Pontic Greek music

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A Pontian dance group with a daouli player (left) poses before a performance. Khristougenniatika Kalanta sto UPEKs (11516208194).jpg
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.

Contents

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]

Cultural role

When Pontian refugees came from the Pontos to Greece in the 1920s, they brought traditions of music and folklore with them. Between the 1950s and the 1980s, Pontian clubs used music, dance, and folklore to portray themselves as both patriotic Greeks and as a distinct group unto themselves. The focus was mainly on assimilation; to this end, Pontian musicians might censor songs with Turkish verses. [3] In the 1980s, when some of the original Pontian refugees began to pass away, the focus of Pontian music in Greece began to shift. The focus moved to remembering the original refugees and their experience. Music and folklore became more inclusive; for example, musicians began to openly perform Pontian songs with Turkish verses, such as "Tsambasin." [4]

A parakathi, or muhabeti, is an important form of social get-together for Pontians in the modern day, describing "a banquet where music is the main activity." [5] Parakathi gatherings always include music, including epitrapezia, or "tabletop melodies." [6] Tablemates go back and forth, singing original or remembered rhyming couplets to one another. The couplets are in iambic meter or trochaic meter. The lyra provides instrumental support. The music is very spontaneous. [5] The goal of a parakathi performance is to express emotions through the use of remembered verses, and to share these feelings with one's community. Couplets may be used to communicate sorrow, to express longing, or to flirt. [7] [8] Scholar Ioannis Tsekouras argues that parakathi gatherings first emerged among refugees as ways to discuss their memories of genocide and deportation. [9]

Instruments

Various Pontian musical instruments in the Benaki Museum.There are various lyras to the left and right of a daouli (drum); in front is a zurna. Kemenches,Flute and Drum from Pontus Benaki.jpg
Various Pontian musical instruments in the Benaki Museum.There are various lyras to the left and right of a daouli (drum); in front is a zurna.
Masa , a handheld percussion instrument, in the Museum of Pontian Hellenism in Athens. Masa (musical instrument).jpg
Masa, a handheld percussion instrument, in the Museum of Pontian Hellenism in Athens.

Pontian musicians utilize a variety of musical instruments. The most iconic is the lyra, also called the Pontic kemençe or simply the kemençe. [10] [11]

Lyra

The lyra is a three-stringed instrument made of dense wood. The instrument is tuned in fourths, typically from the highest string to the lowest string. [12] Lyras come in three different sizes: the largest, about 60 cm (24 in) long, is called the kapani and has the lowest pitch. The smallest, the zil, is 45 cm (18 in) long, and it has the highest pitch. The zilokapano falls in the middle, both with regards to size and pitch. [13]

Trills and mordents are common in lyra playing. [6] The player, or lyraris, holds the instrument in their non-dominant hand, using their fingers to manipulate the strings. Like in violin, the lyraris presses down on the strings vertically. They hold the bow (doksar) in their dominant hand to play the lyra. The instrument is not held against the musician's chin, as with the violin; rather, the body (skafí) may rest in the musician's lap, or the neck (ghoúla) may rest against their shoulder. [14] The lyraris may opt to simply play, sing while playing, or lead a dance while playing. [15] To produce polyphonic sounds, the lyraris presses down two strings with the same finger. [13] There are four different hand positions for lyra playing, with first position being the most common. [16]

The origin of the lyra is unknown. It may have ties to the Persian kamancheh or to other Byzantine or medieval European instruments. [17] The lyra is shared with other cultures in the area, including Lazes and Turks. [10]

The lyra remains important to the musical traditions of Pontic Greeks, Lazes, and Black Sea Turks, especially those who speak Romeika. In religious rural areas of the Black Sea, Islamic preachers have decried the lyra as a gavur aleti, "giaour (infidel) instrument." Despite its importance to musical tradition, there is some stigma associated with the lyra; stereotypes exist of lyra players as promiscuous, irreligious alcoholics. Some devout Muslims in the Black Sea area believe that playing the lyra is a sin. Nevertheless, it remains an important part of the local folk culture. [18]

Daouli

The daouli is the main Pontian percussion instrument. It is typically paired with the lyra. This double-sided drum is used throughout the Middle East and the Balkans, where it goes by many different names. A daouli is made from a wooden cylinder, usually beech or walnut, covered by goatskin on both sides. The instrument is suspended by a strap around the percussionist's neck and torso. The percussionist plays by hitting the daouli with two wooden drumsticks. One is thicker, and is held in the dominant hand; the other, thinner drumstick is held in the non-dominant hand. Sizes of daoulia may vary. Illustrations of the daouli appear in Byzantine manuscripts from the 800s. It is always played alongside other instruments, typically at large outdoor gatherings. [19]

Touloum

Behcet Gulas, a Hemshin musician, playing the touloum Behcet gulas.jpg
Behçet Gülas, a Hemshin musician, playing the touloum

The touloum is a bagpipe, also played by Laz people. [10] It has two melody pipes, no drone pipe, and is played to accompany many folk dances. [20] The bag itself is typically made of goatskin or sheepskin, while the two pipes are made of cane. There is no separate drone pipe. The bagpipe has five fingerholes, some of which may be plugged with wax to achieve different sounds. By manipulating the fingerholes, it's possible for musicians to produce double sounds, which makes it easy to play polyphonically. [10] The two melody pipes allow for heterophony. [21] Although the instrument is not very popular among the Pontian diaspora, [22] the touloum is undergoing a revival in Turkey. Some Turkish artists, including Laz and Hemshin musicians, released albums with touloum music in the 2010s and 2020s. [23]

Other instruments

Another Pontian instrument is the zourna, also called o petinos (literally "the rooster"). The zourna is a woodwind instrument related to the oboe. They come in various sizes, ranging from 22–60 cm (8.7–23.6 in). The zourna has seven airholes, and a thumbhole on which the zournacis (zourna player) places their thumb. [24]

Pontians also play the ghaval, a six-hole flute similar to the tin whistle of the British Isles or the bansuri of the Indian subcontinent. Pontians also play the pipiza, another wind instrument similar to the zourna. [25] Another is the floghera, a type of flute. [26]

Additionally, Pontians from certain regions have traditionally played the kemane, the oud, and the violin. The violin, however, is played upright in the musician's lap, as if it were a lyra. [27] Pontians in Georgia may use the accordion rather than the lyra. [28]

Vocals are an important part of Pontian music. Singers tend to use vibrato. Often, a lead singer will sing a line, and then a chorus of other singers will repeat that line. Sometimes singers duet, typically with one leading.

Pontians use their own language, Romeika, to describe instruments and their parts. For example, the soundholes on a lyra are called rothónia, literally "nostrils." [29]

Byzantine period

Some Romeika-language Acritic songs date back to the Byzantine Empire and Empire of Trebizond. These songs depict akritai , soldiers who defended the eastern border of the Byzantine Empire. The Acritic songs typically featured folk heroes, such as Digenes Akritas. The lyrics are in an antique, medieval form of Romeika that had much less influence from Turkish. [30]

One song, Ton Márandon hartín erthén, ("Marandos received a letter") depicts a legendary soldier named Marandos, who goes to war for seven years and leaves his young wife. Upon his return, his wife fails to recognize him. The homecoming theme is reminiscent of nostos from classic Greek literature. [30]

The songs offer glimpses into medieval Pontian life. Both Ton Márandon hartín erthén and Akrítas óndes élamnen ("When Akritas plowed") discuss livestock, farming equipment, and traditional farming techniques. [31] The song Akrítas óndes élamnen follows Akrítas, literally "frontiersman," who speaks to a small bird. The bird sits on his ploughshare while he works and sings to him. It says,

Akríta mu, do káthese, do sték'is ke perménis?
To énikó s'ehálasán k'e tin galí's epéran,
k'ólon kalíon t'álogó's stróne k'e kavalkévne.
My Akritas, why are you sitting, what are you still waiting for?
They destroyed your home and they took your wife,
they took your best horse and rode on it.

—Akrítas óndes élamnen, translated by Thede Kahl. [31]

Birds, including the eagle, were a common motif in Pontian folklore, and Greek folklore at large. One song, Aitén'ts eperipétanen ("An eagle flew high"), speaks of an eagle carrying the arm of an unknown soldier in its claws. The fallen soldier himself lies dead on the mountainside. The song is highly allegorical. Many Acritic songs from the Pontos reference struggles against outsiders and conquerors. [32]

Another Acritic song, T'íl' to kástron ("The castle of the sun"), dates from the 1400s. The song is also known as To kástro tis Orĭás, ("Beauty's Castle"). The ballad centers on a beautiful Byzantine castle with a beautiful young woman inside. Turkish soldiers tried and failed to take the castle for years. However, a young Pontian who had defected to the Turkish side deceived the people living in the castle into opening the gate. [33]

Early modern

Ioannis Parharidis, a Pontian Greek teacher born in Trapezounta in 1858, did field work studying Romeika-language musical traditions around the Black Sea region. [34] In Christian villages near Trapezounta, he found that many people sang traditional folk songs. These generally related to historical events and had a patriotic character. [35] Greek Orthodox Pontians also typically sang mirologoi, or mourning songs, for the recently deceased. [36]

In the Ophis region, which had a large population of Sunni Muslim Romeika speakers, Parharidis found that the locals tended to improvise songs rather than sing well-known folk songs. [35] Additionally, villagers participated in dialogs called atışma, literally meaning "battle of words." During the dialog, two singers teased, argued, and attempted to outsmart one another using rhyming lyrics. [37] Muslim Romeika speakers also sang mirologoi. [36] Their lyrics tended to mix Romeika and Turkish. [38]

Many different Pontian folk songs have survived through to the 21st century. There are a variety of subjects: historical events, warfare, romantic love, fantastic situations, and sorrowful events. Slow, sad songs are known as karslidhika. [39] Many songs rhyme; some are humorous. Some love songs include Elenitsam ("My Elenitsa"), I kor epien so parhar ("The girl went to the highlands"), and Serranda mila kokkina ("Forty red apples"). Some love songs, like Kortsopon lal'me ("Girl, call me"), are duets between a female and male singer. Some songs reference historical events, like Tsambasin. Still other songs are religious. One such song is Souméla len tin Panagiá ("The Panagia's name is Soumela"), referencing the Panagia (Mary) and Soumela Monastery. [b] Many recordings of Pontian folk songs exist on CD; modern Pontian folk musicians also play these songs at gatherings and community events.

Some songs were written in response to the Greek genocide and the subsequent population exchange. For example, the song "Courageous Men from Pontos" (Παλικάρια α σον Πόντον, romanized as Palikária a son Pónton) centers on legendary folk heroes who led guerrillas to fight against Turkish çetes during the genocide. Some distichs used in parakathi singing also center on the genocide: "Many Romiyi [Greeks] lost their lives on the way to Erzurum. [c] / May these years go away and never come back." [42]

Folk music in the modern day

The Greek Orthodox population of the Pontos had to leave their traditional lands during the Greek genocide and subsequent population exchange in the early 1910s-1920s. Most resettled in Greece. As a result, their musical styles naturally diverged from those of the Muslim Pontic Turks, who remained in the area. [43]

In Turkey

Some Black Sea Turks still speak Romeika and use traditional Black Sea instruments. For example, Merve Tanrıkulu, a Turkish singer from Trabzon, released an original Romeika-language lullaby in 2019. The title is Romeika ninni, literally "Romeika lullaby." Sinan Karlıdağ accompanied her, providing the lyra (Turkish : kemençe) music. Tanrıkulu told a local news outlet that she recorded the lullaby in order to keep the culture of her region alive. [44] She speaks the highly endangered Ophitic dialect of Romeika. [45] [46]

Apolas Lermi is a singer and guitarist from Trabzon. His birth name is Abdurrahman Lermi, but he goes by the stage name Apolas, for the Greek god of music Apollo. His albums include music in both Turkish and Romeika. Lermi says he received death threats after including Romeika-language songs on his 2011 album Kalandar ("January," literally the month of caroling). [47] Despite the threats, he kept performing music in Romeika. In 2016, Lermi released an album titled Romeika, composed entirely of Pontic Greek songs. [48] [49] He has also performed duets with Greek singers such as Pela Nikolaidou. [50]

In the diaspora

Some famous lyra players who emigrated from Pontos during the exchange went on to record music while in Greece. Many were from Trapezounta and the surrounding area. They helped to preserve Pontian musical tradition abroad and publicize it for a larger audience. [51]

The lyra is historically played outdoors. Today, among the diaspora, playing indoors is more common. As a side effect, lyras are becoming larger to produce music that is lower in pitch compared to historical lyras. [52] Modern Pontic music in Greece has been heavily influenced by traditional Greek music styles, such as rebetiko. Some prominent lyra players, notably Giorgos "Gogos" Petridis, also learned to play the bouzouki, which influenced their lyra playing. [53]

New Romeika songs came about after the creation of the diaspora. One such song is [Tim batrída'm éχasa] Error: {{Lang}}: Non-latn text/Latn script subtag mismatch (help), in English I Lost My Homeland. Kostas Siamidis composed the music, while Christos Antoniadis wrote the lyrics. The song title refers to the sense of loss many refugees felt after the population exchange in the early 1920s. The song includes many components of traditional Pontian folk music: vocal vibrato, repetition, and singing with lyra accompaniment. [54]

Mían gia álo sin zoí-m so pegádi'm sin avlí'm
Mían gia álo sin zoí-m so pegádi'm sin avlí'm
Nerópon as épina ói ói ói ói ke t'ommáta'm éplina
Nerópon as épina ói ói ói ói ke t'ommáta'm éplina
Once more in my life, in my well, in my yard,
Once more in my life, in my well, in my yard,
I would like to drink some water, oh, and wash my eyes
I would like to drink some water, oh, and wash my eyes

—Chorus of Tim patrida'm exasa, translated by Thede Kahl.

Since the 1970s, the Neopontiaki genre has emerged. This Neopontic music emerged from the nightclub scenes; it combines traditional Pontian instruments like the lyra with other instruments, like synthesizers, drum kits, and electric guitars. Neopontic has become a catch-all term for Pontian music that is not traditional. [55]

Some radio stations, mostly in Greece, play Pontic music.

Kostas Ageris, winner of the second season of The Voice of Greece, performed the Romeika song Tim batrída'm éxasa to lyra accompaniment on Greek national television in 2015. Ageris' family is Pontic. [61] [62]

Notable musicians

Lyra

Composers

Singers and songwriters

These Pontic Greek musicians make popular music, classical music, or Greek folk music rather than Pontic Greek folk music. Their music is typically in Greek, rather than in Romeika. They tend not to use folk instruments.

Notes

  1. ↑ In other words, a musician might play the notes C and F, then E and A, for parallel fourths. They might play the notes B and C, then D and E, for parallel 2nds.
  2. ↑ Panagiá is title for Mary in Romeika. Soumela Monastery, or Panagia Soumela Monastery, is an ancient Greek Orthodox monastery dedicated to Mary in the Matzouka region.
  3. ↑ During the Armenian and Greek genocides, victims were forced to walk to locations far from home, usually somewhere in northern Syria or the Anatolian interior. Temperature extremes, scant access to food and water, rugged desert or mountain terrain, inadequate clothing for the weather, unsanitary crowded conditions, and few rest breaks contributed to mortality. Armenians especially were subject to massacre along the march to the interior. [40] [41]
  4. ↑ The name refers to Alexios I Komnenos, a Byzantine emperor
  5. ↑ In Romeika, lelevose means "I adore you."

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References

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  3. ↑ Tsekouras 2022, p. 400.
  4. ↑ Tsekouras 2022, p. 401.
  5. 1 2 Tsekouras 2022, p. 402.
  6. 1 2 Şentürk 2020, p. 203.
  7. ↑ Tsekouras 2022, pp. 403–404.
  8. ↑ Tsekouras 2022, pp. 407–408.
  9. ↑ Tsekouras 2022, p. 412.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Ahrens, Christian (1973). "Polyphony in Touloum Playing by the Pontic Greeks". Yearbook of the International Folk Music Council. 5. JSTOR: 122–131. doi:10.2307/767498. JSTOR   767498.
  11. ↑ Georgoulas, Renee; Southcott, Jane (2015). "A case study of a Greek Australian traditional dancer: Embodying identity through musicking". Victorian Journal of Music Education. 1: 12.
  12. ↑ Tsekouras 2016, p. 129.
  13. 1 2 Tsekouras 2016, p. 130.
  14. ↑ "The Pontic Lyra (Kemenche)". Pontos World. January 31, 2017. Archived from the original on June 24, 2018.
  15. ↑ During, Jean; At'Ayan, Robert; Spector, Johanna; Hassan, Scheherazade Qassim; Morris, R. Conway (2014). "Kamāncheh". In Libin, Laurence (ed.). The Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments. Oxford Reference: Oxford University Press. p. 3636. ISBN   9780199743407.
  16. ↑ Tsekouras 2016, p. 132.
  17. ↑ Topalidis, Sam (2010). "The Kemenche". Pontos World. Archived from the original on July 24, 2023.
  18. ↑ Michailidis 2016, pp. 93–94.
  19. ↑ Topalidis, Sam (2014). "The Daouli Drum". Pontos World. Archived from the original on December 28, 2017.
  20. ↑ Simonian, Hovann (January 2007). "Manipulating ethnic origins and identity". The Hemshin: History, Society and Identity in the Highlands of Northeast Turkey. Google Books: Routledge. p. 381. ISBN   9781135798307.
  21. ↑ Tsekouras 2016, p. 136.
  22. ↑ Topalidis, Sam (2014). "The Tsabouna (Tulum) Bagpipe: What is its Future?". Pontos World. Archived from the original on September 11, 2019.
  23. ↑ York, Michael (2011). "Emin Yağci: Tulum A Sound from the Black Sea Turkish musical Traditions by Emin Yagei". The Bagpipe Society.
  24. ↑ "The Zourna". Pontos World. 31 January 2017. Archived from the original on December 30, 2017.
  25. ↑ Tsekouras 2016, pp. 136–137.
  26. ↑ Milligan, Nancy (May 1, 2019). "Pontian Dancing in Southern California". Folk Dance Scene. Folk Dance Federation of South California. p. 14.
  27. ↑ Tsekouras 2016, p. 134.
  28. ↑ Kótsari kalón xoró – Kotsari Dance; performer: Feliks Nikolaou (Odisea Nikolaidi); camera/interview: Thede Kahl, Andreea Pascaru; transcription: Thede Kahl, Sotirios Rousiakis; translation: Sotirios Rousiakis; editor: Helmut Sandeck; retrieved from www.oeaw.ac.at/VLACH, ID: pont1253GEV0001a
  29. ↑ "The Components of the Pontic lyra". Pontos World. Archived from the original on September 11, 2019.
  30. 1 2 [Ton Márandon χartín erθén] Error: {{Lang}}: Non-latn text/Latn script subtag mismatch (help) – Marandos received a letter; performer: Kostas Siamidis (lyra), Giorgos Stefanidis (voice), Achilleas Vasileiadis (voice); camera/ interview: Thede Kahl; transcription/ translation: Thede Kahl; editor: Antonio Fichera, collected by the Austrian Academy of Sciences, retrieved from , ID number: pont1253GRV0003a.
  31. 1 2 Akrítas óndes élamnen – When Akritas plowes; performer: Kostas Siamidis (lyra), Giorgos Stefanidis (voice), Achilleas Vasileiadis (voice); camera/ interview/ transcription/ translation: Thede Kahl; editor: Antonio Fichera, collected by the Austrian Academy of Sciences, retrieved from VLACH, ID number: pont1253GRV0004a.
  32. ↑ Aitén-ts eperipétanen –An eagle flew high; performer: Kostas Siamidis (lyra), Giorgos Stefanidis (voice), Achilleas Vasileiadis (voice); camera/ interview transcription/ translation: Thede Kahl; editor: Antonio Fichera, collected by the Austrian Academy of Sciences, retrieved from VLACH, ID number: pont1253GRV0005a.
  33. ↑ T-íl' to kástron – The castle of the sun; performer: Kostas Siamidis (lyra), Giorgos Stefanidis (voice), Achilleas Vasileiadis (voice); camera/ interview: Thede Kahl, Andreea Pascaru; transcription/ translation: Thede Kahl; editor: Antonio Fichera, collected by the Austrian Academy of Sciences, retrieved from VLACH, ID number: pont1253GRV0002a.
  34. ↑ Michailidis 2016, pp. 81–82.
  35. 1 2 Michailidis 2016, pp. 86–87.
  36. 1 2 Michailidis 2016, p. 90.
  37. ↑ Michailidis 2016, pp. 88–89.
  38. ↑ Michailidis 2016, p. 91.
  39. ↑ Tsekouras 2016, pp. 155–156.
  40. ↑ Shirinian, George N. (2017). Genocide in the Ottoman Empire: Armenians, Assyrians, and Greeks, 1913-1923. Berghahn Books. p. 141. ISBN   9781785334337.
  41. ↑ Morris, Benny; Ze'evi, Dror (April 24, 2019). "Mustafa Kemal and the Nationalists". The Thirty-Year Genocide: Turkey's Destruction of its Christian Minorities. Harvard University Press. p. 390. ISBN   9780674916456.
  42. ↑ Tsekouras 2016, p. 52.
  43. ↑ Şentürk 2020, p. 191.
  44. ↑ "Trabzonlu sanatçıdan Romeika dilinde ninni". HaberCUK (in Turkish). June 26, 2019.
  45. ↑ Sitaridou, Ioanna. "Research Context". Rediscovering Romeyka.
  46. ↑ Konstantinidis, Christos (July 1, 2019). "Μερβέ Τανρίκουλου: "Θέλω τα παιδιά να κοιμούνται ακούγοντας ποντιακά" (βίντεο)". Pontos News (in Greek).
  47. ↑ İşeri, Gülşen (June 24, 2018). "Apolas Lermi: Popülizmin hedef olmasına karşıyım". Gazete Duvar (in Turkish).
  48. ↑ Antonopoulous, Paul (May 9, 2020). "Named after the Ancient Greek God of Music: Apolas Lermi continues Pontian musical traditions in Turkey (VIDEOS)". Greek City Times.
  49. ↑ "Apolas Lermi: Dedicated to the Music of the Black Sea". Pontos World. 22 February 2017.
  50. ↑ Doğan, Eylül (June 2017). Müdabele Sonrası Yunanistan'da Dilli Küçük Asya Șarkıları[Bilingual Asia Minor Songs in Post-Exchange Greece] (Master's) (in Turkish). Istanbul Technical University. p. 78.
  51. ↑ Şentürk 2020, pp. 195–197.
  52. ↑ Şentürk 2020, p. 207.
  53. ↑ Şentürk 2020, p. 208.
  54. ↑ Tim-batríða-m éχasa –I lost my homeland; performer: Kostas Siamidis (lyra), Achilleas Vasileiadis (voice); camera/ interview transcription/ translation: Thede Kahl; editor: Antonio Fichera, retrieved from www.oeaw.ac.at/VLACH, ID number: pont1253GRV0006a.
  55. ↑ Tsekouras 2016, pp. 137–138.
  56. ↑ "Το ραδιόφωνο". Αkrites tou Pontou - Radio Akrites (in Greek).
  57. ↑ "Αλέξιος Κομνηνός 105.8". Live24 (in Greek).
  58. ↑ "Ράδιο Λελεβοσε 101,3 FM". Radio Lelevose (in Greek).
  59. ↑ "The Voice of Pontians Worldwide". Radio Pontos Stockholm (in Greek and English).
  60. ↑ "Radio Trapezounta - Dedicated to the Musical Traditions of Hellenic Pontos". Radio Trapezounta.
  61. ↑ "Κώστας Αγέρης, ο νικητής του The Voice: Ο νεαρός με τη λύρα που έκλεψε τις καρδιές του κοινού". I Efemerida. June 22, 2015.
  62. ↑ "Σπίτι με το MEGA: Ο Κώστας Αγέρης υποδέχεται τη Μελίνα Ασλανίδου". Ta Nea (in Greek). October 29, 2023.
  63. ↑ Economou, Leonidas (January 13, 2015). "Kazantzidis, Stelios". Grove Music Online . Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.2274047.
  64. ↑ "Odysseas Dimitriadis". Greek National Opera. Archived from the original on August 1, 2023.
  65. ↑ Defteraios, Spyros (2021-12-06). "Παύλος Σιδηρόπουλος: Ο καταραμένος ροκ σταρ με τις ποντιακές ρίζες" (in Greek). Pontos News. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  66. ↑ Moore, Kerry (2002). "Reviewed Work: Defixiones, Will and Testament: Orders from the Dead by Diamanda Galás". Theatre Journal. 54: 643–645. doi:10.1353/tj.2002.0129. JSTOR   25069149. S2CID   192171524 – via JSTOR.
  67. ↑ "Λευτέρης Πανταζής: "Με ζήλευαν οι σχέσεις μου, λόγω της δουλειάς μου αρέσω"". Cyprus Times (in Greek). May 8, 2023.
  68. ↑ "Λευτέρης Πανταζής: Στα ξένα Έλληνες και στην Ελλάδα ξένοι ήμασταν όταν πρωτοήρθαμε". Nea Kriti (in Greek). June 9, 2022.

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