Traditional music and dance
Famous for its turbulent history, Kosovo is less so for the richness of its musical tradition, both close to and independent of its Albanian sister. Probably dating back to the5th
century, Kosovar music has retained a real singularity while ingesting Turkish influences inherited from the Ottoman period.Each region has its own specificities. A good example is given to us by the autochthonous ensemble Rugova which preserves and transmits the music and dances of the mountainous region of the Dinaric Alps from which it takes its name, such as the sword dance or the music played with a beech leaf. Once a way for shepherds to imitate the sound of birds, this last practice has become musical with time and there have even been attempts in the past to associate it with a philharmonic ensemble.
Beyond the regionalisms, there are many traditions in Kosovo that cross the entire territory. Starting with the rapsodi, sung poems, often epic, relating historical episodes or mainly about the homeland, the wars and its illustrious warriors. Although massively collected and catalogued, these songs continue to be transmitted orally. They are generally accompanied by traditional instruments such as the qifteli, a small two-stringed lute similar to the Turkish saz, or the sharkia, another lute, with five strings. A real concentrate of Kosovar spirit whose great representatives through the ages are Qazim Ademi (1876-1939) to whom we attribute about sixty songs of the repertoire, Dervish Shaqa (1912-1985), one of the most popular figures of the Albanian song, Bajrush Doda, considered an heir of the previous one and quickly became the national singer of rapsodi, Lefter Çipa (1942-2021), a poet whose work has largely fed the rapsodi
, Sali Bajram Krasniqi (1919-1987), as prolific as recognized, author of some 500 songs, and finally Fatime Sokoli (1948-1987), one of the prominent female figures.Another important tradition in the hearts of Kosovars, the sofra is a male choral ensemble, generally singing around a table, a traditional urban repertoire. Still very popular, it appears mainly at weddings or cultural events, sometimes accompanied by qifteli and sharkia and dancers. The most popular sofras are Sofra Pejane and Sofra Gjakovare. The sofras
have been a springboard for individual careers on many occasions, the most famous example being that of Ramadan Krasniqi, a member of the Sofra Pejane who became very popular as a solo artist.Each generation is keen to preserve and refresh Kosovar traditions in its own way. For example, Rona Nishliu, a very popular Kosovar singer who represented Albania in 2012 at Eurovision, regularly performs with traditional artists. She also incorporates many traditional motifs into her compositions, as does the Zig Zag Orchestra, a rock band that invites folklore to mix with jazz and ska.
On the dance side, one of the most popular in Kosovo is the shota of Albanian origin involving synchronized steps and a very marked rhythm. Emblematically, shota is also the name given to the national song and dance ensemble, preserving this pillar of Albanian identity - both in Kosovo and around the world. Today, the shota
is commonly performed at weddings, folk festivals and other events. The importance, diversity and persistence of this folklore can be seen in the multitude of folkloric gatherings and festivals that take place every year in Kosovo. The most important of these are undoubtedly theEthno Festival, an annual ethnographic event that brings together folklore groups from all over Kosovo and of all origins, as well as the Gospojiski Sabor, an international festival of Slavic folklore ensembles (Ukraine, Moldavia, Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Romania, Macedonia) held on the occasion of the feast of the Orthodox Assumption, without forgetting the Flaka e Janarit, a multidisciplinary artistic festival which takes place in Gjilan and which rewards artists in various artistic disciplines (poetry, dramaturgy, folk dances and music, visual and graphic arts, etc.). Folk music and dance can also be found at regional events such as the St. George's Day festival on May 6 (in the Gregorian calendar) in Novobërdë, Hasi Jehon being held west of Prizren, where one finds a singular folklore as well by the songs as the dances or the costumes, Festari which puts at the honor the local folklore of Suha Reka, orHardh Fest, the festival of the Grape harvests, organized each year in autumn in Rahovec.Popular music
A sort of Albanian response to Serbian turbo-folk, tallava is frequently heard in Kosovo. Born in the 1980s and 1990s in the hands of the Ashkali community - an Albanian-speaking, Muslim and formerly nomadic people related to the Roma - the genre is similar to turbo-folk in its pop vocals, vaguely traditional-sounding synthesizers, and heavy bass borrowed from techno and rap. That said, tallava differs from its cousin by offering a more Eastern, slow-paced version that is open to improvisation. Some prominent representatives: Sefer Osmanov, Leta, Duli, Shkurte Gashi or Vjollca Hamiti
For the little anecdote, the pop superstar Dua Lipa, although born in London, is of Albanian origin from Kosovo
Classical music
Like most of the countries of the former Soviet Union, classical music has found an important home in Kosovo. The beginnings of classical music in Kosovo can be dated to the 1940s, during the Yugoslav era, when the chamber orchestra of the Agimi cultural and artistic society (1944) and the country's first music school (1948) were established.
The first classical music creations in Kosovo were a cappella choral compositions, rearrangements of folk music. The first opera by a Kosovar composer, Goca e Kaçanikut
, was written by Rauf Dhomi in the late 1970s and deals with the struggle against the Ottoman invaders.As far as important ensembles are concerned, since the 1950s the Pristina Radio and Television (RTP) Symphony Orchestra and Choir have played a major role in Kosovo's cultural life (they perform both the classical repertoire and new works by Kosovar composers), accompanied since 2000 by the Kosovo Philharmonic
.Among the figures is Lorenc Antoni (1909-1991), the first great Kosovar composer and founder of the first school of music in Kosovo. His work has particular weight because it is based on his study of Albanian folklore in Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and South Moravia, from which he derived two hundred compositions, mostly vocal. Another name to know, Rexho Mulliqi (1923-1982) is the author of numerous symphonies and two ballets. To complete this trio, let us mention Rafet Rudi and Zeqirja Ballata, both more contemporary and avant-garde. Let's not forget to mention Mendi Mengjiqi, the author of the national anthem Europe
, and Petrit Çeku, a classical guitarist who has been a soloist in many major philharmonic ensembles. There are few concert halls in Pristina. The majority of concerts take place in the Salla E Kuqe (the "Red Hall"), located in the Palace of Youth and Sports. There are two annual events in this "red hall": the Dam Festival, an international meeting of young musicians in classical music, and the Chopin Piano Fest, an international program of Chopin lovers.
