The Kings in Epirus - Epic Byzantine Music

Music and vocals by Farya Faraji. Please note that this isn’t reconstructed music from
the era, only modern Greek Epirote music with ancient theme.

Since my Eastern Roman themed tracks are mostly excuses to delve into the vast regional diversity of Greek music, I chose as a theme the Despotate of Epirus to delve into the music of Epirus, a region renowned for its unusual usage of pentatonic melodies. Pentatonic melodies are ones using only five notes, which is typical of many cultures such as that of the Native Americans or East Asian cultures, instead of seven notes, which is the dominant norm across Greek music. This specific region of the Balkans however is defined by pentatonicism, alongisde another common feature which is the Polyphonic Song of Epirus heard in the background here, a unique form of polyphony found in this region across Greeks, Albanians and Vlachs. I structured the melody to reflect the typical melodic patterns found in the region, and the rythm also follows the typically slow, heavy feel of Epirus’ dances. The pentatonic nature of Epirote music has often been attempted to be linked to remote antiquity, as Ancient Greek music used pentatonic structures often, but this equating of Epirote music rests chiefly on a now outdated Darwinian model of simple-to-complex history of music, that presupposed that pentatonic music is inherently more primitive, and that the earliest stages of Greek music started from that primitive stage to attain a more complex heptatonicism. This model is now soundly rejected by modern musicology, as we can now observe that music does not follow a Darwinian model of simple complexification, as the earliest Greek music had always been heptatonic, and there is no solid evidence to link Epirus’ polyphony to that of Greek antiquity—the two may be unrelated emergences of a similar phenomenon.

The Despotate of Epirus (this name is a modern historiographical convention like the term Byzantine) was a rump state of the Eastern Roman Empire formed after the latter’s fall to the hands of the Venetian crusaders. It was centred around the eponymous region, and its monarchs claimed the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire. It would exist from 1205 to 1337, and then again from 1356 to 1479.

Lyrics in Greek:
Kάνε να μη σβήσει τούτο το κερί,
Η Ρωμανία ζει!

English translation:
Do not extinguish this candle yet,
Rhomania* still lives!

*The term Rhomania here obviously doesn’t mean the modern country of Romania, it was a term meaning roughly the land of Rome, or of the Romans.

[faryafaraji]

Music and vocals by Farya Faraji. Please note that this isn’t reconstructed music fro the era, only modern Greek Epirote music with ancient theme. Please note this isn't reconstructed historical music, it's modern folk music. The Epic Byzantine Music series is a musical project where I explore various sounds from the ethnomusicological ecosystem of modern traditional music, using sounds from modern folk traditions as they are today as a framing device for themes pertaining to the history of the Eastern Roman Empire.

Since my Eastern Roman themed tracks are mostly excuses to delve into the vast regional diversity of Greek music, I chose as a theme the Despotate of Epirus to delve into the music of Epirus, a region renowned for its unusual usage of pentatonic melodies. Pentatonic melodies are ones using only five notes, which is typical of many cultures such as that of the Native Americans or East Asian cultures, instead of seven notes, which is the dominant norm across Greek music. This specific region of the Balkans however is defined by pentatonicism, alongisde another common feature which is the Polyphonic Song of Epirus heard in the background here, a unique form of polyphony found in this region across Greeks, Albanians and Vlachs. I structured the melody to reflect the typical melodic patterns found in the region, and the rythm also follows the typically slow, heavy feel of Epirus’ dances. The pentatonic nature of Epirote music has often been attempted to be linked to remote antiquity, as Ancient Greek music used pentatonic structures often, but this equating of Epirote music rests chiefly on a now outdated Darwinian model of simple-to-complex history of music, that presupposed that pentatonic music is inherently more primitive, and that the earliest stages of Greek music started from that primitive stage to attain a more complex heptatonicism. This model is now soundly rejected by modern musicology, as we can now observe that music does not follow a Darwinian model of simple complexification, as the earliest Greek music had always been heptatonic, and there is no solid evidence to link Epirus’ polyphony to that of Greek antiquity—the two may be unrelated emergences of a similar phenomenon.

The Despotate of Epirus (this name is a modern historiographical convention like the term Byzantine) was a rump state of the Eastern Roman Empire formed after the latter’s fall to the hands of the Venetian crusaders. It was centred around the eponymous region, and its monarchs claimed the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire. It would exist from 1205 to 1337, and then again from 1356 to 1479.

Lyrics in Greek:
Kάνε να μη σβήσει τούτο το κερί,
Η Ρωμανία ζει!

English translation:
Do not extinguish this candle yet,
Rhomania* still lives!

*The term Rhomania here obviously doesn’t mean the modern country of Romania, it was a term meaning roughly the land of Rome, or of the Romans.

[darkryder]

My grandfather was from Epirus. He was born the year the region was liberated from the Ottomans. He was born with the status of livestock, but got to grow up a free man. There's not a lot of Epirote representation when talking about Greek culture, so I'm grateful and happy to listen to this. Another great song, Mr. Faraji!

[giannismihalakos]

The byzantine and greek spirit will never die as long as men like faraji creates such wonderful music. Keep on capturing our hearts Persian friend. Greeks and Persians.

[theshadowsagas]

*Marches into Epirus to deal with angry Normans for the 50th time this week*

[ypsawbones]

I'm an epirote I never thought a foreigner
Would play our music let alone you
I'm speechless friend

[pseudomonas]

Since, according to the Greek mythology and tradition, the Acheron river in Epirus is the Entrance to Hades, the Epirotan folk songs always gave me this feeling of a mystical descent to the underworld.

[thegreekpro]

You've truly captured the sounds of the Hellenic Spirit!
💙🤍🇬🇷🇬🇷🇬🇷🇬🇷🇬🇷🤍💙

[byzansimp]

Epirote Epicness here! Just hearing "Η Ρωμανία ζει!" gives me such excellent music as always!

[ΝΙΚΟΣΤΣΙΡΑΜΑΝΕΣ]

Είναι λυπητερό και σε διαπερνάει όλο από περιφανια και δέος 🇬🇷☦️

[axelexiscus]

As an Epirote and a long time fan of this channel, I am so very deeply flattered with this, I can't even begin to describe.

Listening to it I could even picture the steps you'd dance it to. It's great, thank you for this.

[pseudomonas]

Despotate of Epirus!!! Yeah! Love how you captured perfectly the rhythm of the old Epirotic folk songs, and without adding the classic clarinet, which was appeared in the history of the Epirotic folk music, more recently, in comparison to the Byzantine Era. Excellent work again!!!

[zissimoskalarrytis]

Τι τέρας είσαι ρε φίλε…ειμαι Ηπειρώτης και πήγα να κλάψω. Εύγε!

[agalnamedgio]

OMG not only did you perfectly capture the vibe of epirotic music, but you also made it sound grand and epic???? I can't, I'm in absolutely awe

[balkanmountains]

Omg! I can't believe you made a song about one of my homelands! I don't think theres ever been a medieval-themed song for Epirus, apart from a few surviving traditional songs like ''της Ωριάς το Κάστρο'' etc. And its beautiful as well! I'm going to learn to play it on my Epirotan Tzamara!

[orthochristos]

Hauntingly beautiful. Thank you, sir.

[etiennegarant]

Thank you for showing us all this diversity in Byzantine-inspired music, through the distance in both time and space its easy to forget that the medieval Greek world truly was a vast place with so many local traditions.
Diversity is the spice of life, and your take on Greek music making it tasteful indeed.

[xKingBilly_]

This is a masterpiece ! My father is an Epirote and my mother is a Thracian Greek with 1/4 Pontian Greek ancestry and I am very surprised how well you represented one half of my ancestry !

Earned a sub bro 🇬🇷💪🏼

[romulus_rex]

Emperor, for the love of Jupiter, wake up. New Farya masterpiece just dropped

[tylerbrubaker]

Ahh nothing like Farya goosebumps in the morning 🔥

[VarangianBodyguard]

My greetings to my brothers and sisters in Northern Epirus! One day we will be as one again ! 😎🛡☦