Excerpt of Pericles Halkias (1909-2005) by Jim Stoynoff
Pericles Halkias (1909-2005)
-Jim Stoynoff
As one of the few remaining Greek folk musicians of his generation, Pericles Halkias was the subject of several interviews and studies in his later years. Living in Astoria, New York, since 1962, thousands of miles from his native region of Epirus in northwestern Greece, he came to be viewed by researchers as a “laographic” gem.
Although Halkias’s recordings and personal biography have been well documented, it is only recently that his deep knowledge of Epirot musical tradition has been explored. This is particularly relevant given that he witnessed its most dynamic phase of evolution, a period marked by more changes than in all the decades preceding his time.
I had the privilege of studying with Halkias in the early 1980’s, a learning process grounded in oral tradition and an absence of musical notation. There are unique advantages to this model of learning. In my case, it provided insights into the historical context of the repertoire and mentoring to achieve nuanced embellishment and coloration of musical phrases, along with many anecdotes, mostly didactic and some humorous, too! Much of what I share in this chapter is based on Halkias’s recounting of his musical life and the conditions that affected the music of his native Epirus.
Epirot Clarinet Music
Musical practice in Epirus at the turn of the twentieth century was shaped by the social environment during and after Ottoman rule. Significantly, the adaptation of the Western clarinet to Greek folk music during the Ottoman years facilitated greater technical artistry as well as the formation of regional musical groups, setting the course of Epirot music well into the 1960’s, a point in time that Halkias feels marked the beginning of the end for many cherished musical traditions. To understand the significance of Halkias’s recollection and his views on these trends, they are presented here to the context of relevant historical background, beginning with his instrument, the clarinet.
The clarinet is believed to have first appeared in northwestern Greece around 1830-1835 and perhaps a bit earlier in neighboring northern Epirus (today, southern Albania). Although its potential use in folk music was quickly recognized, the cost and relative scarcity of the instrument made it difficult for most musicians to acquire, a factor that inhibited its widespread use in Epirot music until the beginning of the twentieth century. Halkias tells of how his grandfather fashioned a homemade clarinet, as did many players who could not afford to purchase one in those years.
Usually made from either tsimtsidi or abanoz, these instruments were referred to as tzourades ( from jura in Turkish) because of their small size. Since hardware to hold keys in place was not readily available, protrusions of the wood stock would be carved to serve as posts and forged keys mounted on metal “rods” to allow motion. Spring action for the keys was provided by using thin strips of semi thick copper, bent in order to provide leverage. Mouthpieces were carved from similar woods, and reeds from bamboo cane.
Halkias notes that no two such instruments were alike, and because standard tuning had not yet been established, it was impossible for two clarinets to play together with the same accompanying laouto(lure) or violin. In fact, tuning these clarinets to string instruments was often impossible due to their inconsistent intonation - the primary factor that deferred the formation of musical ensembles featuring the clarinet until a time when factory-made instruments from France and Belgium became accessible.
Without exception, these were early Albert system clarinets having as few as five keys, and therefore they were more difficult to play than the modern seventeen=key Boehm system instruments. Since forked fingerings available on the Albert system were similar to those found on the flogera(shepherds’ flute), players found transition to the clarinet a natural extension of fingering techniques that they had already developed. In fact, the Albert system is still preferred by folk clarinetists throughout Greece and Turkey.
Because of the clarinet’s greater tonal range and technical capabilities compared to the flogger, more complex embellishments of traditional melodies became the norm, exemplified by such masters as Selim, Aslanis, Birbilis, Kitts’s, Harisiades, Nikola Batzis, Nikola Nine, Demos, and Dinos o Koulos, all predecessors of Halkias. This is especially evident in the Zagori village dance pieces by Nikola Nina and the highly ornamented pastoral “Skaros” as recorded by Harisiades, recognized as the greatest technician of his time.
Halkias notes that one the years, clarinets in various pitches were popular. Traditionally, clarinets in the key of C became popular during the 1920’s and remained so until the late 1960’s, when the trend moved toward a lower, darker tone. This era saw a widespread use of lower-pitched clarinets in B-flat, A, and G, which incidentally is still preferred by Roma in Macedonia and Turkey. Currently, the B-flat clarinet is the most prolific in vocal accompaniment as well as in solo performances. A visit to Halkias’s workshop revealed a treasure trove of vintage clarinets that he had acquired over the years. He had also built several instruments in novel pitches, such as soprano G.
Halkias related how, in the years preceding the use of sound systems (around the 1960’s), clarinetists achieved a primitive form of amplification by carefully lining the inner chamber of the mouthpiece with candle wax. This served to dramatically increase the clarinet’s volume, important for outdoor performances, which were very common in villages. Interestingly, a similar technique has been used by New Orleans clarinetists, who would apply a layer of chewing gum for the same purpose.
Halkias’s early recordings were performed with a C clarinet, typical of that era. As he points out, C clarinets were used by such early players as Selim and Birbilis. With their clear, brilliant tone and strong projection, they were ideally suited to outdoor use. Also, violinists and santouri (hammered dulcimer) players preferred tuning to a C clarinet to avoid transposing.
Parallel to the centuries-old custom in Epirus of unaccompanied polyphonic singing was the emerging prominence of the clarinet and ultimately the formation of the typical ziyia, kompania, or takimi consisting of clarinet, violin, lout, and definitely (tambourine), with the santouri added around 1900.
According to Halkias, the Batzis family o Tsarapliana was the first to form such a kompania in his region of Pogoni. They composed countless ballads and dance tunes based in large part on the polyphonic singing of elders. In fact, the family’s identification with local musical tradition was so great that patrons would request a batzitiko which had become synonymous with pogonisio (songs indigenous to Pogoni), a practice still common today among older patrons.
Prior to the liberation of Epirus from the Turks in 1912, travel to northern Epirus was not restricted, and the Halkias and Batzis families as well as others often traveled into Albania to perform for Turkish beys for celebrations known as ramazania and sinetia. They also performed for the beys in the Delvinaki and Filiates areas of Epirus.
According to Halkias, all the players of this era were influenced by Birbilis, Selim, and the latter’s son Aslanis, who came from Leskovik and Argyrokastro (Kastro; today’s, Gjirokaster) in Southern Albania. They were noted for their solo clarinet mirologia (laments) as well as Arvanitic dance pieces, all of which predate recording. Halkias related how as a young man he once walked two days from his village in Pogoni to Kastro to hear Selim play. He sat close by during the two-day festival and tried to memorize as many musical phrases and techniques as possible. He was especially moved by one miroloi, and titled it “Vorioepirotiko miroloi, Selimos” (North Epirus Lament, Selimos). It is probably the only approximation of Selim’s style we are likely to ever hear, since he himself was never recorded.
Out of Epirus
In the late 1920’s, Greece’s emerging recording industry provided unprecedented opportunities for Epirot clarinetists, yet many of them refused to be recorded, fearing that they would no longer be in demand for live performances. Because of this reluctance, there were numerous players such as Vasili Bitas of Metsovo and Tsoutas of Konitsa whose fame never reached beyond their hometowns and surrounding areas.
The Pogoni district alone has approximately 160 villages, which until the 1960’s represented a vast number of regional musical styles and repertoires known only to local musicians, Halkias and noted contemporaries such as Filipas Roundas and Tassos Halkias among others became the beneficiaries of this rich oral tradition, which fortunately is preserved in their extensive discographies. Halkias began recording in 1947 for Columbia and His Master’s Voice, and continued to record into his late seventies.
During the 1930’s, Halkias moved to Athens, where he played at the prestigous Elatos and Zhangos tavernas. Although he worked as a blacksmith during World War II - sometimes playing for a military audience-he resumed performing in Athens during the 1940’s and 1950’s. During the summers he returned to Epirus to play for community and family celebrations.
After settling in America, Halkias was the most sought after Epirot clarinetist in New York City. At one time or another, he played at most of the nightclubs on Eighth Avenue and performed for many years at Epirot organization events, weddings, baptisms, patron saint’s day celebrations, and on several occasions at the funerals of compatriots- where he played soul-wrenching laments that he had learned as a young man.
In the early 1980’s, he formed the Halkias Family Orchestra, which played traditional music for Epirot events. The group was also part of the 1982 Greek Music Tour that brought together several legendary Greek musicians, including the laouto player Lazaros Harisiades, with whom he had performed at countless events in Epirus in the early years. His most significant recognition outside the Greek community came in 1985 when he was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship.
