Ilias Soukas

Born in 1935 Kompoti, a village in the Prefecture of Arta, in Epirus. He belongs to the fourth generation of a musical family. His father taught him the violin and his repertoire includes traditional songs of Asia Minor, of Epirus, of the Aegean islands, and of Central Greece.

Source: Yiorgos E. Papadakis’ archive

Songs

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  • SongThessalyMagnesia, TrikeriFable Song (Ballad)

A Fair Trikeriotissa

  • Μια κόρη Τρικεριώτισσα ⬥ A fair Trikeriotissa, a comely Trikeri girl, is mistress of a silver loom that has an ivory heddle. As she spooled threads on reels of reed and softly sang a ballad, her goodman rode up to her door astride a coal-black stallion. – A greeting to [...]
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  • SongMacedoniaImmigration Song

The Wretched Mother Kneaded Dough

  • Του ναύτη η μάνα ⬥ The wretched mother kneaded dough: her sailor son required rusks. She kneaded dough, the wretched one, and wept and chanted dirges. My mother to the oven spoke, gave orders to the oven: – O oven, bake this loaf right well and brown the crust all [...]
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  • SongThessalyImmigration Song

When You Go off Abroad, My Love

  • Σαν πας πουλί μ’ στην ξενιτιά ⬥ When you go off abroad, my love, go off to foreign places, just see you don't remain six months, and don't you linger years there. Go, gallivant around the world and with the folks that's in it, and if you find like me, [...]
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  • SongMacedoniaImmigration Song

White Doves O Mine, White Ring-Doves

  • Άσπρα μου περιστέρια ⬥ White doves o’ mine, white ring-doves, black-hued birds o’ mine, you fly so high above us, traversing the sky. Come down, alight awhile here, in our courtyards here, so I may write upon your wings, on your little wings, to tell the girl I love so [...]
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  • SongThessalyMagnesia, KeramidiImmigration Song

Yorgalakis

  • Ο Γιωργαλάκης ⬥ In yonder machalá,1 amán,2 o Yorgalaki, yonder, there’s running water running there – they call it silver water. If any mother drinks of it she’ll not give birth to children. – You drank it, mother, didn’t you, so you’ld not give birth to me? But having given birth to [...]
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Records

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  • AlbumCD, Digital release1992UNHCR – The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Songs About Greeks Far From Home

This CD, published by UNHCR with an informative booklet, includes sixteen songs narrating different aspects of migrating to foreign lands: departure and life in foreign lands; the lives of families left behind; death in foreign lands or a return home. It marks a new direction to Domna Samiou’s music publications: […]
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  • AlbumDigital release, LP1989UNHCR – The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Songs About Greeks Far From Home (LP)

This LP includes nineteen songs narrating all the different aspects of migrating in foreign lands: the departure and the life to foreign lands, the life of the family left behind, death in these foreign lands or the return home. This publication of the UNHCR, with its informative accompanying booklet, introduces […]
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