Music & Dances

CRETAN NIGHT - FALASARNA SUNSET

Since ancient times, the cultivation of music in Crete held a special place. From archaeological excavations (Knossos, Phaistos, etc.) and the ancient texts we get valuable information. Representations (sculpture, ceramics, painting) depicting musicians and dancers which refer to nowadays, that the lyre player plays in the middle and the dancers dance around in  circle. In the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion a flute ,with rings of removable cover holes to render the notes, is saved.From extracts  of ancient drama we learn that "Minos ordered  along with his son, Glaucus, and his flutes to be buried, which he both loved when he was  alive." There  are also  displays of  flutes, double-reed pipes,voukina ( horns), trumpets. The ancient guitar was not popular in Crete, but the ancient lyre was played, as it can be seen by representations in writings, murals, stamps, etc.

Numerous researchers studied ancient Greek music, as well as, the accompanying dances  (pirrihis, yporchima). From these scientists come many information about musical instruments and the music of the Minoans and ancient Greeks. There are many that give a basis for the continuation of the Greek musical and dance tradition through the centuries.

    Especially for the music, it must be said that, it had a leading role in the life of ancient Greeks and Cretans and accompanied their daily activities with all of its forms: weddings, deaths, celebrations for the worship of gods, war and love.
     The instruments used were percussion,wind and stringed musical instruments. Especially in Cretan music, there were older wind instruments ,such as fiampoli, askomantoura and sfyrohabiolo. The stringed instruments were the lyraki and viololyra,  the violin, the lyre, the lute and mandolin. The distribution of these traditional musical instruments has not been even throughout the island. So, we have, in  eastern and western Crete, the violin with the company of guitar, mandola or mandolin, small drum and lute,  respectively, while, the basic zygia lute- lyre, became popular throughout Crete, but in a different style and color depending on the area.
     Crete has special musical tradition, from which, undoubtedly stand  out the rizitika, songs from the "roots" (= feet)   of the White Mountains, which are divided into rizitika of the table and rizitika of the walk. The first are sang without instruments from two antiphonal groups of men singers , while the second are sang  by people walking with the company of musical instruments.

At Kissamos province, which was geographically closer to Western Europe, the violin was and is the main musical instrument, along with the lute,  creating a unique musical tradition based on the melodies of syrtos.  In this area, the presence of wind instruments is not strong due to the uniqueness  of the area, that combines  sea contact with ,not so intense, contact with the rugged mountains, which did not perhaps  give the shepherds, who are the main inventors of  askomantoura (from sheep leather) and sfyrohabiolo  (from reed) , the opportunity  to flourish and make their living, at the expense of the violin. Moreover, the strong influence of the sea is clearly reflected in the music, too. It is no coincidence that, both syrta and  syrtos itsself as a dance, is faster and more aggressive than the rest of Crete.

   The prevalence of the violin ,of course, is directly connected with the existence of great violin players in this place,such as  Charchalis, Marianos, Naftis, Kounelis.
    Basic influence of Kissamos music was the coexistence of the Turkish conquerors with the locals, who created a new class of inhabitants, not only in Kissamos, but throughout the island, and, while most were Christians ,who converted to Islam, they had  the experiences and the love for the Cretan music and dance. Typical example,  the tune  Karagkioules ,composed by Mustafa Karagkioule in Kallergiana of Kissamos which is performed until today.

The dances of Kissamos:

Syrtos
   The oldest form of the dance is found in the province of Kissamos Chania. It belongs to the category of syrtos dances. Let us not forget, moreover, that in recent decades, it sounds more like chaniotikos syrtos. It is performed by men and women in a circle. Its music meter is  5/8, its  steps are  11 and the hand hold from  the palms to the shoulder level. Syrtos is pefrormed in a circle. According to oral tradition, which Naftis recorded  in his book Cretan lyra a myth (Chania, 1989), the dance took its form  in the mid 18th century in the province of Kissamos, possibly by transforming  steps of some older syrtos dance.

  In popular belief, the oldest melody of chanioti, "the first"  was created  based on two tunes composed by Cretans volunteer fighters of Constantinople in 1453, who, as it is known, were its  last defenders. These melodies, which, those who were saved of the fighters returning, brought back to Crete,were  preserved for two centuries as songs. According, always, to  popular testimony, the first instrumental music performance of dance is attributed to Kissamos violin player Stefanos Triantafillakis or Kioros (18th century) and its first performance by steps to people of Kissamos  at  Pateriana of the village Lousakies.   
    In the mid-18th century, where at the wedding-a pretext of someone Pateromanou in Pateriana of Lousakies Kissamos, with best men captains from Gramvousa, the famous violin player Stefanos Triantafyllakis or Kioros from  Galouva of Lousakies  Kissamos, after  captains order  for  dance,  played with  his violin  the two honored  musical tunes.

     The captains, under the intense emotions, evoked by  some local revolutionary groups against the Turks , ,and wanting to honor the Cretans who returned from the Constantinople,  seems that  performed an old cretan dance, possibly changing its steps, on the two tunes played by  Kioros . This is how the "chaniotikos syrtos" is said to be created, the king "of Cretan dances. A unique dance with special interest, because of  its remarkable  dance performance in the Kissamos province, where in the circle of the dance always danceeach  first two and the very large number of accompanying melodies (music tunes), creations of great musicians of the 19th and 20th century.
      Nowadays, these tunes are called "first chaniotikos" and "second chaniotikos" or "kissamitikos."  

     The chaniotikos became widely known to the rest of Crete during the Interwar period, acquiring then variations in the style and the expression of music, the pace and its form.It is a unique dance and of particular interest due to the distinctive way the dance is performance in its older form, which is preserved in the province of Kissamos,while in  the circle of the dance alwaysdance eachthe first two, while the rest walk, but of the very large number of accompanying melodies (music tunes), which most are creations of great musicians of the 19th and 20th century.

Rodo
  Rodo in Crete ,as in other areas, is called the rose. The name of the dance probably was given to  to honor and praise the beauty of the woman, to which it refers. It is a dance of the province Kissamos Chania and, specifically of the village Lousakies. It belongs to the category of syrtos dances. From grandmothers of the area is testified that, it was mainly female dance that was performed during the early morning hours, when the celebration was about to end. Nowadays, it is mainly performed by women, but used to be a mixed dance.Its music meter is  2/4 and it is danced in a circle. The revival of this dance, and by extension the music that comes with it, is due to the cultural association of Lousakies and the conference about local  dances that was recently held. 

Roumatiani sousta(or Gitsikia)
   

   It belongs to the bouncing dances. Nowadays, it is performed only by men, but used to be a mixed dance. The dance meter is  2/4,  its steps are  6, and the hand hold from  the palms to the shoulder level. (with bent elbows). The dance could be described as imitative because,even though the dance patterns are defined , the order of these depends on the first dancer, whom the others follow . The   musical phrases of sousta consist of 4 parts and are directly linked to the music of malevizioti.

Pentozali
      Oral testimonies, facts and historical sources confirm the origin of pentozali. Only in the western provinces ,the ceremonial  mentioned above took place  and ,therefore, there is no room for doubt. Even though that effort of the Cretan revolution was crushed and many died a tragic death,  pentozali won and survived through oral music and dance tradition and ,therefore ,continues to be a revolutionary symbol for the Cretans of the island.
        These four dances are presented as local dances of Kissamos, of course ,without this meaning that, in this area, there are  no the other dances of Crete being danced (Maleviziotis, Siganos, Ntournerakia, Glykomilitsa etc.).

CRETAN NIGHT - FALASARNA SUNSET