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East Flushing Library Has Heraklion Alatsata Association CD |
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| His Holiness, Patriarch Bartholomew visits Panaghia Alatsatiani Church in Alatsata that will serve as a Christian monument. The East Flushing Library, next to St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, under the directorship of Chief Librarian Florence Leung, has established a unique Greek Studies multi-media library. “We are offering free to the Greek community CDs, DVDs and books that are an insight into their history and Greek American society,” Chief Librarian Leung said. September 2011 commemorates the 89th anniversary of the Asia Minor catastrophe. This led to immigration to Greece. The United States accepted Greek refugees as displaced persons of the Ottoman Turkish Empire. The East Flushing has an amazing cd entitled “Blow in, breeze from Asia Minor” by the Heraklion Alatsata Association of Crete. It is a memory of music that predominated in the Aegean coast of Turkey one hundred years ago. The society was founded in 1982. Its aim was to preserve and disseminate Asia Minor culture, music, dance, theater, folk art and gastronomy. The songs are sung with feeling. |
 Photo by N. Manginas, http://www.patriarchate.org |
| &Asia Minor was one of the most important centers of Hellenism from classical antiquity,” said Minos Somarakis, author and musical arranger. “Seven places are competing as the birthplace of Homer. Most of the cities were located in Ionia. Homer’s work was in the Ionian Greek dialect. The Seven Sages of Greek traditions were of Ionian descent. The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World bear witness to the dominant role played by Ionia in Greek civilization.” “The refugees brought an enviable culture with them,” say Domarakis. “Traits that had eroded in mainland Greece had survived intact in the everyday life and social interaction of the Asia Minor Greeks, especially among those who lived on the shores of the ancient peninsula. Smyrna music with the introduction of European harmonics and a cosmopolitan culture did not make its mark on provincial centers. The Erythraia peninsula opposite Chios epitomized the preservation of modular musical tradition, that constituted the development of Byzantine, secular music.” Somarakis contention is that “these communities that could see Chios, or “Free Greece” on a clear day, preserved the makam, modular development characterized by sequences. The dominant rhythm was revealed in the 4 beat ballos, 4 beat tsifteli, the 7 beat kalamatianos, 9 beat karsilamas and nine beat zeibekiko. The numerous villages and market towns on the Erythraia Peninsula made their mark on history. The town or mini cities (komopolis) that included Courla (modern Urla or ancient Clazomenae), Krini (Cesme) and Alatsata.” Musical Arranger Somarakis explained “the refugees established their own settlements in Greek cities. Their areas were named after their place of birth with the prefix ‘new’ such as Nea Ionia, Nea Smyrni, Neo Kordelio, Nea Alatsata and others. They began new lives. Yet their gaze was fixed on the never to be forgotten homelands they left behind in Asia Minor. Their musical tradition was a source of consolation and catalytic effect on the Greece musical scene.” The first song “Alatsatiani” is a karsilamas that is a folk song exemplifying the Erythraia Peninsula communities. The fifth song “Georgita” (Little Georgia) show the joys of love and life. The eighth song, “Kanarini Mou Glyko” (My sweet Canary) is a famous song popularized by Rosa Ashkenazi a popular singer of that era. “The CD was recorded in 2004,” said Somarakis. “It is dedicated to our blessed parents who passed away months ago from our minds. Asia Minor, you gave a lighted torch to our parents. They gave this lit torch to us, their children.” The Cd’s last song is “Tsivaeri”, the song of loneliness in a foreign land. The Cd is an insight into the development of Byzantine secular music. For more information, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alatsata, http://www.patriarchate.org/multimedia/photos?setID=72157626922051472&ti..., and http://www.helleniccomserve.com/amhasone.html |
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(Posting date 2 October 2011) HCS encourages readers to view other fine articles ( http://www.helleniccomserve.com/archivetsounis.html ) penned by Dr. Catherine Tsounis and press releases about the Modern Greek Studies program at St. John's University, where she is an adjunct professor. For more information about Dr. Tsounis, see her biographical sketch at http://www.helleniccomserve.com/biotsouniscatherine.html Browse our permanent, extensive archives at the URL http://www.helleniccomserve.com/contents.html. |
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