The Princes of Lazica - Epic Byzantine Music

Music from the traditional repertoire of Laz music, with improvisations by ​⁠Dimitrios Dallas who recorded the Pontic lyra and tulum bagpipe, be sure to check out his awesome work here    / @dimitrios_dallas  . The Epic Byzantine Music series is a musical project where I explore various sounds from the ethnomusicological ecosystem of modern traditional music, using sounds from modern folk traditions as they are today as a framing device for themes pertaining to the history of the Eastern Roman Empire. In this case, I wanted to tackle the theme of the Trapezuntine Empire, a rump state of the Eastern Roman Empire after its temporary collapse following the sack of Constantinople by the Latin Crusaders. The Empire of Trebizond was formed in the Northeastern extremities of Anatolia, close to Georgia, and a massive portion of its population consisted of the Laz people, a Kartvelian people closely related to Georgians who inhabit the region known as Lazica. For this reason, the rulers of the empire were titled Princes of the Lazes. Therefore, this song consists of a mixture of Pontic Greek and Laz traditions.

Laz music of Anatolia and Pontic Greek music overlap significantly, being essentially the same broad musical tradition and using the same fundamental features. The Black Sea fiddle is a primary instrument of the region, as is the tulum bagpipe, with the primary drum being the davul, all of them used here. I also employed a Georgian pandouri, an instrument commonly featured nowadays in Laz music, even of Anatolia, as a nod to their common kinship with Georgians.

Much of the music in this region is primarily dance music, and often structured in asymmetrical rythmic structures, such as a 5 based beat in this song. I really wanted to feature the Laz language in this composition, so I simply featured a Laz love song called Furt'unaşen Gebulur that me and my mom sang in the Laz language, and my colleague Dimitrios Dallas played expertly using the Black Sea kementze and the bagpipe, adding to it his own improvisations in the style of Pontic Greek music. A form of drone harmony is also found in Laz music, something shared with their Georgian neighbours, switching from tonic to subtonic. All in all, this composition shows an example of Pontic Greek and Laz music with Georgian elements added in, showing the fascinating musical landscape of Lazica at the junction of the Greek, Anatolian, and Kartvelian worlds.

Lyrics in Greek and Laz:
Έλα! Γιε της Ρώμης,
Η Ρωμανία ζει,

Ζει στα μαύρα κύματα,
Στα τραγούδια των Λαζών.

Furtunaşen gevulur
Nena momçi mevulur

E bozo skani şeni
P'anda çveri govulur

Rak'anis mot geladgir
Limçişi xvala xvala

Moxti mendegiyona
Mulurna çkimi k'ala

Var megocan e biç'i
Var malen skani k'ala

Ubas mu mologidzin
Muç'o mzuğaş kvanç'ala

Mtel dadepe hak renan
Çkva heşo var barbala

Ma şkurina va miğun
Met'k'oçi bincubala

English translation:
Come! Son of Rome,
Rhomania lives,

She lives in the black waves,
In the songs of the Lazes.

I'm coming down from the storm stream.
Give me a sound, I'm coming.

Girl for you,
I'm always walking around with burns.

Why are you standing on the hill?
In the evening, all alone.

Come let me take you,
If you come with me.

I don't trust you, young man.
I can't come with you.

What are you hiding in your bosom?
It looks like a stone from the sea.

All my sisters are here,
Don't be so stupid.

I have no fear,
Let me shut you up.