Manolis Pasparakis (Stravos)
The blind
lyre player
“The world I hear, the
world I step on, the world I do not know
oh! how desolate life is and how I can still go” |
 |
Even so!!! The Cretan couplet that he
himself made up, DID NOT GET TO HIM, as can be concluded from the course of his
life. The blow of fate made him stronger. He has been a fine man, a major
entertainer and family man. He got married and had children and grandchildren.
He was born in Anogia in 1911 (February). He got the nickname “Blind” when he
was three years old. He lost his sight and remained blind until he died (1987).
He learnt how to play the lyre through hearing.
When he heard a company of people playing he would imprint the tunes in his mind
and then he would play them. In his effort to learn how to play the lyre,
contributed the lyrist ‘Trumpet-antonis’ (Antonis Skoulas). When he was fifteen
years old he was playing in events (christenings- weddings-companies etc.) He
cooperated with ‘Unction-manolis’ (Manolis Aerakis) and Neoklis Saloustros. He
was even playing in his ‘70s. The lyrist culminated the artistic stage of his
region from the ‘30s until the ‘60s. With the habitants of Anogia of his time
but also subsequent generations rest the memories of his distinctive sounds in a
company, of the traditional dance ‘Pidihtos’ of Anogia and the way he played “Sirtos”.
Man. Pasparakis the Blind has undoubtedly been a living monument of the musical
culture of Anogia. The lyrist entertained Anogia and its people of dispersal
with unusual passion, eagerness and inexhaustible willingness to offer, that
reached the limits of self-sacrifice. He had the divine gift, the Blind,
irrespective of how oxymoron that is, to “see” into people’s souls, to
communicate with their inner feelings and dispositions and to respond to the
needs of the inner world of the revelers that surrounded him
He kept them tied, literally captive in the simple yet enchanting sounds of his
lyre. He was perfectly aware of the shot of uplifting that each one reveler
needed and offered plenty of it accordingly. Some possibly thought that the
Blind responded absolutely conventionally in the way each one in the company
sang and that he adjusted to the relative style for the sake of the singer. It
wasn’t like that though.
The Blind was traveling in his invisible musical world, utterly excited from his
human surroundings and sympathizing directly with the shifts and particular
expressional alterations of every singer-reveler. With this truth as a given,
he, in fact, paid more emphasis to extreme, borderline moments. He let the spout
of his musical performance wide open, whenever he was stimulated or touched by a
distinct way of expression. He revealed in this way how human he was; with the
weaknesses and the virtues of a true man. In other words, the Blind has been a
pioneer or one of the most significant pioneers of the enterprising musical
adventure of the people of Anogia.
He drew juices from the core of the memory of Anogia, scents from the flowery
balconies of the village and amorous sighs from the silent but, at the same
time, busy narrow streets and molded his own musical mark; simple but also
unruly; deeply human and sensitive to the vast primitiveness of its simple
truth. A musical imprint that marked Anogia, ‘fed’ older and newer lyrists and
still wanders today, vivid and untamed in the alleys of the village, in the
serenades and the choirs, but above all, in the memories of those who insist on
yearning for the old, unforgettable Anogian company.
On those grounds, the people of Anogia had to build a statue of him, not merely
to honour him but also to keep the memory of the old, genuine Anogian company
alive. The company that the Blind identified himself with, brought out, shaped
and supported effectively for many years. Maybe his figure on a metal will
symbolically represent the receiver of the immense gratitude that we all owe
him.
George Karatzis
Produced by
SEISTRON
PRICING (registered post
and packaging included)
[ New
releases ]
[ Artists A-M ] [ Artists N-Z ] [ Other artists ] [ Collections-Collective Recordings ]
No Credit Card? We accept orders "CASH ON
DELIVERY" for the following countries: Belgium, France, Germany,
Greece, Switzerland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden,
Cyprus.
Send us a mail or a fax
+(30)2810-301927
mentioning: name - exact address - telephone - precise description of items
ordered. We will contact you to confirm your order and ship it "CASH ON
DELIVERY" (See prices above). For details on paying by check or money order click here
Kann
ich eine Bestellung aufgeben, ohne mein Kreditkartenkonto zu belasten? Ja, aber
nur in den folgenden Landern: Griechenland und Zypern. Senden Sie uns eine E-Mail oder ein Fax
+(30)2810-301927
und listen Sie darin die gewunschten Artikel auf. Selbstverstandlich darf Ihr
Name, die genaue und ausfuhrliche Anschrift sowie eine Telefonnummer nicht
fehlen. Die Lieferung erfolgt gegen Nachnahme ohne Aufpreis (es gelten die
Versandpreise zum aktuellen Wechselkurs US Dollar -Euro)
