Ververis Giannis

Place of birth: Akrasi, Lesvos

Year of birth: 1908

Short biography:

Giannis Ververis was born in 1908. He was a professional musician with formal training in music. He played the violin and sang, when the song demanded it. Other musicians in his family included: his grandfather, Giannis Ververis, from Boro (Neochori – violin), his father, Valakos Ververis (cello – bass), his brother, Dimitris Ververis (santouri, and later the trombone in his father’s band), and his cousin, Kostas Gialouris, from Boro (Neochori – violin).

He performed music on a professional basis during the 20s. He played the violin and joined – along with his brother – the band formed by their father, Valakos, and other local musicians. He took music lessons in Mytilini, from Kleanthis Myrogiannis, a music teacher: “Then we grew up, and my father sent me to learn the violin. He sent me to learn the violin, and my brother, Dimitris, the santouri. Well, we went, I went to Mytilini, inside Mytilini, my brother and I were sent to live with a priest, Panagiotidis was his name. My father paid. I leant the violin, my brother the santouri. We lived with the priest. To Kleanthis Myrogiannis. We had our lessons in his house. Myrogiannis was a violinist, he was famous in those days… Since the war, I learned the violin, I learned for many years. Since 1920.”

Events he regularly performed at were weddings, festivals, and parties in homes and cafés in his local area, which included the villages around Plomari and central Lesvos.

His repertoire included traditional local tunes, and songs from Asia Minor, passed down by older generation musicians, like his father. He also played and sang local songs of Plomari, such as “Eri-pale” (a carnival song, on “erotic” or “nautical” themes), “tis kounias” (“of the cradle”, sung at spring, around Easter), the couplets of “kaimou kai tou erota” (“sorrow and love”), sung to the tune of “parapounikos skopos” (a tune also known as “plagiotikos” or “plomaritikos”, only found in the villages around Plomari, with minor variations in tempo. The tune is not played on musical instruments). However, depending on the occasion, they also played the tunes known as “European”, such as the waltz, the tango, and the fox trot: “If they wanted us to play a tango, a waltz, a fox, they’d ask for it”. At weddings, they also played the tune known as “nyfikatos”: “We’d go and pick up… from the church, we didn’t play the nyfikatos, to start with. Later, when they’d had the wedding and came out, that’s when we played it. Then they went and sat in the café. When it was winter, in the café, but in summer outside. They’d all sit there and dance, and dance. Most weddings were in the afternoon. Well, they lasted (wedding celebrations) until the morning, depending.”

Giannis Ververis stopped playing music on a regular basis in the late 40s, after several members of his band had died. He since spent his time on agricultural activities, primarily cultivating olives in his olive groves in Akrasi. He was also a professional hunter.