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various artists - historical recordings
Pontus şarkilari (Kalan)
$20.99
Pontus sarkilari is an exploration of Greek Pontiac music recorded in Athens in 1930. This 2 CD set with an extensive hard-cover book of notes explores this little known music of Turkish refugees in Greece's Pontus region.
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Notes from the record label:
The dance music of the Pontic Greeks presents great rhythmic variety. The use of assymetric metres is common. For instance we often come upon five-beat (3+2) and seven-beat measures (3+4) many of which are played in an extremely fast tempo. At the end of this brief introduction some of the most common Pontic dances are mentioned along with a short description.
Special attention should be paid to the following items in this collection: the lullaby (no. 24, cd 2), the laments (no. 16, 17, cd l, no. 8, 15, cd 2), the emigrant songs (no. 17, 18, cd 2), the carols (no. 6, 7, cd 2), and certain religious stories that used to be sung in Turkish (no. 27, 28, cd 1).
Listening to this double cd, one cannot hide ones admiration for all participants, both singers and instrumentalists. Not only do they possess rare vocal qualities and an exceptional virtuosity, but are also stirring interpreters of their deepiy compassionate music. And our admiration becomes stronger upon the realization that some of them play and sing simultaneousiy, or talk, sing and weep with the truth and persuasiveness ofahighiy gifted actor. This art could become a starting point for the modernisation and renewal of speech expression in ancient Greek tragedy.
- from notes by Markos Ph. Dragoumis
The present anthology is devoted to Pontic Greek music as recorded in Athens in 1930 by Melpo Merlier. The musicians were all refugees from Turkey. The style of the music is characteristic of the Eastem Pontos region. it is sung in the Greek Pontic dialect which differs considerabiy from common Greek. The lyrics of the songs have a regional flavour, but the prevailing meter is the Panhellenic fifteen syllable verse. The favored musical instrument of the Pontic Greeks is the lyra or kemence, it has a long rectangular shape and was traditionally played as a solo instrument accompanying both songs and dances. Another tradI.tional instrument is the bagpipe or tulum, which is sometimes accompanied by the large drum or davul. To these one could add the kaval (a longish flute up to approximately 85 cm) and the piccolo or siliavri. A peculiarity of the Pontic lyra is that it is played in parallel fourths by double stopping the strings with the fīngertips.
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