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Our Songs The
songs of the Association are available in double album of records,
cassettes and CD's. If you are interesting in buying them, you can
contact us.
Singers: SONG PRESENTATION All of the original
recordings and the related information to every song are found in the
file of the association. More specifically song
number 1, 10 and 12 came from the
stock-breeding life of Vlahs
(Armani). There are numerous
songs of this type reflecting social conditions from the past, when
stock-breeding was a basic aspect of economic life which shifted
up to mountains for specific reasons. The French consul
general in the court of Ali-Pasha, Pouqueville, in his work "Voyage
en Grece" mentions that Vlahs
(Armani) were attracted to the mountain and the grassland of
Pindos and Aspropotamo. They had more
than 5.000.000 sheepland goats while until the decade of 20 only three
wallachian villages of Vermion: Seli, Xerolivado, Doliani, had about
120.000 sheep and goats. Song number 8,
belongs to typical Vlah wood-cutters songs as Vlahs
(Armani) besides stock-breeding were excellent merchants,
wood-cutters and other relevant professions. K.Kristallis in his study
"Vlahs (Armani)
of Pindos" refers especially to the profession of wood-cutters who
were crossing Epirus, Thessalia, Macedonia, Albania. Victor Berard in his
work "Hellenism and the Turkish domination" makes a detailed
reference to the caravans of the Vlahs
(Armani) which were crossing Albania and reaching
Dirahio, which called it "The Wallachian port". Pouqueville
testifies "I found a Vlah in Koritsa who was trading using caravans
from Albania to Bucharest and the French Phillippe de France, describing
his trip from Ragousa to Konstantinopolis via Sophia and Philippoupolis
says" the caravan consisted of 300 mules and it was lead by Vlahs
(Armani) armatoloses. All this wood-cutting life of the Vlahs (Armani)
is expressed in wood-cutting songs, slow, long-drawn and
usually sad. Such songs would start up in Veria and would end up in Seli
or Xerolivado. One of the unpleasant moments was when Vlahs (Armani) went to foreign lands. They followed several directions, Egypt, W.Europe, Sweden but mainly areas bordering the Danube and later on they would go to America. The moments of farewell were tragic as newly weds were often separated and the pain became a song "deadi soarli la flambura...." A lot of them when they succeeded abroad, would send loads of gold and silver back to their birthplace. Such people would brighten up Athens with miraculous buildings and they became national benefactors. Song number 11 shows the pain and
sorrow of the daughter whose husband was abroad for
so many years. It also shows her courage and her anticipation. Songs numbers 2, 4, 5,
6 and 9 are love songs. The lonely life of
wallachian stock-breeders and wood-cutters, but most of all their life
close to nature, enriched the sentimental world of Vlahs
(Armani). This special psychism is expressed in love songs. Special reference must
be made to bridal songs of engagement number 3 (side A) because it is
mentioned by Kristallis who yet translated it in English. At the same
time, there is recorded personal evidence for the above by Vovousioti
wood-cutter, Toli Zottu, who in 1870, the evening of June
23, in Bradetou Square, Zagori, saw the custom of
"Fortune Telling" Klidona. "Galeata" where a
company of girls in a village -where only Greek was then spoken- was
singing a wallachian song "Ai
moi feati la fantana". Nowadays the musicians
of Grevena do not know the wallachian language and they sing the songs
in Greek. The rich wedding ceremony and the ancient ceremonial is
mentioned in song number 1 that isn" t included in this record but
only in the CD and the cassettes. The melodies and the
rhythm of the songs are of the original form, exactly as they are
preserved in our oral tradition and they were rendered with the best
possible accuracy by the company of Foti Karavioti who is a self-taught
musician with ancestral roots from Grevena and Samarina. The songs were sung by
the singers of the Association, Manekas George and Avgeros Nikos, who
for many years, since the foundation of the Association, with longing
and passion have contributed to the preservation of the wallachian
tradition. Both of them belong to families from Seli having a tremendous
tradition in the wallachian song. The folklore
Association of Vlahs
(Armani) in Veria was founded in 1981 and it consists of members
that live in Veria and Vlahohoria of Vermion (Seli, Xerolivado, Koumaria). The aims of the
Association are the recording of the customs and traditions of Vlahs
(Armani), of their historical traditions and folklore elements
and also the preservation of the wallachian language. Various sections
operate in the Association: Some of them are that of costumes, dance,
song, folklore material recording of the historical material, old
photography. There is simultaneously
a scientific committee and a library with an extensive bibliography
related to Vlahs
(Armani). The Association' s
founding member of the Panhellenic Cultural Union of Wallachian
Association has done some interesting appearances in many towns of
Greece, almost in all wallachian villages and even abroad (Bulgaria,
Italy, France, Switzerland, England, Romania). The Association has also
perfectly cooperated with the local and prefectural authorities,
cultural associations of Imathia prefecture and it has organized six (6)
Panhellenic meetings of Vlahs
(Armani) in Veria and Seli. Within the recording of
the wallachian cultural creating the Association has previously run a
double album of records and cassettes with wallachian songs. It has also
cooperated with the writing of books, the publication of books and shot
two films of a small size in collaboration with directors. The annual
diary forms historic
evidence of the aspects of wallachian life. The Association has
recently bought a scheduled building which after its restoration with
the municipality of Veria, will not only solve its housing needs but it
will also operate as a museum where priceless samples of the huge
wallachian cultural civilization will be displayed. The present recording in records, CD and cassettes contains songs that refer to the stock-breeding and wood-cutters lives of Vlahs (Armani) in wedding, love and foreign places too. This particular work was supported by the European Committee (50% financing). |
