ΓΙΩΡΓΟΣ ΚΑΡΥΠΙΔΗΣ – GIORGOS KARIPIDIS

Έτσι απλά αλλάζει οριστικά η ζωή του Γιωρίκα και πρίν ένα χρόνο σχεδόν αρχίζει πάλι και παίζει λύρα, μαθαίνοντας σχεδόν από την αρχή αφού τώρα κρατάει την λύρα με το δεξί “χέρι” του αντί από το αριστερό που έπαιζε χρόνια. Αντιμετωπίζει φυσικά κάποιες δυσκολίες, αλλά το πάθος και η αγάπη του δεν θα τον σταματήσουν να ξαναπαίξει λύρα.

Εύχομαι για τουλάχιστον άλλα 22 χρόνια να μας παίζεις λύρα και να μας τραγουδάς Γιωρίκα. Μας έλειψες. Στις πολλές συζητήσεις που κάναμε με ρωτούσες, “Γιάννε έπαιζα καλόν κεμεντζέν;” Και εγώ σου έλεγα, “Γιωρίκα όσο ζεις δεν θα λέω έπαιζες καλόν κεμεντζέν. Θα σου λέω παίεις καλόν κεμεντζέν.” Ηρθε ο καιρός φίλε Γιωρίκα που κυριολεκτικά το εννοώ. Σου εύχομαι κάθε χαρά και επιτυχία και πολλά μουχαπέτια με την “γραιίτσα σ’ ” η οποία θα κοντεύει 100 χρονών πλέον.

Giorgos Karypidis was born in Diavato, Imathia, in northern Greece. At an early age, his grandfather asked him what he wanted as a gift for Easter, shoes or a Pontian lyra (kementze), and young Giorika answered “kementze!”. And so they walked from their village to the neighboring village of Makrohori and bought a Pontian lyra for 500 drachmas. This instrument had came from Pontos originally. George is left-handed. The first lyra lessons were taught by Konstantinos Avgitidis who also lived in Diavato. When Giorika began to play, he first performed for the cultural club of his village, and later he played in weddings, baptisms, and festivals.

Nopi Papadopoulou, a famous singer at that time, came and heard him play and was impressed at his talent. She asks him to play lyra for her at a musical club in Ptolemaida. Later in the well-known club in Katerini “Prosfigas” he appears as an up and coming musician and singer. Shortly thereafter, he receives an invitation from the United States to play at the Panpontian Federation in 1986. And so he moves to the United States to the big city of Philadelphia.

In the US he becomes a well-known lyra player and singer, traveling all over the US and Canada with his Pontian lyra and his song, and his unsurpassed humor. On May 21, 1995 he is involved in a car accident as a passenger, and as a result of the accident his right arm is severed right above his elbow. It was on St. Constantine and Eleni’s Day. Because he is left-handed, his right hand would play the strings of the instrument. His career as a lyra player ends abruptly. He slowly disappears out of public eye, and tries to get used to his life without his “old lady” as he says for his love, his Pontian lyra. “Every night I dream that I play lyra, and then I wake up,” thus going back to living his nightmare.

But life has many aspects and you never know what awaits for you the next day. In a visit to his doctor to fit for a prosthetic arm, since his physician knew his passion for the instrument, he advises Giorika to give him an prosthetic arm with a small hook in the end to hold the bow. But that would only work if he played with his right “arm” and not with the left arm as he had played for many years. Thus, he decides to go to Greece with his instrument to visit Nikos Panagiotidis in Ammochori, Florina. There Nikos transforms his lyra from a left-handed instrument to a more common lyra played with his right hand.

Miraculously, Giorika’s life changes again. As of today he has been playing lyra again for about a year, learning almost from the beginning as he now holds the instrument with his right hand instead of his left as he was playing for years. Of course, he faces some difficulties, but his passion and love will not stop him from playing lyra again.

My friend Giorika, I truly wish that for at least another 22 years you will entertain us with your music. We have missed you, In many conversations we had you would ask me, “Gianni was I a good lyra player?” And I would answer, “As long as you are alive I will tell you that you are a great lyra player, not “you were” a great lyra player. The time has come where I mean it literally. I wish you all the happiness and success with your “old lady”, which is about 100 years old as of today.