Greek traditional songs & instruments

In this e-book we, the Greek Erasmus+ Team, will present you some of the customs,the traditional songs and instruments from all over Greece.

Junior High School of Agia In Greece we have many traditional songs for dierent occasions. They passed down from generation to generation oray and remain unforgettable ti today.

The Greek traditional song is basicay monophonic. It was created by the anonymous people and it was inuenced by Byzantine ecclesiastical music. The ethnomusicologists divide the Greek traditional songs into two species: The So, Lina, Nicky, Antonia, Marilia, Elena, ones that exist on the islands and the Stergios and Konstantina began to seek others in the mainland. for information. After a lot of research In this e-book we chose to share with they decided to share with you the you traditional songs that are connected following customs, songs and traditional with some of our customs both in the instruments!! mainland and the islands! CAROLS OF LAZARUS

In Greece, we celebrate the day that the That day children holding a Lord stood in front of Lazarus´tomb and basket decorated with flowers go called to his dead friend “Lazarus, come from door to door and sing the forth”, by singing the carols of Lazarus following lyrics. Housewives give one week before the day of Lord's them money and eggs. resurrection. PERPERUNA 'S CUSTOM

Perperuna is a pan-Hellenic and ancient ritual asking for rain. When it wasn't raining in various parts of our country and the crops were in danger of being lost due to the drought, the inhabitants would either go to church to pray or perform a Perperuna ritual. So they would choose a little girl and would put on her in a "dress" made of greenery and specific kind of plants symbolizing the earth and the soil that needed to flourish. Then they went to all of the villagers' houses and sang:

Lyrics (PERPERUNA) Perperuna walks and begs God to send rain. My God, please send a light rain, a good rain, so that the wheat and our crops can grow

Perperouna's song Traditional songs about Love One of the most famous traditional songs of Love, which comes from the area of Ioannina is called " Kontoula Lemonia"and people dance it like a typical traditional dance "in three" steps, holding their hands.

The same song in a more My little lemon tree (refers to a beatutiful short lady) ethnic adaptation with With your many lemons, Besaniotissa some elements of jazz I kissed you and I fell ill music But I didn't ask for a doctor .(meaning that she was the only one who could heal him_

Lower , your branches so thatI can cut a lemon, Bessaniotissa But I didn't ask for a doctor. The festivals in the Greek islands

The 15th of August is considered one of the greatest celebrations of the Orthodox church and is dedicated to Vιrgin Mary.The celebration in honor of Virgin Mary is exceptional, with festivals on all islands and in all the villages in Greece.

On the island of Astypalea the feast lasts for 3 days. It starts from the evening of the day before, where in the yard of the church, the islanders dance traditional dances under the sounds of a violin and a lyre. During the day of the celebration the inhabitants cook and offer visitors local appetizers and stuffed lamb. The three-day festival ends with the "Koukania", which are organized in Pera Gialos and it is a series of games for small and "big" children. Some of the Greek Traditional Instruments

According to the information we collected, on the islands we meet The most characteristic of "Zigies" which are musical organic these are: ensembles consisting of two 1. tsampouna (bagpipes) musical instruments. and toumbi ( a kind of drum) 2. lyra (lyre) and toumbi Toumbi

The toumpi or toubaneli is a membrane instrument of Greek folk music and is considered the drum of our islands. Its sound is produced when the musician strikes its surface using either two thin branches called toumboxila or his hands or only a toumboxilo on the right hand. This small drum, along with other well-known Greek instruments such as the lyre, the lute, the santouri and the tsambouna is part of the most common combinations in a folk island orchestra. Tsabouna

The tsambouna is a Greek folk musical instrument, part of the bagpipe family. The instrument is popular in the Greek islands.

The tsambouna consists of: a) the bag, made of goat skin. b) the mouthpiece, made of reed, various woods or bone. c) and a double chantered bagpipe upon which the musician creates the melody. Cretan Lyra

Lyra is a Greek pear shaped musical instrument with three strings. It is considered to be a surviving form of the Byzantine lyra. The musician holds the lyra vertically on his lap and presses the strings with his fingernails while at the same time he holds the bow with the other hand.

There are three types of Cretan lyras: 2. 1. the Lyraki a small model of lyra 2. the Vrondolyra which has a very strong sound 3. 3. the Lyra which is the most popular type.

1. Mainland

In the mainland of Greece we find two types of musical organic groups. The first one is called zygia . One of the most popular zygia consists of zourna and daouli.

Zournas and Ntaouli In Greece, the zourna exists in various lengths, the shortest of which is called pipiza. Pipiza is a very high-pitched instrument and is found in the Peloponnese and western Roumeli. It is typically played in pairs. One performer plays the melody while the other carries the drone. The instruments are accompanied by a large two-headed cylindrical drum, commonly known as daouli. While the drumheads were traditionally made of skin, today they are plastic. The second type of a Greek organic musical ensemble which is well known in the mainland, is compania. It consists of clarino, violi, laouto,defi, daouli and santuri but sometimes there are combinations of the mentioned instruments. Klarino - Laouto

The klarino is the Greek clarinet, and it is the most popular lead melody instrument in the mainland regions of Greece. It is an Albert system clarinet which is an older, more primitive version of the clarinet now, welll known in classical and popular music all over Europe . The Albert system klarino has fewer keys, a different tone and the Greek "klaritzides" also play the klarino with a different style and sound, than the one which is used by classical musicians in Europe . The klarino in the key of "C" ("do") is a favourite of the old folk klaritzides. Lagouto

The lavouto (lagouto, laouto) is a Greek lute. It has four pairs of metal strings tuned do, sol, re, la (C, G, D, A). It is the main accompaniment instrument for music in the Greek mainland and on the islands. The "lavoutieris" plays chords and a rhythmic accompaniment for the melody instruments of the group. On the mainland the lead instrument would be the klarino. Sometimes the lavouto is used as a melody instrument, especially on the island of Crete. Santouri

The Santouri is probably a form of the psalterion of Byzantine times. It is played with two "hammer-like" sticks whose ends are wrapped in cotton. The santouri tuning tends to be chromatic, and this works with the Greek modes. It is popular with both the mainland "kombania" which might include klarino, violi, lavouto and santouri, and the island folk group which might include a violi, lavouto, and santouri. The percussive sound of the Santouri lends a strong, rhythmic element to the group, but it also plays the melodies and chordal accompaniments.It was spread by the Greeks of Mikra Asia, however, it was played in Greece before 1922,too, on a limited scale. That was the end of our presentation. We hope you enjoyed our little musical trip in Greek traditional music that our team has prepared. For the end, you may enjoy a game that we have prepared and it is related to the knowledge you gained from this presentation!!!! Let's play!!!

Greek Traditional Music

The students who participated in this e-book are: Nicky Papaioannou, Lina Nikolaou, Antonia Marouda, Marilia Chavda, Elena Ambelakioti, Konstantina Drosou and Stergios Theos. Thank you for your attention!!!!