Modern Greek Heroic Oral Poetry

The tradition of heroic oral poetry begun by Homer (9th or 8th century BC?) continued into the 20th century in parts of Greece and Cyprus. The classic tales of battles and tragedies passed down from father to son since antiquity were recorded in the 1950s in a series of field recordings by James Notopoulos. The singers of these songs are mostly illiterate shepherds or farmers who learned the art of singing heroic tales from their fathers. The liner notes discuss the important role that oral tradition plays in village life and includes lyrics in Greek and English and summaries of each poem.

Track Listing

101	The Abduction of Digenes' Bride Herakles Tsakilides	05:14
102	The Death of Digenes Neophytos Christodoulou	15:02
201	Lene Botzaris Musicians in Ioannina, Epirus	06:32
202	The Crow and the Battle of Valtetzi Nikos Stamatopoulos	04:46
203	The Song of Daskaloyiannes Manouso Karkanes	03:27
204	Erotokritos Demetrios Skordiles	02:38
205	What Ails the Mountains of Crete Michalis Polychronakes and group of men in village of Askifou, Sfakia	07:39