Music of Albania

Albanian drummers playing in the street of Prizren, Kosovo

Albania is a Southeast European nation that was ruled by Enver Hoxha's socialist government for much of the later part of the 20th century, though it is now an independent country. Even before Hoxha's reign began, Albania was long controlled by the Ottoman Empire and other conquering powers, leading to a diversity of influences that is common in the much-fragmented Balkan region and resulting in a diverse and unique musical sound. Albanians (and the ethnic-Albanian Kosovars of nearby Serbia) are commonly divided into three groupings: the northern Ghegs and southern Labs and Tosks. Turkish influence is strongest around the capital city, Tirana, while Shkodër has been long considered the center for musical development in Albania.

Music has always been a potent means of national expression for Albanians. Under Hoxha's regime, this was channeled into songs of patriotic devotion to the party; since the arrival of democracy in 1991, lyrics have come to focus on long-suppressed traditions like kurbet (seeking work outside of Albania) and support for various political parties, candidates and ideas ^[1]. Pop musicians have developed too, long banned under the socialists, with Ardit Gjebrea being foremost among them. Albanian popular music (këngë popullore) is generally based on Italian models ^[2].

Folk music was encouraged to some degree under the socialist government, who promoted a quinquennial music festival at Gjirokastër provided that the musicians expressed frequent support for the party leaders. After the fall of socialism, Albanian Radio-Television launched a 1995 festival in Berat that has helped to continue musical traditions ^[3].

Characteristics

Albania's political, military and cultural domination by outside elements has contributed to the country's modern music scene. Albanian music is a fusion of the musics of Southeastern Europe, especially that of the Ottoman Empire, 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. Outside of Albania, many scholars have identified Albanian music as variations of Turkish or Greek models; more recent scholarship has identified an identifiably Albanian style of folk music ^[4].

Folk music

Main article: Albanian folk music

Albanian folk music falls into three sylistic groups, with other important music areas around Shkoder 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" ^[5], as well as certain characteristics like the use of obscure rhythms such as 3/8, 5/8 and 10/8 ^[6].

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 songs 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 laments are very important kinds of Albanian folk song, and are generally performed by solo women ^[7].

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 Skanderbeg, a legendary 15th century warrior who led the struggle against the Turks, 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 blood feuds as its "primary means of law enforcement" ^[8]. Styles of epics include këngë trimash (songs of bravery), këngë kreshnikësh, ballads and maje krahi (cries) ^[9]. Major epics include Mujo and Halil and Halil and Hajrije ^[10].

The most traditional variety of epic poetry is called Rapsodi Kreshnike (Poems of Heroes). 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 ^[11].

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, except for the Vajze të betuar, women have increasingly been taking part in epic balladry ^[12].

Along with the def, çifteli and sharki are used in a style of dance and pastoral songs. Homemade wind instruments are traditionally used by shepherds in northern Albania; these include the zumarë, an unusual kind of clarinet. This shepherds' music is "melancholic and contemplative" in tone ^[13]. 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" ^[14].

Southern Albania

Southern Albanian music is soft and gentle, and polyphonic in nature. Vlorë in the southwest has perhaps the most unique 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" ^[15].

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 ^[16].

The Tosk people are known for ensembles consisting of violins, clarinets, llautë (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 descendents playing a part in most of the major music institutions in Tirana ^[17].

Southern instrumental music includes the sedate kaba, an ensemble-driven form 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" ^[18]

The ethnic Greek inhabitants of Dropulli, whose music is very similar to the music of Epirus in Greece. These Greek-Albanians have a rougher and more aggressive sound than other forms of Albanian music, and lack the polyphonic complexity, but otherwise the same scales and rhythmic patterns as the rest of the country ^[19].

Popular music

The city of Shkodër has long been the cultural capital of Albania, and its music is considered the most sophisticated in the country. Bosnian sevdalinka is an important influence on music from the area, which is complex, with shifts through major and minor scales with an Turkish sound and a romantic and sophisticated tone ^[20]. Traditional musicians from Shkodër include Bujar Qamili, Luçija Miloti, Xhevdet Hafizi and Bik Ndoja.

Albania's capital, Tirana, is the home of popular music dominated by Gypsy influences and has been popularized at home and in emigrant communities internationally by Merita Halili, Parashqevi Simaku and Myslim Leli ^[21]. In recent times, influences from Western Europe and the United States have led to the creation of bands that play rock, pop and hip hop among many other genres.

1930s art song

The urban art songs of 1930s Albania can be traced back to the 19th century folk music of Albanian cities. 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 ^[22].

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 marches and waltzes. Urban song in the early 20th century could be divided into two styles: the historic or nationalistic style, and the lyrical style ^[23]. 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 ^[24].

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 clarinet and accordion, are performed at small weddings and celebrations ^[25].

Albanian music in Macedonia and Kosovo

Main articles: Music of the Republic of Macedonia, music of Kosovo

Kosovo is part of the country Serbia and Montenegro, and it is mostly ethnically Albanian. There are also many Albanians in the Republic of Macedonia, especially around Lake Presp and Lake Ohrid. Prior to the Kosovo War, there was a thriving music industry in Kosovo, as well as in Macedonia. The Macedonian band Vëllezërit Aliu became well- known for the traditional vocal duets accompanied by drum box, electric bass, synthesizer and clarinet or saxophone ^[26].

The Kosovar music industry was home to many famous musicians, often Roma, including Pristina's Mazllum Shaqiri and the more romantic, more elaborate Qamil i Vogël of Djakovica ^[27].

Classical music

Main article: Albanian classical music

One pivotal composer in modern Albanian classical music was Mart 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 ^[28]. Later, the Albanian-American emigres Fan S. Noli and Murat Shendu achieved some renown, with Noli using urban folk songs in his Byzantine Overture and is also known for a symphonic poem called Scanderberg ^[29]. Shehu spent much of his life in prison for his religious beliefs, but managed to compose melodramas like The Siege of Shkodër, The Red Scarf and Rozafa, which helped launch the field of Albanian opera ^[30]. 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 Esk Zadeja, known as the Father of Albanian classical music ^[31]; 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, Nikolla Zoraqi, Thoma Gaqi, Feim Ibrahimi and Shpetim Kushta. Since the fall of the Communist regime, new composers like Aleksander Peii, 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 ^[32].

Sound samples

Download sample of a kaba

References

^ Burton, Kim. "The Eagle Has Landed". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East, pp 1-6. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1-85828-636-0
^ "Albanian Music History". Albmuzika.com. September 29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
^ "The Tradition of Classical Music In Albania". Frosina Information Network. August 28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
^ "Albanian Music". Eno Koco at the University of Leeds. August 28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)

Notes

^ Burton, pg. 1 Burton notes that even lullabies contained the wish that the infant would grow up to be a strong worker for Enver and the Party.

^ Arbatsky, Yuri, cited in Koco with the footnote Translated and published by Filip Fishta in Shkolla Kombëtare (The National School; No.1, May 1939), 19, and quoted from his Preface to Dungu’s Lyra Shqiptare (see note 2).

^ Burton, pg. 2 Both epic traditions serve as a medium for oral history in what was until quite recently, a pre-literate society... and also preserve and inculcate moral codes and social values. In a culture that retained the blood-feud as its primary means of law enforcement until well into this century such codes were literally matters of life and death. Song was one of the most efficient ways of making sure that each member of the tribe was aware of what obligations he or she was bound by.