A Pontian dance group with a daouli player (left) poses before a performance.
Pontic Greek music includes both the folk music traditionally performed by Pontic Greeks and modern Pontic music. Song and dance have a long history in the Pontos, ranging from ancient dances to the Acritic songs to folk songs. Certain dances, accompanied by music, date to ancient times, such as the pyrrhichios. Pontic music evolved alongside Pontic dance.
Acritic songs, which are epic songs describing folk heroes who lived and fought on the borders of the empire in Byzantine times, date back hundreds of years. Versions of these songs exist today, accompanied by modern Pontic instruments and singing techniques. More recent folk songs include love songs, mourning songs, and war songs. These date to the late 1800s or earlier during Ottoman times. Some songs appeared after the creation of the Pontic diaspora with the 1923 population exchange; many of these speak to the hardships of the exchange and longing for home.
Traditional instruments used today include the lyra, daouli, zurna, dankiyo, tulum, and oud. Pontic music often incorporates polyphony. Instrumental music may be accompanied by vocals. Singing in Pontic music often incorporates heavy use of vibrato. Some songs are set up in a call-and-response style, with a lead singer and a chorus. Pontic music is structured in hexachords with a rapid tempo. Parallel 4ths and 2nds are common.[a] Asymmetrical rhythms are common, and sometimes, the accompanying dance does not follow the rhythm.[1] The 5/8 rhythm is typical of modern Pontic music.[2]
Because the Black Sea region has a rich cultural history, Pontic Greek music has been influenced by the various cultures present in the area throughout history, especially Laz music.[1]
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^ abRomanou, Katy; Mathiesen, Thomas J.; Lingas, Alexander; Maliaras, Nikos; Chaldaiakis, Achilleus; Plemmenos, John; Bamichas, Pyrros; Kardamis, Kostas; Kontossi, Sofia; Economides, Myrto; Tragaki, Dafni; Tsagkarakis, Ioannis; Chardas, Kostas; Seiragakis, Manolis; Chianis, Sotirios; Brandl, Rudolph M. (March 28, 2019). "Greece". Grove Music Online. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/omo/9781561592630.013.3000000167.
^Tsekouras 2016, p. 3.
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