Music of Albania
Encyclopedia
Albanian music displays a variety of influences. Albanian folk music traditions differ by region, with major stylistic differences between the traditional music of the Ghegs in the north and Tosks in the south. Modern popular music has developed around the centers of Korça
, Shkodër
and Tirana
. Since the 1920s, some composers such as Fan S. Noli
have also produced works of Albanian classical music
.
, which ruled Albania for more than 500 years. However, the Albanian people kept themselves culturally apart from the Ottomans, with many living in rural and remote mountains. The Ottomans were Turks or Turkish people.
Albanian folk music falls into three sylistic groups, with other important music areas around Shkodër
and Tirana
; the major groupings are the Ghegs of the north and southern Labs and Tosks. The northern and southern traditions are contrasted by the "rugged and heroic" tone of the north and the "relaxed, gentle and exceptionally beautiful" form of the south. These disparate styles are unified by "the intensity that both performers and listeners give to their music as a medium for patriotic expression and as a vehicle carrying the narrative of oral history
", as well as certain characteristics like the use of obscure rhythms such as 3/8, 5/8 and 10/8. The first compilation of Albanian folk music was made by Pjetër Dungu
in 1940.
Albanian folk songs can be divided into major groups, the heroic epics of the north, and the sweetly melodic lullabies
, love songs, wedding music
, work song
s and other kinds of song. The music of various festivals and holidays is also an important part of Albanian folk song, especially those that celebrate St. Lazarus Day (the llazore), which inauguarates the springtime. Lullabies and lament
s are very important kinds of Albanian folk song, and are generally performed by solo women.
, a legendary 15th century warrior who led the struggle against the Turk
s, and the "constant Albanian themes of honour, hospitality, treachery and revenge". These traditions are a form of oral history for the Ghegs, and also "preserve and inculcate moral codes and social values", necessary in a society that, until the early 20th century, relied on blood feuds as its "primary means of law enforcement".
Styles of epics also include the këngë trimash/kreshnikësh (Songs of brave men/frontier warriors), ballad
s and Vajtim
s maje krahi (cries). Major epics include Mujo and Halil and Halil and Hajrije.
The most traditional variety of epic poetry is the Albanian Songs of the Frontier Warriors
. These epic poems are sung, accompanied by a lahuta, a one-stringed fiddle
. It is rarely performed in modern Albania, but is found in the northern highlands.
Somewhat further south, around Dibër and Kërçovë in Macedonia
, the lahuta is not used, replaced by the çifteli, a two-stringed instrument in which one string is used for the drone
and one for the melody
. Though men are the traditional performers (exception made for the sworn virgins
), women have increasingly been taking part in epic balladry.
Along with the def, çifteli and sharki are used in a style of dance and pastoral songs. Homemade wind instrument
s are traditionally used by shepherd
s in northern Albania; these include the zumarë, an unusual kind of clarinet. This shepherds' music is "melancholic and contemplative" in tone. The songs called maje-krahi are another important part of North Albanian folk song; these were originally used by mountaineers to communicate over wide distances, but are now seen as songs. Maje-krahi songs require the full range of the voice and are full of "melismatic nuances and falsetto cries".
Southern Albanian music is soft and gentle, and polyphonic in nature. Vlorë
in the southwest has perhaps the most unusual vocal traditions in the area, with four distinct parts (taker, thrower, turner and drone) that combine to create a complex and emotionally cathartic melody. Author Kim Burton has described the melodies as "decorated with falsetto
and vibrato
, sometimes interrupted by wild and mournful cries". This polyphonic vocal music is full of power that "stems from the tension between the immense emotional weight it carries, rooted in centuries of pride, poverty and oppression, and the strictly formal, almost ritualistic nature of its structure".
South Albania is also known for funeral laments with a chorus and one to two soloists with overlapping, mournful voices. There is a prominent folk love song tradition in the south, in which performers use free rhythm and consonant harmonies, elaborated with ornamentation
and melisma
.
The Tosk people are known for ensembles consisting of violin
s, clarinet
s, lahutë (a kind of lute
) and def
. Eli Fara
, a popular émigré performer, is from Korçë
, but the city of Përmet
is the center for southern musical innovation, producing artists like Remzi Lela and Laver Bariu. Lela is of special note, having founded a musical dynasty that continues with his descendants playing a part in most of the major music institutions in Tirana.
Southern instrumental music includes the sedate kaba, an ensemble-driven by a clarinet or violin alongside accordions and llautës. The kaba is an improvised and melancholic style with melodies that Kim Burton describes as "both fresh and ancient", "ornamented with swoops, glides and growls of an almost vocal quality", exemplifying the "combination of passion with restraint that is the hallmark of Albanian culture."
The ethnic Greek
inhabitants of the country's southern parts, have a music very similar to the music of Epirus
in Greece.
has long been one of the most important cultural centers of Albania, and its early 20th century music is considered as one of the most sophisticated in the country. Bosnia
n sevdalinka
is an important influence on music from the area, which is complex, with shifts through major and minor scales with a Turkish sound and a romantic and sophisticated tone. Traditional musicians from Shkodër include Bujar Qamili
, Luçie Miloti, Xhevdet Hafizi and Bik Ndoja. Albanians
also play the Armenian Duduk
.
Albania's capital, Tirana, is the home of popular music dominated by Romani influences and has been popularized at home and in emigrant communities internationally by Merita Halili, Parashqevi Simaku
and Myslim Leli.
Other voices in contemporary Albanian music include Vaçe Zela
of Tirana and Nexhmije Pagarusha
of Prishtina, Elsa Lila
and Anna Oxa
(Albanian/Italian).
is a tradition that started in Albania in the 18th century but culminated in the 1930s. These songs are a major part of Albania's music heritage, but have been little-studied by ethnomusicologists
, who prefer to focus on the rural folk music that they see as being more authentically Albanian. Urban art songs are strongly influenced by the music of the Ottoman authorities who controlled Albania for a very long time, introducing elements of Turkish music
, especially the Ottoman modal scales, to local folk styles. The northern part of Albania took more readily to Turkish music because both traditions use monophony
, while the south of Albania has long been based on polyphony
and a Greek modal system.
Out of this melting pot
of local and imported styles came a kind of lyrical art song based in the cities of Shkodra, Elbasan
, Berat
and Korça
. Though similar traditions existed in other places, they were little recorded and remain largely unknown. By the end of the 19th century, Albanian nationalism
was inspiring many to attempt to remove the elements of Turkish music from Albanian culture, a desire that was intensified following independence in 1912; bands that formed during this era played a variety of European styles, including march
es and waltz
es. Urban song in the early 20th century could be divided into two styles: the historic or nationalistic style, and the lyrical style. The lyrical style included a wide array of lullabies and other forms, as well as love songs.
By the end of the 1930s, urban art song had been incorporated into classical music, while the singer Marie Kraja made a popular career out of art songs; she was one of Albania's first popular singers. The first recordings, however, of urban art song came as early as 1937, with the orchestral sounds of Tefta Tashko-Koço
.
and accordion
, are performed at small weddings and celebrations.
has been home to many important Albanian musicians and the same can be said for Macedonia. Prior to the Kosovo War
, there was a thriving music industry in Kosovo, which reached new heights in recent years. The Kosovar music industry was home to many famous musicians, including the famous Nexhmije Pagarusha
, Ismet Peja
and the romantic, more elaborate Qamili i Vogël
of Gjakova. The Macedonian band Vëllezërit Aliu became well- known for the traditional vocal duets accompanied by drum box, electric bass, synthesizer and clarinet or saxophone. Gjurmët
is one of the most famous and influential 80's rock
bands from Pristina
.
and Murat Shehu achieved some renown, with Noli using urban folk songs in his Byzantine Overture and is also known for a symphonic poem called Scanderberg. Shehu spent much of his life in prison for his religious beliefs, but managed to compose melodrama
s like The Siege of Shkodër, The Red Scarf and Rozafa, which helped launch the field of Albanian opera. Other famous art composers include Thoma Nassi, Kristo Kono and Frano Ndoja. Preng Jakova
became well known for operas like Scanderbeg and Mrika, which were influenced by traditional Italian opera
, the belcanto style and Albanian folk song. Undoubtedly the most famous Albanian composer, however, was Çesk Zadeja
, known as the Father of Albanian classical music; he composed in many styles, from symphonies to ballets, beginning in 1956, and also helped found the Music Conservatory of Tirana, the Theatre of Opera and Ballet, and the Assembly of Songs and Dances.
Later in the 20th century, Albanian composers came to focus on ballets, opera and other styles; these included Tonin Harapi
, Tish Daija, Nikolla Zoraqi
, Thoma Gaqi, Feim Ibrahimi
, Shpetim Kushta, ect. Since the fall of the Communist regime, new composers like Aleksandër Peçi
, Sokol Shupo, Endri Sina and Vasil Tole
have arisen, as have new music institutions like the Society of Music Professionals and the Society of New Albanian Music.
Most notable Albanian opera singer, known for her international success, is Inva Mula
. She appeared in The Fifth Element
movie, where she borrowed her voice to Diva Plavalaguna character. She is the daughter of another famous Albanian composer Avni Mula
.
Korča
Korča is a village in the municipality of Hadžići, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
, Shkodër
Shkodër
Shkodër , is a city located on Lake of Shkoder in northwestern Albania in the District of Shkodër, of which it is the capital. It is one of the oldest and most historic towns in Albania, as well as an important cultural and economic centre. Shkodër's estimated population is 90,000; if the...
and Tirana
Tirana
Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...
. Since the 1920s, some composers such as Fan S. Noli
Fan S. Noli
Theofan Stilian Noli, better known as Fan Noli was an Albanian-American writer, scholar, diplomat, politician, historian, orator, and founder of the Albanian Orthodox Church, who served as prime minister and regent of Albania in 1924.Fan Noli is venerated in Albania as a champion of literature,...
have also produced works of Albanian classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
.
Characteristics
Albania's political, military and cultural domination by outside elements have contributed to the country's modern music scene. Albanian music is a fusion of the music of Southeastern Europe, especially that of the Ottoman EmpireOttoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
, which ruled Albania for more than 500 years. However, the Albanian people kept themselves culturally apart from the Ottomans, with many living in rural and remote mountains. The Ottomans were Turks or Turkish people.
Folk music
Shkodër
Shkodër , is a city located on Lake of Shkoder in northwestern Albania in the District of Shkodër, of which it is the capital. It is one of the oldest and most historic towns in Albania, as well as an important cultural and economic centre. Shkodër's estimated population is 90,000; if the...
and Tirana
Tirana
Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...
; the major groupings are the Ghegs of the north and southern Labs and Tosks. The northern and southern traditions are contrasted by the "rugged and heroic" tone of the north and the "relaxed, gentle and exceptionally beautiful" form of the south. These disparate styles are unified by "the intensity that both performers and listeners give to their music as a medium for patriotic expression and as a vehicle carrying the narrative of oral history
Oral history
Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews...
", as well as certain characteristics like the use of obscure rhythms such as 3/8, 5/8 and 10/8. The first compilation of Albanian folk music was made by Pjetër Dungu
Pjetër Dungu
Pjetër Dungu was an Albanian piano accompanist and composer-arranger of urban folk music. He is known in the history of the music of Albania as the first compiler of Albanian folk songs....
in 1940.
Albanian folk songs can be divided into major groups, the heroic epics of the north, and the sweetly melodic lullabies
Lullaby
A lullaby is a soothing song, usually sung to young children before they go to sleep, with the intention of speeding that process. As a result they are often simple and repetitive. Lullabies can be found in every culture and since the ancient period....
, love songs, wedding music
Wedding music
Wedding music applies music played at wedding celebrations, including the ceremony and any festivities before or after the event. The music can be performed live by musicians and/or vocalists or use pre-recorded songs, depending on the format of the event, traditions associated with the...
, work song
Work song
A work song is a piece of music closely connected to a specific form of work, either sung while conducting a task or a song linked to a task or trade which might be a connected narrative, description, or protest song....
s and other kinds of song. The music of various festivals and holidays is also an important part of Albanian folk song, especially those that celebrate St. Lazarus Day (the llazore), which inauguarates the springtime. Lullabies and lament
Lament
A lament or lamentation is a song, poem, or piece of music expressing grief, regret, or mourning.-History:Many of the oldest and most lasting poems in human history have been laments. Laments are present in both the Iliad and the Odyssey, and laments continued to be sung in elegiacs accompanied by...
s are very important kinds of Albanian folk song, and are generally performed by solo women.
Northern Albania
The Ghegs from north of the Shkumbini River are known for a distinctive variety of sung epic poetry. Many of these are about SkanderbegSkanderbeg
George Kastrioti Skanderbeg or Gjergj Kastrioti Skënderbeu , widely known as Skanderbeg , was a 15th-century Albanian lord. He was appointed as the governor of the Sanjak of Dibra by the Ottomans in 1440...
, a legendary 15th century warrior who led the struggle against the Turk
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
s, and the "constant Albanian themes of honour, hospitality, treachery and revenge". These traditions are a form of oral history for the Ghegs, and also "preserve and inculcate moral codes and social values", necessary in a society that, until the early 20th century, relied on blood feuds as its "primary means of law enforcement".
Styles of epics also include the këngë trimash/kreshnikësh (Songs of brave men/frontier warriors), ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
s and Vajtim
Vajtim
Vajtim or Gjëmë is the dirge or lamentation of the dead in the Albanian custom by a woman or a group of women. In Northern Albania, men can also be seen singing.-Southern Albania:...
s maje krahi (cries). Major epics include Mujo and Halil and Halil and Hajrije.
The most traditional variety of epic poetry is the Albanian Songs of the Frontier Warriors
Albanian Songs of the Frontier Warriors
Albanian Songs of the Frontier Warriors are part of the traditional cycle of the Albanian epic songs. They took their definite form in 17th and 18th century and were orally transmitted by the Albanian bards. The songs were first time recorded in written form in the first decades of the 20th...
. These epic poems are sung, accompanied by a lahuta, a one-stringed fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
. It is rarely performed in modern Albania, but is found in the northern highlands.
Somewhat further south, around Dibër and Kërçovë in Macedonia
Macedonia (region)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but nowadays the region is considered to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, as...
, the lahuta is not used, replaced by the çifteli, a two-stringed instrument in which one string is used for the drone
Drone (music)
In music, a drone is a harmonic or monophonic effect or accompaniment where a note or chord is continuously sounded throughout most or all of a piece. The word drone is also used to refer to any part of a musical instrument that is just used to produce such an effect.-A musical effect:A drone...
and one for the melody
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...
. Though men are the traditional performers (exception made for the sworn virgins
Albanian sworn virgins
Albanian sworn virgins are women who take a vow of chastity and wear male clothing in order to be viewed as men in the patriarchal Northern Albanian society...
), women have increasingly been taking part in epic balladry.
Along with the def, çifteli and sharki are used in a style of dance and pastoral songs. Homemade wind instrument
Wind instrument
A wind instrument is a musical instrument that contains some type of resonator , in which a column of air is set into vibration by the player blowing into a mouthpiece set at the end of the resonator. The pitch of the vibration is determined by the length of the tube and by manual modifications of...
s are traditionally used by shepherd
Shepherd
A shepherd is a person who tends, feeds or guards flocks of sheep.- Origins :Shepherding is one of the oldest occupations, beginning some 6,000 years ago in Asia Minor. Sheep were kept for their milk, meat and especially their wool...
s in northern Albania; these include the zumarë, an unusual kind of clarinet. This shepherds' music is "melancholic and contemplative" in tone. The songs called maje-krahi are another important part of North Albanian folk song; these were originally used by mountaineers to communicate over wide distances, but are now seen as songs. Maje-krahi songs require the full range of the voice and are full of "melismatic nuances and falsetto cries".
Southern Albania
Southern Albanian music is soft and gentle, and polyphonic in nature. Vlorë
Vlorë
Vlorë is one of the biggest towns and the second largest port city of Albania, after Durrës, with a population of about 94,000 . It is the city where the Albanian Declaration of Independence was proclaimed on November 28, 1912...
in the southwest has perhaps the most unusual vocal traditions in the area, with four distinct parts (taker, thrower, turner and drone) that combine to create a complex and emotionally cathartic melody. Author Kim Burton has described the melodies as "decorated with falsetto
Falsetto
Falsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...
and vibrato
Vibrato
Vibrato is a musical effect consisting of a regular, pulsating change of pitch. It is used to add expression to vocal and instrumental music. Vibrato is typically characterised in terms of two factors: the amount of pitch variation and the speed with which the pitch is varied .-Vibrato and...
, sometimes interrupted by wild and mournful cries". This polyphonic vocal music is full of power that "stems from the tension between the immense emotional weight it carries, rooted in centuries of pride, poverty and oppression, and the strictly formal, almost ritualistic nature of its structure".
South Albania is also known for funeral laments with a chorus and one to two soloists with overlapping, mournful voices. There is a prominent folk love song tradition in the south, in which performers use free rhythm and consonant harmonies, elaborated with ornamentation
Ornament (music)
In music, ornaments or embellishments are musical flourishes that are not necessary to carry the overall line of the melody , but serve instead to decorate or "ornament" that line. Many ornaments are performed as "fast notes" around a central note...
and melisma
Melisma
Melisma, in music, is the singing of a single syllable of text while moving between several different notes in succession. Music sung in this style is referred to as melismatic, as opposed to syllabic, where each syllable of text is matched to a single note.-History:Music of ancient cultures used...
.
The Tosk people are known for ensembles consisting of violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
s, clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
s, lahutë (a kind of lute
Lute
Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes....
) and def
Def
-In medicine:*Deferoxamine*Diprivan, Esmeron and Fentanyl, a notable drug combination in anesthesia*Desaturation Event Frequency*Dose Effect Factor-Other:* Design Exchange Format* Diesel Exhaust Fluid* Disarmed Enemy Forces...
. Eli Fara
Eli Fara
Eli Fara, Merited Artist of Albania is an Albanian folk music singer with a widespread following among the Albanian-speaking people all over the world. Fara is from Korçë and is one of the greatest 'serenata' singers....
, a popular émigré performer, is from Korçë
Korçë
Korçë is a city in southeastern Albania and the capital of the Korçë District. It has a population of around 105,000 people , making it the sixth largest city in Albania...
, but the city of Përmet
Përmet
Përmet is a town in Albania, capital of Përmet District. The population is 7,717. It is flanked by the Vjosë river, which runs along the Trebeshinë-Dhëmbel-Nemërçkë mountain chain, between Trebeshinë and Dhëmbel mountains, and through the Këlcyra gorge....
is the center for southern musical innovation, producing artists like Remzi Lela and Laver Bariu. Lela is of special note, having founded a musical dynasty that continues with his descendants playing a part in most of the major music institutions in Tirana.
Southern instrumental music includes the sedate kaba, an ensemble-driven by a clarinet or violin alongside accordions and llautës. The kaba is an improvised and melancholic style with melodies that Kim Burton describes as "both fresh and ancient", "ornamented with swoops, glides and growls of an almost vocal quality", exemplifying the "combination of passion with restraint that is the hallmark of Albanian culture."
The ethnic Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
inhabitants of the country's southern parts, have a music very similar to the music of Epirus
Music of Epirus
The music of Epirus in the northwest of Greece contains folk songs that are mostly pentatonic and polyphonic, sung by both male and female singers. Distinctive songs include lament songs , shepherd's songs and drinking songs...
in Greece.
Albanian folk musicians (by alphabetic order)
- Complete list: List of Albanian folk musicians.
- Bujar QamiliBujar QamiliBujar Qamili is a popular Albanian singer.-Life:Bujar Qamili was born in Shkodra , on 21 October 1963 . First sang in concerts for children, who organized the school at that time. Here arose the first sparks of his talent in music. Then, activate the "Youth Group"...
- Demir VlonjatiDemir VlonjatiDemir Vlonjati born Demir Mystehaku and also known as Demir Aga Vlonjakasi was an Albanian folk singer, composer and poet....
- Eli FaraEli FaraEli Fara, Merited Artist of Albania is an Albanian folk music singer with a widespread following among the Albanian-speaking people all over the world. Fara is from Korçë and is one of the greatest 'serenata' singers....
- Fatime SokoliFatime SokoliFatime Sokoli was an Albanian 20th century folk music singer.-External links:*****...
- Fitnete RexhaFitnete RexhaFitnete Rexha was a famous Albanian folk singer.-Biography:Fitnete Rexha was born in Tirana to a patriotic family from Krujë. At the age of 15, she started singing folk music...
- Ismet PejaIsmet PejaIsmet Peja is an Albanian singer and interpreter of Albanian songs.-External links:* * - List of albums...
- Laver Bariu
- Merita Halili
- Parashqevi SimakuParashqevi SimakuParashqevi Simaku is an Albanian singer, noted for her work in the 1980s.In 1983 she released Gëzimi i shtepisë së re...
- Qazim AdemiQazim AdemiQazim Ademi was a famous Albanian singer and composer of Albanian polyphonic music.Ademi was born in 1876 in Matogjin, southern Albania and died there in 1939. Qazim Ademi's songs are considered successors of the demirçe genre of Albanian polyphonic music named after Demir Ago Mystehaku–Vlonjati ,...
Popular music
The city of ShkodërShkodër
Shkodër , is a city located on Lake of Shkoder in northwestern Albania in the District of Shkodër, of which it is the capital. It is one of the oldest and most historic towns in Albania, as well as an important cultural and economic centre. Shkodër's estimated population is 90,000; if the...
has long been one of the most important cultural centers of Albania, and its early 20th century music is considered as one of the most sophisticated in the country. Bosnia
Bosnia (region)
Bosnia is a eponomous region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It lies mainly in the Dinaric Alps, ranging to the southern borders of the Pannonian plain, with the rivers Sava and Drina marking its northern and eastern borders. The other eponomous region, the southern, other half of the country is...
n sevdalinka
Sevdalinka
Sevdalinka is a traditional genre of folk music from Bosnia and Herzegovina.Sevdalinka is popular across the ex-Yugoslavia region, especially in Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia. The actual composers of many sevdalinkas are unknown....
is an important influence on music from the area, which is complex, with shifts through major and minor scales with a Turkish sound and a romantic and sophisticated tone. Traditional musicians from Shkodër include Bujar Qamili
Bujar Qamili
Bujar Qamili is a popular Albanian singer.-Life:Bujar Qamili was born in Shkodra , on 21 October 1963 . First sang in concerts for children, who organized the school at that time. Here arose the first sparks of his talent in music. Then, activate the "Youth Group"...
, Luçie Miloti, Xhevdet Hafizi and Bik Ndoja. Albanians
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
also play the Armenian Duduk
Duduk
The duduk , traditionally known since antiquity as a Ծիրանափող is a traditional woodwind instrument indigenous to Armenia. Variations of it are popular in the Middle East and Central Asia...
.
Albania's capital, Tirana, is the home of popular music dominated by Romani influences and has been popularized at home and in emigrant communities internationally by Merita Halili, Parashqevi Simaku
Parashqevi Simaku
Parashqevi Simaku is an Albanian singer, noted for her work in the 1980s.In 1983 she released Gëzimi i shtepisë së re...
and Myslim Leli.
Other voices in contemporary Albanian music include Vaçe Zela
Vaçe Zela
Vaçe Zela is an Albanian singer. She began her career at a young age and in 1962 was the first to win the Albanian Song Festival . A 10 time winner of the festival, Vaçe gained fame during the communist era and was awarded the Merited Artist of Albania prize in 1973 and the People's Artist of...
of Tirana and Nexhmije Pagarusha
Nexhmije Pagarusha
Nexhmije Pagarusha is an ethnic Albanian singer and actress from Kosovo.- Biography :Nexhmije Pagarusha was born in the small village of Pagaruša , near the town of Mališevo, in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia...
of Prishtina, Elsa Lila
Elsa Lila
Elsa Lila is an Albanian singer.-Early life:Elsa Lila was born in Tirana, Albania. Her father was a singer of the former Albanian state choir, while her mother was a violinist, so both parents raised her on theatre, and music, giving her a great love for the arts...
and Anna Oxa
Anna Oxa
Anna Oxa is an Italian singer of Albanian descent, well-known through her numerous appearances in the televised Italian song contest, the Sanremo Music Festival. In 1978, at the age of sixteen, she took second place with the song "Un'emozione da poco" at the Sanremo Festival...
(Albanian/Italian).
1930s Urban Song
The Albanian Urban Lyric SongAlbanian Urban Lyric Song
The Albanian Urban Lyric Song is a musical tradition of Albania that started in the 18th century and culminated in the 1930s....
is a tradition that started in Albania in the 18th century but culminated in the 1930s. These songs are a major part of Albania's music heritage, but have been little-studied by ethnomusicologists
Ethnomusicology
Ethnomusicology is defined as "the study of social and cultural aspects of music and dance in local and global contexts."Coined by the musician Jaap Kunst from the Greek words ἔθνος ethnos and μουσική mousike , it is often considered the anthropology or ethnography of music...
, who prefer to focus on the rural folk music that they see as being more authentically Albanian. Urban art songs are strongly influenced by the music of the Ottoman authorities who controlled Albania for a very long time, introducing elements of Turkish music
Music of Turkey
The music of Turkey includes diverse elements ranging from Central Asian folk music and has many copies and references of Byzantine music, Greek music, Ottoman music, Persian music, Balkan music, as well as more modern European and American popular music influences...
, especially the Ottoman modal scales, to local folk styles. The northern part of Albania took more readily to Turkish music because both traditions use monophony
Monophony
In music, monophony is the simplest of textures, consisting of melody without accompanying harmony. This may be realized as just one note at a time, or with the same note duplicated at the octave . If the entire melody is sung by two voices or a choir with an interval between the notes or in...
, while the south of Albania has long been based on polyphony
Polyphony
In music, polyphony is a texture consisting of two or more independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords ....
and a Greek modal system.
Out of this melting pot
Melting pot
The melting pot is a metaphor for a heterogeneous society becoming more homogeneous, the different elements "melting together" into a harmonious whole with a common culture...
of local and imported styles came a kind of lyrical art song based in the cities of Shkodra, Elbasan
Elbasan
Elbasan is a city in central Albania. It is located on the Shkumbin River in the District of Elbasan and the County of Elbasan, at...
, Berat
Berat
Berat is a town located in south-central Albania. As of 2009, the town has an estimated population of around 71,000 people. It is the capital of both the District of Berat and the larger County of Berat...
and Korça
Korča
Korča is a village in the municipality of Hadžići, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
. Though similar traditions existed in other places, they were little recorded and remain largely unknown. By the end of the 19th century, Albanian nationalism
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
was inspiring many to attempt to remove the elements of Turkish music from Albanian culture, a desire that was intensified following independence in 1912; bands that formed during this era played a variety of European styles, including march
March (music)
A march, as a musical genre, is a piece of music with a strong regular rhythm which in origin was expressly written for marching to and most frequently performed by a military band. In mood, marches range from the moving death march in Wagner's Götterdämmerung to the brisk military marches of John...
es and waltz
Waltz
The waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in time, performed primarily in closed position.- History :There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim...
es. Urban song in the early 20th century could be divided into two styles: the historic or nationalistic style, and the lyrical style. The lyrical style included a wide array of lullabies and other forms, as well as love songs.
By the end of the 1930s, urban art song had been incorporated into classical music, while the singer Marie Kraja made a popular career out of art songs; she was one of Albania's first popular singers. The first recordings, however, of urban art song came as early as 1937, with the orchestral sounds of Tefta Tashko-Koço
Tefta Tashko-Koço
Tefta Tashko-Koço was a very well known Albanian singer of the 1930s. She was posthumously awarded the prestigious title People's Artist of Albania.-Life:...
.
1950s and beyond
Modern Albanian popular music uses instruments like the çifteli and sharki, which have been used in large bands since the Second World War to great popular acclaim; the same songs, accompanied by clarinetClarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
and accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, are performed at small weddings and celebrations.
Albanian music in Macedonia and Kosovo
KosovoKosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
has been home to many important Albanian musicians and the same can be said for Macedonia. Prior to the Kosovo War
Kosovo War
The term Kosovo War or Kosovo conflict was two sequential, and at times parallel, armed conflicts in Kosovo province, then part of FR Yugoslav Republic of Serbia; from early 1998 to 1999, there was an armed conflict initiated by the ethnic Albanian "Kosovo Liberation Army" , who sought independence...
, there was a thriving music industry in Kosovo, which reached new heights in recent years. The Kosovar music industry was home to many famous musicians, including the famous Nexhmije Pagarusha
Nexhmije Pagarusha
Nexhmije Pagarusha is an ethnic Albanian singer and actress from Kosovo.- Biography :Nexhmije Pagarusha was born in the small village of Pagaruša , near the town of Mališevo, in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia...
, Ismet Peja
Ismet Peja
Ismet Peja is an Albanian singer and interpreter of Albanian songs.-External links:* * - List of albums...
and the romantic, more elaborate Qamili i Vogël
Qamili i Vogël
Qamili i vogël was born in Gjakova in 1923. His real name was Qamil Muhaxhiri. He was a famous Kosovo Albanian singer, composer and the founder of the cultural-artistic society Ymer Riza....
of Gjakova. The Macedonian band Vëllezërit Aliu became well- known for the traditional vocal duets accompanied by drum box, electric bass, synthesizer and clarinet or saxophone. Gjurmët
Gjurmët
Gjurmët was an Albanian rock music band from Kosovo. The band lasted from 1980 until 1986 and was composed of five members. Vocalist of the group was Migjen Kelmendi, now a known journalist and publicist. In 2002, the project published Gjurmët LP tracks, a collection of songs with high recording...
is one of the most famous and influential 80's rock
Albanian rock
Albanian rock describes music in Albania, Kosovo, and other Albanian-inhabited areas closely related to western rock. It has a wide variety of sub-genres like heavy metal, punk, alternative and death metal...
bands from Pristina
Pristina
Pristina, also spelled Prishtina and Priština is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous municipality and district....
.
Classical music
One pivotal composer in modern Albanian classical music was Martin Gjoka, who composed several vocal and instrumental music which uses elements of urban art song and the folk melodies of the northern highlands; Gjoka's work in the early 1920s marks the beginning of professional Albanian classical music. Later, the Albanian-American émigrés Fan S. NoliFan S. Noli
Theofan Stilian Noli, better known as Fan Noli was an Albanian-American writer, scholar, diplomat, politician, historian, orator, and founder of the Albanian Orthodox Church, who served as prime minister and regent of Albania in 1924.Fan Noli is venerated in Albania as a champion of literature,...
and Murat Shehu achieved some renown, with Noli using urban folk songs in his Byzantine Overture and is also known for a symphonic poem called Scanderberg. Shehu spent much of his life in prison for his religious beliefs, but managed to compose melodrama
Melodrama
The term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...
s like The Siege of Shkodër, The Red Scarf and Rozafa, which helped launch the field of Albanian opera. Other famous art composers include Thoma Nassi, Kristo Kono and Frano Ndoja. Preng Jakova
Preng Jakova
Prenkë Jakova was a well known Albanian composer, musician, and author of the first Albanian opera, Mrika, which premiered in 1958. A native of Shkodër, he studied under Martin Gjoka and Zef Kurti, and he was also an alumnus of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia...
became well known for operas like Scanderbeg and Mrika, which were influenced by traditional Italian opera
Italian opera
Italian opera is both the art of opera in Italy and opera in the Italian language. Opera was born in Italy around the year 1600 and Italian opera has continued to play a dominant role in the history of the form until the present day. Many famous operas in Italian were written by foreign composers,...
, the belcanto style and Albanian folk song. Undoubtedly the most famous Albanian composer, however, was Çesk Zadeja
Çesk Zadeja
Çesk Zadeja was an Albanian composer. A native of Shkodër, he studied in Moscow and did much to promote the arts in Tirana.He is also called "The Father of the Albanian Music".-Discography:...
, known as the Father of Albanian classical music; he composed in many styles, from symphonies to ballets, beginning in 1956, and also helped found the Music Conservatory of Tirana, the Theatre of Opera and Ballet, and the Assembly of Songs and Dances.
Later in the 20th century, Albanian composers came to focus on ballets, opera and other styles; these included Tonin Harapi
Tonin Harapi
Tonin Harapi was an Albanian composer and teacher. Born in Shkodra, Albania. He studied composition in Moscow, USSR. He was professor of composition at the Conservatory of Tirana; and the winner of many prizes and titles.-Discography:...
, Tish Daija, Nikolla Zoraqi
Nikolla Zoraqi
Nikolla Zoraqi People's Artist of Albania, was an Albanian composer. His works included movie music and operas, notably Cuca e maleve .-References:...
, Thoma Gaqi, Feim Ibrahimi
Feim Ibrahimi
Feim Ibrahimi was born on 20 October 1935 in Gjirokastër, southern Albania. Essentially self-taught in his early years, he became the first significant Albanian composer to study exclusively in his home country, entering the newly-founded Tirana Conservatory in 1962 and studying there with Daija...
, Shpetim Kushta, ect. Since the fall of the Communist regime, new composers like Aleksandër Peçi
Aleksandër Peçi
Aleksandër Peçi is an Albanian composer; one of the most important figures of the contemporary Albanian classical music....
, Sokol Shupo, Endri Sina and Vasil Tole
Vasil Tole
Vasil Tole is an Albanian composer of European classical music, including opera, chamber music, orchestral works and various pieces for small ensembles and solo instruments. He is the author of several books, mostly about the music of Albania.Tole is currently a Professor at the Academy of Arts in...
have arisen, as have new music institutions like the Society of Music Professionals and the Society of New Albanian Music.
Most notable Albanian opera singer, known for her international success, is Inva Mula
Inva Mula
Inva Mula is an Albanian opera soprano and actress. She began her soprano career at a very early age. Her father and mother were also opera singers. -Life and Career:...
. She appeared in The Fifth Element
The Fifth Element
The Fifth Element is a 1997 French science fiction film directed, co-written, and based on a story by Luc Besson, starring Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, and Milla Jovovich...
movie, where she borrowed her voice to Diva Plavalaguna character. She is the daughter of another famous Albanian composer Avni Mula
Avni Mula
Avni Mula is a famous Albanian singer, composer and musician. For his contribution, he has received some of the highest recognition medals from the Albanian government, the People's Artist of Albania decoration and the Honor of the Nation decoration.-Personal life:His family moved from Gjakova to...
.
Albanian musical instruments
- ClarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
- ÇifteliaÇifteliaThe Çifteli is an Albanian wooden, largely acoustic string instrument, with only two strings .The çifteli is commonly used by Albanian folk musicians as well as other modern musicians and is played by Albanians at weddings, concerts, national events, and other occasions...
- QypiGoblet drumThe goblet drum is a hand drum with a goblet shape used mostly in the Middle East, North Africa, and Eastern Europe....
- SurljaZurnaThe zurna , is a multinational outdoor wind instrument, usually accompanied by a davul in Anatolian folk music. The name is from Turkish zurna, itself derived from Persian سرنای surnāy, composed of sūr “banquet, feast” and nāy “reed, pipe”...
- Lahuta
- DajrejaDayerehA dayereh is a medium-sized frame drum with jingles, used to accompany both popular and classical music in Iran , the Balkans, and many Central Asian countries such as Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan...
- GajdaGaidaThe gaida is a musical instrument, aerophone, using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag.The gaida, and its variations, is a traditional musical instrument for entire Europe, Northern Africa and the Middle East....
- LodraDavulThe davul or tupan is a large double-headed drum that is played with sticks. It has many names depending on the country and region.-Names:Some names of davuls include:*tupan *davul...
- Sharki
See also
- Gjirokaster National Folklore FestivalGjirokastër National Folklore FestivalGjirokastër National Folklore Festival is an artistic festival taking place every five years in Gjirokastër Castle in Gjirokastër, southern Albania. The festival showcases Albanian traditional music, dress, and dance from Albanian inhabited lands throughout the Balkans and Southern Italy...
- Albanian rockAlbanian rockAlbanian rock describes music in Albania, Kosovo, and other Albanian-inhabited areas closely related to western rock. It has a wide variety of sub-genres like heavy metal, punk, alternative and death metal...
- Albanian hip hopAlbanian hip hopAlbanian hip hop refers to artists from Albania, Kosovo, the Republic of Macedonia and Montenegro but also from other Albanian-inhabited places such as the United States and Germany.-Performers:*The Kid Gashi*Mc Kresha*Unikkatil*Presioni*Lyrical Son...
- Music of KosovoMusic of KosovoMusic has always been part of the Albanian and Serbian cultures in Kosovo.In Kosovo, along with modern music, folk music is the most popular. There are many folk singers and ensembles. The multicultural ensemble is Shota. Classical music is also well known in Kosovo.The modern music in Kosovo has...
- List of radio stations in Albania
External links
- Audio clip: traditional Albanian music. Musée d'Ethnographie de Genève. Accessed November 25, 2010.
- Isopolyphony Official Website
- Radio Emigranti – Albanian Traditional Music Radio Station
- Radio Kosova e Lire – Albanian Nationalist Radio Station
- Radio Kosova – Kosovo Public Radio Service
- Radio Tirana International Service LIVE
Further reading
- Mahony, Marinela. "An Investigation of the Polyphonic Folk Music of Albania". Dissertation. University of Pretoria, Pretoria: 2011.
- Rice, Timothy; Porter, James and Chris Goertzen. "Albanian Music [by] Jane Sugarman." The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music Online 8, 2000: 986-1004.
- Taylor, Roger. Review of "The Music of Albania". Brio 32, 1995: 40-42
- Vako, Milto. "The Origin and Development of Albanian Choral Music." New Sound: International Magazine for Music 28 2006.
Discography
- Kenge, Albanian Piano Music, Vol. 1, Kirsten Johnson, piano, Guild GMCD 7257.
- Rapsodi, Albanian Piano Music, Vol. 2, Kirsten Johnson, piano, Guild GMCD 7300.