War of 1644-1669 testifies the discord among the Christians during the war, and in short explains the numerous converts to Islam that followed the fall of the castle in 1669. «Κάστρο και ποῦ 'ν' οἱ πύργοι σου καὶ τὰ καμπαναργιά σουκαὶ πού 'ν' οἱ γιἀντριωμένοι σου, τὰ ὄμορφα παλληκάργια;Μα μένα οἱ γιἀντριωμένοι μου, τὰ ὄμορφα παλληκάργια,ἡ μαύρη γῆς τὰ χαίρεται 'ς τὸ μαυρισμένο 'Αδη.Δὲν ἔχω ἀμάχη τσῆ τουρκιᾶς, μήδε κακιὰ τοῦ χάρου,μόνο 'χω ἀμάχη και κακιὰ τοῦ σκύλου τοῦ προδότηἁπού μοῦ τὰ κατάδουδε.»Οι ρίζες των ριζίτικων, pp. 90-91«Castle, where are your towers and your belfrysand where are your braves, your fine lads?My own braves, the fine lads of minethe black earth enjoys them, in the stygian Hades.I have no wrath for turkish, neither rage for Charon,I only have wrath and rage for the traitorwho betrayed them» One of the oldest Rizitika which considered quite strange is the following. believes that it has its roots in the era of the emirate of Crete. He also speculates that it may be missing verses that could give it another meaning. «Ἀπέστειλε με βασιληᾶς τσὶ βίγλες νὰ μπαστίσωκι οὗλες τσὶ βίγλες μπάστισα, κι οὗλες λαγόνεψά τσικι οὗλες τσὶ βρῇκα ξυπνητὲς, και τσι παραφυλάγαντὴ βίγλα τῶ Σαρακηνῶ ηὕρηκα κι ἁκοιμᾶτοξύπνα λουβοσαρακηνέ!»Οι ρίζες των ριζίτικων, p. 80«King sent me to rebuke the watchtowersand all the watchtowers I rebuke, and have them all patrolledand found them all awaked and had them passed byonly the watchtower of the Saracans I found it asleepwake up louvosaracan!» , from the Latin ,βίγλα in lexicon: Το μεγάλο ετυμολογικό λεξικό της νεοελληνικής γλώσσας. Γιάννης Κουλάκης (1993) Εκδόσεις Μαλλιάρης. p. 266. were small settlements at the mountain peaks supervising coasts that were considered dangerous for landing of invaders. The meaning of of the word seems to have been lost in time.Οι ρίζες των ριζίτικων, p. 81
The following song is the most well-known Rizitiko outside Crete; its subject is a 16th-century vendetta, among possibly the family of , and the one of , whom the song refers to in all of its variants.Οι ρίζες των ριζίτικων, p. 87 family and their place of residence are also mentioned in Venetian sources of the 16th century, not with good comments.Σ. Σπανάκης, Κρητικά Χρονικά, τόμος Ά, pp. 431-444. From the report of predictor Filippo Pasqualigo, 16th century: «There are also the Μουσούρος and the Σγουράφης families, people of bad nature, who live in Ομαλός at Ορθούνι» The earliest version of the song was as following: «Χριστὲ νὰ ζώνουμουν σπαθὶ, καὶ νᾄπιανα κοντάρινὰ πρόβαινα 'ς τὸν Ὁμαλὸ, 'ς τὴ στράτα τῶ Μουσούρωνὰ σύρω τἀργυρὸ σπαθὶ καὶ τὸ χρυσὸ κοντάρινὰ κάμω μάνες δίχως γιούς, γυναῖκες δίχως ἄντρες.»Οι ρίζες των ριζίτικων, p. 83«Jesus, I will gird the sword and I will grab the spearI will step down to Ομαλός to the passage of Μουσούροςto pull out the silver sword and the golden spearto make mothers without sons, women without men.» The song became known in Greece in the following form and was associated with the wars and struggles in mainland Greece of the 20th century. «Πότε θὰ κάμη ξαστεριά, πότε θὰ φλεβαρίσηνὰ πάρω τὸ ντουφέκι μου, τὴν ὄμορφη πατρώνανὰ κατεβῶ 'ς τὸν Ὁμαλό, 'ς τὴ στράτα τῶ Μουσούρωνὰ κάμω μάννες δίχως γιούς, γυναῖκες δίχως ᾄντρες.»I. N. Kouphos (1970) Ta hellēnika dēmotika tragoudia, Seirios. p. 102.«When will be starry skies, when will be Februaryto take my rifle, the beautiful bandolierto step down to Ομαλός, to the passage of Μουσούροςto make mothers without sons, women without men.»
References
Sources
Bibliography Το Ηράκλειον και ο Νομός του, εκδ. Νομ. Ηρακλείου. Βλαζάκης Μιχαήλ, Ριζίτικα Τραγούδια Κρήτης, Χανιά, 1961. Παπαγρηγοράκη Ιδομενέως, Τα Κρητικά ριζίτικα τραγούδια, Χανιά 1957. Mανώλης Γασπαράκης,Tο ιδανικό της προσωπικής αρετής στο ριζίτικο τραγούδι: προτροπή για αρετή,Κρητολογικά Γράμματα, τόμ. 13 (1997), pp. 319–325
External links Songs Αγρίμια κι αγριμάκια μου - Νίκος Ξυλούρης Ferals, my little ferals Αγρίμια κι αγριμάκια μου - Συμφωνική Ορχήστρα Αθηνών Ferals, my little ferals (Orchestral, no lyrics) Σε ψηλό βουνό - Κώστας Μουντάκης Κάστρο και που 'ναι οι πύργοι σου - Κώστας Μουντάκης Castle, where are your towers (He only singing the first two verses of the original) Ο Διγενής - Νίκος Ξυλούρης Digenes Μάνα κι αν έρθουν οι φίλοι μου - Νίκος Ξυλούρης
fr:Lyra (instrument)#Lyra crétoise