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Αζιζιές
Instrumental air from Chios, set to a 2/4 dance rhythm common to all syrtos dances of the islands and mainland Greece. The syrtoi (plural of syrtos, meaning “dragging”) are so named because the dancers, holding hands, form a half-circle and, always moving to the right, drag their feet slightly along the ground.
Sometimes, either at the beginning (as an introduction) or at the end (as a kind of coda) of a song or dance tune, the musician playing the lead instrument of the folk ensemble launches into a free melody, improvising on the tune that follows or precedes it. This Azizies is an example of that practice. The violin plays the free melody solo at the beginning, accompanied by a santouri.
Based on Domna Samiou’s 1965 field recording of the song in Nenita, Chios.
Violin
Santur
