The song of the "bumblebee
Since 2008, Albanian isopolyphonic songs have been inscribed on Unesco's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. They are distinguished by the "drone" that accompanies the melody, a continuous low note that gives the prefix "iso" ("equal" in Greek).
Where can you hear them? All over the south of the country, but especially in Gjirokastra. Isopolyphonic songs are played at the House of Polyphony. Concerts and courses are also available on request from thetourist office. Otherwise, local groups perform mainly at weddings and, every five years, at the Gjirokastra National Folk Festival (the eleventh edition was held in June 2023).
Where does it come from? Isopolyphonic songs are a direct legacy of the Middle Ages: the drone is similar to the ison of Byzantine music. But they could also be linked to the tradition of Homeric poems sung in Antiquity. They also evoke Bulgarian voices, Corsican polyphony and pygmy songs. But above all, they are close to the polyphonies of the shepherds of Greek Epirus.
How are they sung? Generally a capella and with four singers: the marrësi ("taker") who launches the melody, the kthyësi ("turner") who responds in a choppy style, the hedhësi ("thrower") who adorns the polyphony and the mbushësat ("filler") who holds the drone. There are many variations: women's groups, formations of three or five, or others accompanied by instruments (clarinet, in particular).
The great figures of Albanian music
Jean Coucouzèle (c. 1280-1350). Nicknamed the "voice of angels", this Byzantine monk, composer and singer was born in Dyrrachium, today's Durrës. Adored throughout the Balkans, he is one of Europe's most important musicians. Called Ioannis Koukouzelis in Greek, he lived on Mount Athos, played for the Palaeologus dynasty and was canonized by the Orthodox Churches. The second inventor of Byzantine sacred music (after St. Clement of Alexandria in the 2nd-3rd centuries), he is notably credited with the invention of the "Byzantine bel canto ": kalophonic singing, requiring great virtuosity with the modulation of several notes on a single syllable.
Çesk Zadeja (1927-1997). The father of Albanian classical music. Born in Shkodra and trained by the Franciscans, he continued his musical studies at the prestigious Académie Sainte-Cécile in Rome. In 1956, he wrote the first Albanian classical work: Symphony No. 1 in A minor. He went on to compose other symphonies, ballets, concertos and film scores. In 1995, he re-orchestrated the national anthem(Hymni i Flamurit, "Hymn of the Flag"), originally composed to music by Romanian composer Ciprian Porumbescu in 1912.
Jorgjia Filçe-Trujaou (1907-1997). She is the icon of Albanian urban lyric music, in vogue in the 1930s-1950s. Born in Korça and also trained at the Académie Sainte-Cécile in Rome, in 1966 she co-founded the Academy of Arts (now the University of Arts, Tirana). Accompanied by pianist Lola Gjoka (1910-1985), she left an important repertoire that continues to be performed by Albanian groups. The country's other two great opera singers are Tefta Tashko-Koço (1910-1947) and Marie Kraja (1911-1999).
Vaçe Zela (1939-2014). Originally from Lushnja, in the Fier region, she is THE great Albanian folk singer. Considered "disrespectful" by the Sigurimi, the Communist regime's fearsome political police, she was protected by her immense aura. In 1962, with her song Fëmija i parë ("first child"), she was the first to win the Festivali i Këngës, a major state-sponsored radio contest. Also a stage actress, painter and guitarist, she was awarded the title of People's Artist in 1972. Her repertoire of compositions, film music and Myzeqe folk tunes continues to be performed by new generations of artists.
The heirs
Thomas Simaku. Born in Kavaja in 1958, this British-Albanian composer draws his inspiration from the drone of isopolyphonic chants and the kalophony of Jean Coucouzèle. His three albums feature collaborations with violinist Peter Sheppard Skærved and the French quartet Diotima.
Inva Mula. Born in Tirana in 1963, this soprano is best known for having lent her voice to the diva Plavalaguna in Luc Besson's The Fifth Element (1997). Daughter of singer and composer Avni Mula (1928-2020), she has performed on the finest stages, from La Scala to Opéra Bastille, via Berlin, Tokyo, London and Los Angeles.
Ermonela Jaho. This opera singer, born in 1974 in Tirana, was named "Artist of the Year" in 2023 at the International Classical Music Awards. She has lived in Italy for eighteen years, resides in New York and often performs in France. According to the press, she is "the world's most acclaimed soprano"(The Economist), a "Christ-like and charismatic" performer(Le Figaro) and "an unstoppable phenomenon" (Sydney'sDaily Telegraph ).
Elina Duni. This Swiss-Albanian jazz singer was born in Tirana in 1981. She gracefully revisits Albanian standards. She also covers Greek, Bulgarian and Turkish classics, sings Aznavour and Gainsbourg, and composes in English. With nine albums to her name already, she is a superb "gateway" to Albanian music.
Queens of pop
These stars have the whole world dancing. They were not born in Albania and sing mostly in English. But they call themselves "Albanian" and Albanians consider them as such.
Dua Lipa. Born in England in 1995 of Kosovar parents, she has dual Albanian and British nationality. With only two albums to her credit(Dua Lipa in 2017 and Future Nostalgia in 2020), she has nevertheless sold millions of tracks and packed stadiums from Asia to America. In 2023, she recorded Dance the Night for the Barbie movie soundtrack. She is also a model, an "ambassador" for Evian water and very committed to the rights of sexual minorities.
Bebe Rexha. American born in 1989 to Albanian parents from Northern Macedonia, she began her solo career in 2013, writing the single Monster for Eminem and Rihana, then collaborated several times with David Guetta, notably on his third album, Bebe, released in 2023.
Rita Ora. Born in 1990, this Kosovar-British singer, actress and model has collaborated with Jay-Z and David Guetta, recorded three albums and played Mia Grey in the film Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) and its sequels.
Ava Max. American born in 1994 to Albanian parents from Saranda and Tirana. Her two albums(Heaven & Hell in 2020 and Diamonds & Dancefloors in 2023) and twenty or so singles sold mainly in Europe.
Era Istrefi. Despite her hit BonBon, which enjoyed some success in Europe in 2015, this Kosovar born in 1994 is less well known internationally. Today, however, she is the most popular singer in Albania.
Traditional instruments
Clarinet, violin and synthesizer are frequently used by traditional bands. But some Balkan instruments are still very common. You can buy a çifteli for less than €50 in Tirana's souvenir and music stores.
Fyelli. Wooden flute called tzamara in Greek and kaval in the rest of the Balkans. Tuned diatonically or chromatically, it is played at an angle to the mouth. It is used by both traditional Guegian (northern Albanian) and Toskian (southern Albanian) musicians, and sometimes accompanies polyphonic and isopolyphonic singing.
Çifteli. A two-string lute with a body carved from a single piece of wood. Close to the Turkish bağlama, it is a microtonal instrument, with intervals smaller than the semitone, as in ancient Greek music. The çifteli is mainly played in northern and central Albania, Kosovo, northwestern North Macedonia and southern Montenegro.
Daullja. Two-sided drum known by various names in the Balkans(iodra, davul, dammam, toumpano...). Striked by mallets, it produces a deep sound that accompanies all kinds of traditional musical formations. Two tambourines are also frequently found, the def and the cigana, especially used by tallava groups, a musical style originally practiced by the Roma of Kosovo.
Gaida. Balkan bagpipe also known as gajde, mishnica or bishnica in Albanian. Its origins date back to Antiquity. Played alone or with flute and drum, it accompanies weddings.
The dance
It's the rhythm of Albanian life: traditional dances for popular festivals and weddings; classical and contemporary dances at Tirana's prestigious Palace of Culture, or at the Albania Dance Meeting Festival in autumn.
Traditional dances. Each region has its own dance or dances. The most famous is the Tropoja(Vallja e Tropojës), in the region of the same name in the Albanian Alps. It is practiced with colorful outfits and scarves, notably at the Sofra Dardane festival in mid-June in Bajram Curri. Some dancers wear the xhubleta, a thick dress whose origins date back to Antiquity and which has been listed as a Unesco intangible cultural heritage site since 2022. Still in the Tropoja region, Valbona boasts several typical dances (sword, bride, flower, etc.), while the fast, semi-circular Kukës dance(Vallja e Kukësit) is now performed all over the country. Originating in the Gjirokastra region and northern Greece, the Pogon dance(Valle Pogonishte or Pogonissios in Greek) has also spread throughout Albania. It alternates fast and slow movements. The forty or so other local Albanian dances are quite similar. Two very particular dances are common to the whole country: the Valle Napoloni, performed by the bride and groom at weddings, and the "double dance"(Valle dyshe) with two men, one supporting the other who performs figures. Finally, although not practiced in Albania, the gusharaveli of the Albanians from Ulcinj/Ulqin, in southern Montenegro, has the particularity of incorporating African rhythms. The best dancers from the "Albanian world" meet every five years at the Gjirokastra National Folk Festival.
Classical and contemporary dance. While the origins of traditional dance go back a long way, the history of classical and contemporary dance in Albania only began in 1949 with the arrival of Russian choreographer Georgi Perkun (1916-1983). Before leaving again in 1953, he directed the first performances of the Albanian National Ballet and brought out the star dancer Timoleo Pappa, a member of the Greek minority born in 1933. The latter took part in the country's first feature film, The Great Albanian Warrior Skanderbeg (1953), directed by Russian Sergei Yutkevich. But during the troupe's first tour of the USSR, Timoleo Pappa took advantage of a stopover in Athens to move to the West. He pursued a career in Greece and danced with Nureyev in the USA, before returning to Albania in 2015. Today, the dancers of the National Ballet are part of the TKOB (tkob.gov.al), the National Opera and Ballet Theatre housed in the Palace of Culture on Skanderbeg Square. They are divided between the classical and contemporary dance troupes and the traditional dance troupe (around forty dancers each). Since the fall of the Communist regime, the TKOB has undertaken collaborations with prestigious choreographers, in particular the Frenchman Angelin Preljocaj, whose Albanian family is originally from Vermosh. Since 2006, the country has welcomed contemporary troupes from all over the world as part of the Albania Dance Meeting Festival(dancealbfest.com), held from mid-September to mid-November in Tirana and Durrës.
The theater
Unless you understand Albanian, it's not the easiest art form in the country to grasp.
Aleksandër Moisiu. He's the only famous personality abroad. This Austrian actor of Albanian origin (1879-1935) was a "star" in Europe in the years 1900-1920. Although he never performed in Albania, many institutions bear his name, such as the Durrës theater. The port city is also home to his family home, now transformed into an ethnographic museum.
National renaissance. Modern Albanian theater was born at the end of the 19th century, with the construction of the first theatre in Shkodra in 1890. A leading political figure in the Rilindja Kombëtare movement, Sami Frasheri was the first to translate a Turkish play in 1902. Subsequently, the Orthodox bishop and politician Fan Noli adapted Shakespeare and the Franciscan priest and poet Gjergj Fishta translated Euripides and Molière.
Italian influence. After independence in 1912, a whole generation of authors and directors staged shows illustrating the great historical figures, such as Skanderbeg's Death, written by the poet Köle Mirdita in 1917. The Zoghu dictatorship and strong Italian influence from 1925 to 1940 accompanied the development of the Albanian stage.
Communist dictatorship. It was this dictatorship that gave Albanian theater its letters of nobility. It structured the sector, building theatres and setting up schools, professional troupes and amateur troupes in almost every production unit. However, censorship was strict. Texts were screened by the Sigurimi, and few foreign plays were authorized: those by Molière, Shakespeare, Brecht or Godini, as well as those by Russian authors deemed to conform to the canons of Stalinism.
Since 1992. The fall of the dictatorship and the ensuing chaos led to an abrupt slowdown in theatrical activity, the virtual disappearance of film production and the flight of talent abroad. But the country has also opened up to international collaborations. In 2017, for example, Frenchman Éric Vigner staged Lucrèce Borgia in Tirana with the great actress Luiza Xhuvani. Today, only ten cities have a public theater. Tirana is an exception: it has three small private theaters, but the National Theater was razed in 2020 to make way for the "mafia towers". A new building is expected in the coming years.
