Polyphonic Singing: A Diachronic Emblem of a Multicultural Environment

Three, four-voice vocal polyphonic singing of Epirus constitutes the longest-living, cultural phenomenon of this area, which has righteously won it the status of the identifying symbol of the area. Its beginnings are related to the beginnings of the linguistic and musical articulation accompanying the processes of foundation, cultivation and functioning of the oracle of Dodona. Its ability remains that of the preservation of its individuality by appropriating influences and significant achievements of any time and culture. Especially significant are the relationships with the Byzantine music and the culture of this empire. Today in Epirus polyphonic songs are sung in three languages, Greek, Albanian and Vlach, in a variety of typologies, which is linked to the special characteristics of each region, or community, be it linguistic, ethnic or religious. In its functional aspect, polyphonic singing is built on the “iso”, on the basis of which the three other voices develop their musical line the taker, thrower and the turner, all of whom together constituting a unique vocal symphony. Declaration by UNESCO of a part only of this polyphony as “masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity” damages the reality and history of this heritage.