Musiko Polytropo - The Circle Of Life « Full and Free

Musiko Polytropo - The Circle Of Life

17 Apr, 2008 Greek Music

Description:
A collection of folk music from Greece and Macedonia, including lullabies, children’s songs, love songs, wedding songs, and laments.

Musiko Polytropo is a mixed choir of music students from Aristotle University directed by Iannis Kaimakis. On this collection of folk music from Greece and Macedonia, they perform lullabies, children’s songs, love songs, wedding songs, and laments. Starkly augmented by ney or other wind instruments, the songs are usually performed in the style known as isocrates where the lead voices are accompanied by a background drone consisting of vocalists using one or two notes. The style is ancient, its roots in Byzantine church music.
The recording is excellent, allowing us to hear the overtones around each note. Like most of the Middle Eastern ancient music, meters are determined by the accentuation of words. Where there are clear rhythms, they are the 5/4, 7/8 and 9/8 rhythms that are typical of the running step/hop Balkan dance music. The excellent liner notes (in Greek, French and English) provide background and translation of the songs. In live performance, “The Cycle of Life” is done as a whole show including movement and dance. Greece is a country whose folk music is largely unknown outside of a few academic specialists, so album is important for its role in illuminating its rich folk heritage. - Aaron Howard

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01. Come Now and Sleep My Child
02. Come Now and Sleep My Child
03. Little Lamb
04. Come, Sleep, Who Takes the Children
05. Come, Sleep, Who Takes the Children
06. Swallow Came
07. Shining Little Moon
08. My Darling Partridge
09. Earth and Sea Split Open
10. I Told You, Mother
11. My Boy, If You Wish to Marry
12. Silver Urn
13. Red Apple
14. At the Priest’s Windows
15. Spearmint and Basil
16. Would I Could See
17. Three Ships
18. Three Cretan Monks
19. Black Swallow
20. Double Flute
21. Nine Pilgrims Set Out
22. Little White Boat
23. Bird Sounds
24. Look at Our Beautiful Garden