Famous Macedonia
"Famous Macedonia" (Greek: Μακεδονία ξακουστή, romanized: Macedonía xacustí, pronounced [mɐce̞ðo̞ˈɲi.ɐ ks̠ɐkuˈs̠ti]) is a Greek patriotic song and military march, often regarded as the regional anthem of Greek Macedonia,[1] and used by the Hellenic Army since the Balkan Wars.
| English: Famous Macedonia | |
|---|---|
| Μακεδονία Ξακουστή | |
Regional anthem of  | |
| Lyrics | Unknown (folklore, 1910s) |
| Music | Unknown (traditional from Macedonia) |
It is associated with the Macedonomáchœ in the Macedonicós Agónas and can be heard on parades and in national anniversaries.
Until the recent introduction of 24-hour programming, it also marked the end of radio programs on the local Macedonian channel ("Rádio Macedonía 102 FM"), played before Hýmnos is tin Eleftherían.
It is written in Dorian scale, in iambic 15-syllable. The beat is 2/4 and it can be danced as a chasápico. It can be performed in conjunction with the Makedonia dance. In addition, the text refers to Alexander the Great, who is the progenitor of the Greek Macedonians.
Origin
The origin of the march is not certain. According to an ethnographic study conducted in villages in Serres and Drama,[2] the song wasn't known or danced to in the area. Women from Ano Oreini and Petrousa attribute the Greek lyrics and the teaching of the dance to an anonymous teacher after World War II. Women from Petrousa claim that the melody of the song is a modification of a local malady of theirs, which was made "somewhere more centrally", and they dance to a similar melody with Slavic lyrics and different steps, similar to those of other local traditional dances.[3]
The musicologist Markos Dragoumis found a cassette with Ladino songs of Thessaloniki, which included the melody of the song, as a composition made for the opening of the Schola de la Alianza, the first Jewish school of Thessaloniki, in 1873. Dragoumis guesses that it was either composed for the opening of the school and later was transmitted to the groups in the area, or it was originally composed in the middle of the 19th century by some Western composer for the Ottoman Sultan and later used by the Jewish communities.[4]
According to the Greek Army's website, it is a military march—or emvatírjo (εμβατήριο)—based on the traditional Macedonicós Chorós (Μακεδονικός Χορός), which is related with Acrítes of Byzantium.[5]
Lyrics
Current version
Greek alphabet |
Greco-Roman alphabet |
IPA transcription |
𝄆 Μακεδονία ξακουστή, |
𝄆 Macedonía xacustí, |
𝄆 [mɐce̞ðo̞ˈɲiɐ ks̠ɐkuˈs̠ti |] [tu ɐle̞ˈks̠än̪ðru̯i ˈxo̞ɾɐ |] 𝄇 𝄆 [pu ˈe̞ðʝo̞ks̠e̞s̠ to̞n ˈtiɾɐno̞] [e̞ˈlino̞n to̞ kɐˈmäɾi |] 𝄇 𝄆 [ce̞ˈmis̠ θɐ s̠ɐdiˈkriz̠ume̞ |] [pe̞ˈɾifɐnɐ ce̞ ˈpäli ‖] 𝄇 𝄆 [ˈo̞lɐ ce̞ ɐn tɐ ˈxäs̠une̞] |
| English translation |
|---|
the land of Alexander, 𝄇 |
Original version
Greek alphabet |
Greco-Roman alphabet |
IPA transcription |
𝄆 Μακεδονία ξακουστή, |
𝄆 Macedonía xacustí, |
𝄆 [mɐce̞ðo̞ˈɲiɐ ks̠ɐkuˈs̠ti |] [tu ɐle̞ˈks̠än̪ðru̯i ˈxo̞ɾɐ |] 𝄇 𝄆 [pu ˈe̞ðʝo̞ks̠e̞s̠ tus̠ ˈväɾvɐvus̠] [e̞ˈlino̞n to̞ kɐˈmäɾi |] 𝄇 𝄆 [ce̞ˈmis̠ tɐ e̞liˈno̞pulɐ |] [s̠u ˈple̞kume̞ s̠te̞ˈfäɲi ‖] 𝄇 𝄆 [ˈo̞lɐ ce̞ ɐn tɐ ˈxäs̠une̞] 𝄆 [pro̞ˈtu ce̞ˈs̠is̠ s̠tɐ ˈväs̠ɐnɐ] |
| English translation |
|---|
the land of Alexander, 𝄇 |
Notes
- Transcriptions were put together after basing on sources from Greek language, Modern Greek phonology and Help:IPA/Greek. Therefore, it is not considered original research.
- The original version of the song contained an additional fourth stanza. There were two minor differences in the preserved lyrics as well; instead of "barbarians", "Bulgarians" can be substituted, and in some versions (as in the current version) the word "tyranny" is used instead. Additionally, the verse "κι εμείς θα σ'αντικρύζουμε, ελεύθερη και πάλι!" ("and we will be looking at you with pride again!") was originally "κι εμείς τα Ελληνόπουλα, σου πλέκουμε στεφάνι!" ("and we, the Sons of Greece, plait you a crown").
References
- Roudometof, V. (2002). Collective Memory, National Identity and Ethnic Conflict: Greece, Bulgaria and the Macedonian Question. Greenwood Press. p. 81. ISBN 0-275-97648-3.
- Ρόμπου-Λεβίδη 2016, p. 135.
- Ρόμπου-Λεβίδη 2016, p. 134-5.
- Ρόμπου-Λεβίδη 2016, p. 136.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-02-19. Retrieved 2007-02-19.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Αποβλήθηκαν έξι μαθητές που αψήφισαν την απαγόρευση και τραγούδησαν το «Μακεδονία Ξακουστή» στην παρέλαση". Φλόγαsport (in Greek). 2018-02-11. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
- Γραμμενος, Ηλιας (2018-01-21). "Με «Μακεδονία ξακουστή» έκλεισε το πρόγραμμα του ο Στέφανος Βορδώνης". ερωτόκριτος (in Greek). Retrieved 2019-08-08.
- "Μακεδονία ξακουστή του Αλεξάνδρου η χώρα που έδιωξες τους τύρρανους κι ελεύθερ' είσαι τώρα". ΦΩΝΗ (in Greek). 2019-03-25. Retrieved 2019-08-08.
External links
- An arrangement for mixed chorus by Nicolas Astrinidis – YouTube
- Another remixed version – YouTube