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The '''Polyphonic song of [[Epirus (region)|Epirus]]''' is a form of traditional folk [[polyphony]] practiced among [[Albanians]], [[Greeks]], [[Aromanians]] and [[Macedonian Slavs]] in southern Albania and northwestern Greece<ref>Bart Plantenga. [http://books.google.com/books?hl=el&id=3BzBBq48O6AC&q=polyphonic ''Yodel-ay-ee-oooo'']. Routledge, 2004. ISBN 978-0-415-93990-4, p. 87 Albania: "Singers in Pogoni region perform a style of polyphony that is also practised by locals in Vlach and Slav communities communities [in Albania].</ref><ref>Engendering Song: Singing and Subjectivity at Prespa by Jane C. Sugarman,1997,ISBN 0-226-77972-6,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 "</ref>.
The '''Polyphonic song of [[Epirus (region)|Epirus]]''' is a form of traditional folk [[polyphony]] practiced among [[Albanians]], [[Greeks]], [[Aromanians]] and [[Macedonian Slavs]] in southern Albania and northwestern Greece<ref>Bart Plantenga. [http://books.google.com/books?hl=el&id=3BzBBq48O6AC&q=polyphonic ''Yodel-ay-ee-oooo'']. Routledge, 2004. ISBN 978-0-415-93990-4, p. 87 Albania: "Singers in Pogoni region perform a style of polyphony that is also practised by locals in Vlach and Slav communities communities [in Albania].</ref><ref>Engendering Song: Singing and Subjectivity at Prespa by Jane C. Sugarman,1997,ISBN 0-226-77972-6,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 "</ref>.


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 [[Switzerland|Muotatal]],<ref>Engendering Song: Singing and Subjectivity at Prespa by Jane C. Sugarman,1997,ISBN 0-226-77972-6,page 356,A striking counterpart from outside the Balkans is the polyphonic Yodeling of juuzli from the Muotatal region of Switzerland</ref> or the [[Cantu a tenore]] of [[Sardinia]].
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 [[Switzerland|Muotatal]], or the [[Cantu a tenore]] of [[Sardinia]].<ref>Engendering Song: Singing and Subjectivity at Prespa by Jane C. Sugarman,1997,ISBN 0-226-77972-6,page 356,A striking counterpart from outside the Balkans is the polyphonic Yodeling of juuzli from the Muotatal region of Switzerland</ref>


==Origin==
==Origin==
Although current research has not reached absolute conclusions, this polyphonic form is considered to be very old. The melodies of polyphonic songs of Epirus, including some more songs of Epirus and [[Thessaly]], are the only ones in Albania and Greece that have preserved the [[pentatonic]] scale without semitones (a scale consisted of five tones without semitones). According to some musicologists, this scale is identified with the [[Dorian mode|Doric]] way of the ancient Greek [[Dorians]], the par excellence [[Ancient Greece|Hellenic]] harmony.{{fact|date=April 2010}} Except from its scale, what pleads for the very old origin of the kind is its vocal, collective, rhetorical and modal character.
Although current research has not reached absolute conclusions, this polyphonic form is considered to be very old. The melodies of polyphonic songs of Epirus, including some more songs of Epirus and [[Thessaly]], are the only ones in Albania and Greece that have preserved the [[pentatonic]] scale without semitones (a scale consisted of five tones without semitones). According to some musicologists, this scale is identified with the [[Dorian mode|Doric]] way of the ancient Greek [[Dorians]], the par excellence [[Ancient Greece|Hellenic]] harmony.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}} Except from its scale, what pleads for the very old origin of the kind is its vocal, collective, rhetorical and modal character.


==Polyphonic Music in Greece and Albania==
==Polyphonic Music in Greece and Albania==
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in the music of Epirus"</ref> region of [[Ioannina]]<ref>World Music: The Rough Guide by Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham - 1999 - ISBN 1-85828-635-2,page 149,"The city of Ioannina in Epirus has long been an important centre of this style"</ref> (villages of [[Pogoni]], [[Parakalamos]] and some villages north of [[Konitsa]]), in very few villages in northeastern [[Thesprotia]] ([[Tsamantas]], [[Lias]], [[Vavouri]], [[Povla]]) and, mainly, in [[Northern Epirus]]<ref>World Music: The Rough Guide by Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham - 1999 - ISBN 1-85828-635-2,page 5,"south of Gjirokastër, has a sizeable ethnic Greek population, and their music is related to the music of Epirus,"</ref> some significant examples are the villages and towns were recognized Greek populations reside in southern Albania (Northern Epirus)<ref>World Music: The Rough Guide by Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham - 1999 - ISBN 1-85828-635-2,page 127 ,"The folk music ot Epirus (//игл.) exhibits strong connections with that of Northern Epirus (now in Albania)"</ref> ([[Delvinë]], [[Dropull]], [[Pogon, Albania|Pogon]], [[Poliçan]], [[Vuthroto]], [[Himara]] and others).
in the music of Epirus"</ref> region of [[Ioannina]]<ref>World Music: The Rough Guide by Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham - 1999 - ISBN 1-85828-635-2,page 149,"The city of Ioannina in Epirus has long been an important centre of this style"</ref> (villages of [[Pogoni]], [[Parakalamos]] and some villages north of [[Konitsa]]), in very few villages in northeastern [[Thesprotia]] ([[Tsamantas]], [[Lias]], [[Vavouri]], [[Povla]]) and, mainly, in [[Northern Epirus]]<ref>World Music: The Rough Guide by Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham - 1999 - ISBN 1-85828-635-2,page 5,"south of Gjirokastër, has a sizeable ethnic Greek population, and their music is related to the music of Epirus,"</ref> some significant examples are the villages and towns were recognized Greek populations reside in southern Albania (Northern Epirus)<ref>World Music: The Rough Guide by Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham - 1999 - ISBN 1-85828-635-2,page 127 ,"The folk music ot Epirus (//игл.) exhibits strong connections with that of Northern Epirus (now in Albania)"</ref> ([[Delvinë]], [[Dropull]], [[Pogon, Albania|Pogon]], [[Poliçan]], [[Vuthroto]], [[Himara]] and others).


In both Albanian ethnomysicological literature and mass media the polyphonic song simply refers to the multipart songs of Southern Albania.<ref name "European voices">European voices: Multipart singing in the Balkans and the ..., Volume 1 By Ardian Ahmedaja, Gerlinde Haid page 212[http://books.google.com/books?id=Iga91qAoeDYC&pg=PA212&dq=kenge+polifonike&hl=en&ei=0H_WS-m8BsT6lwe9t-GVBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=book-thumbnail&resnum=1&ved=0CDoQ6wEwAA#v=onepage&q=kenge%20polifonike&f=false]</ref> All four regions of [[Myzeqe]], [[Toskeri]], [[Chameria]], and [[Labëria]] have the polyphonic song as part of their culture.<ref>European voices: Multipart singing in the Balkans and the ..., Volume 1 By Ardian Ahmedaja, Gerlinde Haid page 210 [http://books.google.com/books?id=Iga91qAoeDYC&pg=PA212&dq=kenge+polifonike&hl=en&ei=0H_WS-m8BsT6lwe9t-GVBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=book-thumbnail&resnum=1&ved=0CDoQ6wEwAA#v=onepage&q=kenge%20polifonike&f=false]</ref>
In both Albanian ethnomysicological literature and mass media the polyphonic song simply refers to the multipart songs of Southern Albania.<ref name ="European voices">European voices: Multipart singing in the Balkans and the ..., Volume 1 By Ardian Ahmedaja, Gerlinde Haid page 212 [http://books.google.com/books?id=Iga91qAoeDYC&pg=PA212&dq=kenge+polifonike&hl=en&ei=0H_WS-m8BsT6lwe9t-GVBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=book-thumbnail&resnum=1&ved=0CDoQ6wEwAA#v=onepage&q=kenge%20polifonike&f=false]</ref> All four regions of [[Myzeqe]], [[Toskeri]], [[Chameria]], and [[Labëria]] have the polyphonic song as part of their culture.<ref>European voices: Multipart singing in the Balkans and the ..., Volume 1 By Ardian Ahmedaja, Gerlinde Haid page 210 [http://books.google.com/books?id=Iga91qAoeDYC&pg=PA212&dq=kenge+polifonike&hl=en&ei=0H_WS-m8BsT6lwe9t-GVBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=book-thumbnail&resnum=1&ved=0CDoQ6wEwAA#v=onepage&q=kenge%20polifonike&f=false]</ref>


Within Southern Albania Labëria is particular region for multipart singing. Songs can be of two, three, or four parts. If two part songs are sung only from women, three part songs are more spread, but four-part songs are a Labëria specialty. Research has shown that four part songs have come after three part ones and that are the highest form of polyphonical singing.<ref>European voices: Multipart singing in the Balkans and the ..., Volume 1 By Ardian Ahmedaja, Gerlinde Haid pages 214-215 [http://books.google.com/books?id=Iga91qAoeDYC&pg=PA212&dq=kenge+polifonike&hl=en&ei=0H_WS-m8BsT6lwe9t-GVBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=book-thumbnail&resnum=1&ved=0CDoQ6wEwAA#v=onepage&q=kenge%20polifonike&f=false]</ref>
Within Southern Albania Labëria is particular region for multipart singing. Songs can be of two, three, or four parts. If two part songs are sung only from women, three part songs are more spread, but four-part songs are a Labëria specialty. Research has shown that four part songs have come after three part ones and that are the highest form of polyphonical singing.<ref>European voices: Multipart singing in the Balkans and the ..., Volume 1 By Ardian Ahmedaja, Gerlinde Haid pages 214-215 [http://books.google.com/books?id=Iga91qAoeDYC&pg=PA212&dq=kenge+polifonike&hl=en&ei=0H_WS-m8BsT6lwe9t-GVBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=book-thumbnail&resnum=1&ved=0CDoQ6wEwAA#v=onepage&q=kenge%20polifonike&f=false]</ref>


The National Folklore Festival of [[Gjirokastër]] ({{lang-sq|Festivali Folklorik Kombëtar}}), held every five years beginning from 1968, has typically included many polyphonic songs.<ref> European voices: Multipart singing in the Balkans and the ..., Volume 1 By Ardian Ahmedaja, Gerlinde Haid page 241 [http://books.google.com/books?id=Iga91qAoeDYC&pg=PA241&dq=festivali+i+folklorit+gjirokaster+5+years&cd=1#v=onepage&q&f=false]</ref>
The National Folklore Festival of [[Gjirokastër]] ({{lang-sq|Festivali Folklorik Kombëtar}}), held every five years beginning from 1968, has typically included many polyphonic songs.<ref>European voices: Multipart singing in the Balkans and the ..., Volume 1 By Ardian Ahmedaja, Gerlinde Haid page 241 [http://books.google.com/books?id=Iga91qAoeDYC&pg=PA241&dq=festivali+i+folklorit+gjirokaster+5+years&cd=1#v=onepage&q&f=false]</ref>


The tradition of polyphonic singing has been contested and used by both sides of the Greek and Albanian border in a nationalistic manner<ref>Notes from the Balkans: Locating Marginality and Ambiguity on the Greek-Albanian Border,2005,ISBN 0-691-12199-0,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, .."</ref>.
The tradition of polyphonic singing has been contested and used by both sides of the Greek and Albanian border in a nationalistic manner<ref>Notes from the Balkans: Locating Marginality and Ambiguity on the Greek-Albanian Border,2005,ISBN 0-691-12199-0,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, .."</ref>.


==Structure==
==Structure==
Polyphonic groups of Epirus consist of four members at least. Each group has two soloists and a drone group, which provides and maintains the vocal rhythm of the song. The first soloist acts as the [[narrator]] of the song and sings the main part of it. The second soloist repeats the lyrics sung by the first soloist, while the drone group maintains the rhythm and the vocal base of the song.<ref>{{cite book|last=Sugarman|first=Dave|title=Engendering song: singing and subjectivity at Prespa Albanian weddings|publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]]|date=1997|series=Chicago studies in ethnomusicology|pages=221|isbn=0226779734|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=dKKTre6VJYwC&pg=PA221&dq=polyphony+soloist+drone&as_brr=3&ei=doTWS_joAYvOzQT0_Oy-CQ&hl=en&cd=2#v=onepage&q=polyphony%20soloist%20drone&f=false}}</ref>
Polyphonic groups of Epirus consist of four members at least. Each group has two soloists and a drone group, which provides and maintains the vocal rhythm of the song. The first soloist ({{lang-sq|Marrës}}, {{lang-rup|Atselu tsi u lia}}, {{lang-el|Πάρτης/Partis}}) acts as the [[narrator]] of the song singing its main part and leader of the group. The second soloist ({{lang-sq|Mbahes or Kthehës or Pretës}}, {{lang-rup|Atselu tsi u tali}}, {{lang-el|Γυριστης/Giristis or Κλωστής/Klostis}}) repeats the lyrics sung by the first soloist, while the drone group (({{lang-sq|Venkorë or Iso-mbajtës}}, {{lang-rup|Isu}}, {{lang-el|Ίσον/Ison}}) maintains the rhythm and the vocal base of the song.<ref>{{cite book|last=Sugarman|first=Dave|title=Engendering song: singing and subjectivity at Prespa Albanian weddings|publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]]|year=1997|series=Chicago studies in ethnomusicology|pages=221|isbn=0226779734|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=dKKTre6VJYwC&pg=PA221&dq=polyphony+soloist+drone&as_brr=3&ei=doTWS_joAYvOzQT0_Oy-CQ&hl=en&cd=2#v=onepage&q=polyphony%20soloist%20drone&f=false}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Tziovas|first=Demetres|title=Greece and the Balkans: identities, perceptions and cultural encounters since the Enlightenment|publisher=Ashgate Publishing|pages=198|isbn=0754609987|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=RjGidYC9pUYC&printsec=frontcover&dq=polyphonic+music+epirus&as_brr=3&ei=O6vWS9ygEKTGywTIwty0CQ&hl=en&cd=7#v=onepage&q=polyphonic%20music%20epirus&f=false}}</ref>


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.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}
==Voices==
The "Πάρτης" (partis) or "σηκωτής" (sikotis) ({{lang-sq|Bëj zë or Mbaj kaba or marrësi}}<ref name "European Voices2">European voices: Multipart singing in the Balkans and the ..., Volume 1 By Ardian Ahmedaja, Gerlinde Haid page 215 [http://books.google.com/books?id=Iga91qAoeDYC&pg=PA212&dq=kenge+polifonike&hl=en&ei=0H_WS-m8BsT6lwe9t-GVBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=book-thumbnail&resnum=1&ved=0CDoQ6wEwAA#v=onepage&q=kenge%20polifonike&f=false]</ref>) is the voice that sings the main melody, beginning, "παίρνοντας" (pernontas, taking) or "σηκώνοντας" (sikonontas, lifting) the song.


The second voice answers, "γυρίζει" (yirizei, turns) or "τσακίζει" (tsakizei, crimps) ({{lang-sq|kthej zë or kthyesi}}<ref name "European Voices2">European voices: Multipart singing in the Balkans and the ..., Volume 1 By Ardian Ahmedaja, Gerlinde Haid page 215 [http://books.google.com/books?id=Iga91qAoeDYC&pg=PA212&dq=kenge+polifonike&hl=en&ei=0H_WS-m8BsT6lwe9t-GVBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=book-thumbnail&resnum=1&ved=0CDoQ6wEwAA#v=onepage&q=kenge%20polifonike&f=false]</ref>) , turns the voice) the song; that’s why it is called the "γυριστής" ("yiristis", the turner). Sometimes, instead of "yiristis", or according to some musicologists parallel with it, we find the role of "κλώστης" (klostis, spinner), which makes peculiar yodels, "κλώθοντας" (klothontas, spinning) 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.

A role that is often, but not always, found is the one of "rihtis", who "ρίχνει" (drops) the song in the end of the introduction of "partis", singing an exclamation (e.g. "αχ ωχ ωχ" (ah oh oh), "άντε βρε" (ante vre) a fourth lower than the tonic of the melody, resting "partis" and uniting its introduction with the entrance of "ισοκρατές" (isokrates).

The rest members of the polyphonic group, "isokrates", keep the "ίσο" (iso, vocal drone), namely the sound of the tonic of the melody, creating the modal base of the song. The isokrates' role is particularly important; the louder the «ισοκράτημα» (isokratima, keeping of the vocal drone) is, the more "βρονταριά" (vrontaria) the song goes (i.e. the better). In Albanian they are the "iso" keepers ({{lang-sq|iso-mbajtësi}})<ref>European voices: Multipart singing in the Balkans and the ..., Volume 1 By Ardian Ahmedaja, Gerlinde Haid page 211[http://books.google.com/books?id=Iga91qAoeDYC&pg=PA212&dq=kenge+polifonike+iso&cd=1#v=onepage&q=kenge%20polifonike%20iso&f=false]</ref>.

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.{{cn}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
==See also==
==See also==
*[[Music of Albania]]
*[[Music of Albania]]
Line 42: Line 31:
*[[Yodeling]]
*[[Yodeling]]


==References==
{{reflist}}
==Further reading==
==Further reading==
* World Music: The Rough Guide by Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham - 1999 - ISBN 1-85828-635-2
* World Music: The Rough Guide by Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham - 1999 - ISBN 1-85828-635-2
Line 61: Line 52:
**[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCXlcSbhZRI ''Song from Laberia'' {{lang-sq|Kenge nga Laberia}}]
**[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCXlcSbhZRI ''Song from Laberia'' {{lang-sq|Kenge nga Laberia}}]
**[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjDWQEKxSTE&feature=related ''I'll Start by Thinking'' {{lang-sq|Do filloj duke menduar}}]
**[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjDWQEKxSTE&feature=related ''I'll Start by Thinking'' {{lang-sq|Do filloj duke menduar}}]
**[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT4YqHpZPmA&feature=related ''Ismail Qemali Song'']]
**[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT4YqHpZPmA&feature=related ''Ismail Qemali Song'']
**[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDb18LLk_yQ&feature=related ''Albania Rock and Stone, You'd Kill Yourself for Your Flag'' {{lang-sq|Shqiperi o shkemb e gure, vritesh pritesh per flamure}}]
**[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDb18LLk_yQ&feature=related ''Albania Rock and Stone, You'd Kill Yourself for Your Flag'' {{lang-sq|Shqiperi o shkemb e gure, vritesh pritesh per flamure}}]
**[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vssXUuWKg0Y&feature=related ''Wake up Himara, Wake up Vlora {{lang-sq|Dil Himare e dil moj Vlore}}]
**[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vssXUuWKg0Y&feature=related ''Wake up Himara, Wake up Vlora {{lang-sq|Dil Himare e dil moj Vlore}}]
Line 74: Line 65:
**[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrtD8Q8n0IU&feature=related ''When the Boyhood I Remember {{lang-sq|Djalerine kur e kujtoj}}]
**[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrtD8Q8n0IU&feature=related ''When the Boyhood I Remember {{lang-sq|Djalerine kur e kujtoj}}]


{{Northern Epirus}}
{{Cham Albanians}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Polyphonic Song Of Epirus}}
[[Category:Albanian music]]
[[Category:Albanian music]]
[[Category:Epirus]]
[[Category:Epirus]]
[[Category:Greek music]]
[[Category:Greek music]]
{{Northern Epirus}}
{{Cham Albanians}}

Revision as of 16:59, 27 April 2010

Albanian polyphonic group from Skrapar wearing qeleshe and fustanella

The Polyphonic song of Epirus is a form of traditional folk polyphony practiced among Albanians, Greeks, Aromanians and Macedonian Slavs in southern Albania and northwestern Greece[1][2].

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.[3]

Origin

Although current research has not reached absolute conclusions, this polyphonic form is considered to be very old. The melodies of polyphonic songs of Epirus, including some more songs of Epirus and Thessaly, are the only ones in Albania and Greece that have preserved the pentatonic scale without semitones (a scale consisted of five tones without semitones). According to some musicologists, this scale is identified with the Doric way of the ancient Greek Dorians, the par excellence Hellenic harmony.[citation needed] Except from its scale, what pleads for the very old origin of the kind is its vocal, collective, rhetorical and modal character.

Polyphonic Music in Greece and Albania

These days, polyphonic song is found in northwestern Greek[4] region of Ioannina[5] (villages of Pogoni, Parakalamos and some villages north of Konitsa), in very few villages in northeastern Thesprotia (Tsamantas, Lias, Vavouri, Povla) and, mainly, in Northern Epirus[6] some significant examples are the villages and towns were recognized Greek populations reside in southern Albania (Northern Epirus)[7] (Delvinë, Dropull, Pogon, Poliçan, Vuthroto, Himara and others).

In both Albanian ethnomysicological literature and mass media the polyphonic song simply refers to the multipart songs of Southern Albania.[8] All four regions of Myzeqe, Toskeri, Chameria, and Labëria have the polyphonic song as part of their culture.[9]

Within Southern Albania Labëria is particular region for multipart singing. Songs can be of two, three, or four parts. If two part songs are sung only from women, three part songs are more spread, but four-part songs are a Labëria specialty. Research has shown that four part songs have come after three part ones and that are the highest form of polyphonical singing.[10]

The National Folklore Festival of Gjirokastër (Albanian: Festivali Folklorik Kombëtar), held every five years beginning from 1968, has typically included many polyphonic songs.[11]

The tradition of polyphonic singing has been contested and used by both sides of the Greek and Albanian border in a nationalistic manner[12].

Structure

Polyphonic groups of Epirus consist of four members at least. Each group has two soloists and a drone group, which provides and maintains the vocal rhythm of the song. The first soloist (Albanian: Marrës, Aromanian: Atselu tsi u lia, Greek: Πάρτης/Partis) acts as the narrator of the song singing its main part and leader of the group. The second soloist (Albanian: Mbahes or Kthehës or Pretës, Aromanian: Atselu tsi u tali, Greek: Γυριστης/Giristis or Κλωστής/Klostis) repeats the lyrics sung by the first soloist, while the drone group ((Albanian: Venkorë or Iso-mbajtës, Aromanian: Isu, Greek: Ίσον/Ison) maintains the rhythm and the vocal base of the song.[13][14]

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.[citation needed]

See also

References

  1. ^ Bart Plantenga. Yodel-ay-ee-oooo. Routledge, 2004. ISBN 978-0-415-93990-4, p. 87 Albania: "Singers in Pogoni region perform a style of polyphony that is also practised by locals in Vlach and Slav communities communities [in Albania].
  2. ^ Engendering Song: Singing and Subjectivity at Prespa by Jane C. Sugarman,1997,ISBN 0-226-77972-6,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 "
  3. ^ Engendering Song: Singing and Subjectivity at Prespa by Jane C. Sugarman,1997,ISBN 0-226-77972-6,page 356,A striking counterpart from outside the Balkans is the polyphonic Yodeling of juuzli from the Muotatal region of Switzerland
  4. ^ Greek Folk Dances by Rickey Holden, Mary Vouras - 1965 - ,page 10,"The tonal variations produced on this instrument by Greek musicians, particularly in the music of Epirus"
  5. ^ World Music: The Rough Guide by Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham - 1999 - ISBN 1-85828-635-2,page 149,"The city of Ioannina in Epirus has long been an important centre of this style"
  6. ^ World Music: The Rough Guide by Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham - 1999 - ISBN 1-85828-635-2,page 5,"south of Gjirokastër, has a sizeable ethnic Greek population, and their music is related to the music of Epirus,"
  7. ^ World Music: The Rough Guide by Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham - 1999 - ISBN 1-85828-635-2,page 127 ,"The folk music ot Epirus (//игл.) exhibits strong connections with that of Northern Epirus (now in Albania)"
  8. ^ European voices: Multipart singing in the Balkans and the ..., Volume 1 By Ardian Ahmedaja, Gerlinde Haid page 212 [1]
  9. ^ European voices: Multipart singing in the Balkans and the ..., Volume 1 By Ardian Ahmedaja, Gerlinde Haid page 210 [2]
  10. ^ European voices: Multipart singing in the Balkans and the ..., Volume 1 By Ardian Ahmedaja, Gerlinde Haid pages 214-215 [3]
  11. ^ European voices: Multipart singing in the Balkans and the ..., Volume 1 By Ardian Ahmedaja, Gerlinde Haid page 241 [4]
  12. ^ Notes from the Balkans: Locating Marginality and Ambiguity on the Greek-Albanian Border,2005,ISBN 0-691-12199-0,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, .."
  13. ^ Sugarman, Dave (1997). Engendering song: singing and subjectivity at Prespa Albanian weddings. Chicago studies in ethnomusicology. University of Chicago Press. p. 221. ISBN 0226779734.
  14. ^ Tziovas, Demetres. Greece and the Balkans: identities, perceptions and cultural encounters since the Enlightenment. Ashgate Publishing. p. 198. ISBN 0754609987.

Further reading

  • World Music: The Rough Guide by Simon Broughton, Mark Ellingham - 1999 - ISBN 1-85828-635-2
  • Greek Folk Dances by Rickey Holden, Mary Vouras – 1965
  • Engendering Song: Singing and Subjectivity at Prespa by Jane C. Sugarman,1997,ISBN 0-226-77972-6

External links

Songs in Greek

Songs in Albanian