Albanian Dj

Albanian Dj

Music of Albania

Music-of-AlbaniaSoutheasternEuropeanMusic, Kosovo Albania is a Balkan nation that was ruled by Enver Hoxhas socialism government for much of the later part of the 20th century. Even before Hoxhas 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. Albanians (and the ethnic-Albanian Kosovo of nearby Serbia) are commonly divided into three groupings: the northern Ghegs and southern Lab (Albania) and Tosks. Turkey influence is strongest around the capital city, Tirana, while Shkod˲ has been long considered the center for musical development in Albania. Music has always been a potent means of national expression for Albanians. Under Hoxhas regime, this was channeled into songs of patriotism 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 party, candidates and ideas. Pop musicians have developed too, long banned under the socialists, with Ardit Gjebrea. Folk music was encouraged to some degree under the socialist government, who promoted a quinquennial music festival at Gjirokast˲ 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.

Northern AlbaniaThe Ghegs from north of the Shkumbini River are known for a distinctive variety of sung epic poetry. The most traditional variety is called Rapsodi Kreshnike and is made by mustachioed men, now mostly elderly. Somewhat further south, around Dib˲ and K˲ǯvˠin Macedonia, Turkish elements are strong. Many of the epic stories are about Skanderbeg, a legendary 15th century warrior. Recent traditional artists include Muǡ-Mustafa, Fatime Sokoli, Sali Mani and Shaqir ǥrvadiku. Traditional instruments include the ǩfteli and sharki, which have been used in large bands since the Second World War to great popular acclaim. The city of Shkod˲ has long been the cultural capital of Albania, and its music is considered the most sophisticated in the country. Bosnian sevdalinke is an important influence on music from the area, which is complex, with shifts through major and minor scales and an oriental sound. Traditional musicians from Shkod˲ include Bujar Qamili, Luǩja Miloti, Xhevdet Hafizi and Bik Ndoja. Albanias capital, Tirana, is the home of Alb-pop, which is dominated by Roma (people) influences and has been popularized at home and in emigrant communities internationally by Merita Halili, Parashqevi Simaku and Myslim Leli. In recent times, influences from Western Europe and the United States in particular have led to the creation of bands of rock and roll, pop music, rapping, and of nearly every other musical form.

Southern AlbaniaSouthern Albanian music is soft and gentle, and polyphonic in nature. Vlorˠin 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. The Tosk people are known for ensembles consisting of violins, clarinets, llautˠ(a kind of lute) and def. Eli Fara, a popular 魩gr頰erformer, is from KorNj, but the city of P˲met is the center for southern musical innovation, producing artists like Remzi Lela and Laver Bariu. Southern instrumental music includes the sedate kaba (listen to a Media:Albanian kaba.ogg in Ogg Vorbis format), an ensemble-driven form driven by a clarinet or violin alongside accordions and llaut˳, as well as the ethnic Greece inhabitants of Dropulli, whose music is very similar to that of Epirus in Greece. See also: music of Kosovo


ReferencesBurton, 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

Music of Albania

Albanian Music

Defining the roots of the albanian music...

Most in the western world have mistaken Albanian music as merely Turkish or Greek. Others would argue that the Albanian musical tradition is distingueshed by its originality and provides a solid historical foundation for early European music. Few have acknowledged the fact that Illyricum (today Shqiperia - Albania), was one of the first areas to be influenced by the new Christian liturgy which would have been distributed around the early churches at that time (I -II BC). Also, almost no one is aware that bagpipes have originated from the region of Southern Albania and Northen Greece. The above features have shaped the debate between Albanian and Western musicologists. We can expand on the fact that early music was used a lot to animate the rituals of different Illyrian tribes. Songs of this time in history would have consisted of a single, simple and repetitive melodic line which would have been accompanied mostly by percussion instruments, backing voices and primitive wind instruments. We do not know if the early harp was widely used in this area before the birth of Christ. The main historical fact that would favour the harp's existence in the Balkans, would be the invasion from the Roman Empire, which would have brought with it, its culture and instruments. Albania has traditionally been a country which has passed its historical stages under the invasion of other empires and therefore we could assume that its music has a taste of each of these cultures. This continued until the beggining of this century when Albania came out of 500 years of Turkish occupation. Therefore, one can ask the natural question whether such a thing as a truly Albanian music exists or not ! The answer to this question would have to be found only by taking a close look at the character of the Albanian people. People who have always wanted freedom, family life; People who were used to fighting and isolating themselves. The constant invasions have continuously obliged the Albanians to isolate themselves in the high mountains, where they would loose touch with the neighbouring world. Therefore we could argue that because of this isolasion, their music could have been better preserved, probably more than that of some other countries. So, what has been preserved by these people? Let us take a deeper look at what we find in Albania during this century. Until the second half (1945-1955), the entire musical life of Albania was determined by folk music. This is characterized by archaic forms and practices that can provide information on previous stages of musical development in Europe. Few sources are available for scientific investigation as field research projects have not covered the whole country. Ramadan Sokoli's collection and studies, the material from Eric Stockman's German-Albanian expedition and the activities of the Institute of Folklore of the University of Tirana have contributed considerably to research work.

Albanian Music

Albanian Music

Most in the western world have mistaken Albanian music as merely Turkish or Greek. Others would argue that the Albanian musical tradition is distingueshed by its originality and provides a solid historical foundation for early European music. Few have acknowledged the fact that Illyricum (today Shqiperia - Albania), was one of the first areas to be influenced by the new Christian liturgy which would have been distributed around the early churches at that time (I -II BC). Also, almost no one is aware that bagpipes have originated from the region of Southern Albania and Northen Greece. The above features have shaped the debate between Albanian and Western musicologists. We can expand on the fact that early music was used a lot to animate the rituals of different Illyrian tribes. Songs of this time in history would have consisted of a single, simple and repetitive melodic line which would have been accompanied mostly by percussion instruments, backing voices and primitive wind instruments. We do not know if the early harp was widely used in this area before the birth of Christ. The main historical fact that would favour the harp's existence in the Balkans, would be the invasion from the Roman Empire, which would have brought with it, its culture and instruments. Albania has traditionally been a country which has passed its historical stages under the invasion of other empires and therefore we could assume that its music has a taste of each of these cultures. This continued until the beggining of this century when Albania came out of 500 years of Turkish occupation. Therefore, one can ask the natural question whether such a thing as a truly Albanian music exists or not ! The answer to this question would have to be found only by taking a close look at the character of the Albanian people. People who have always wanted freedom, family life; People who were used to fighting and isolating themselves. The constant invasions have continuously obliged the Albanians to isolate themselves in the high mountains, where they would loose touch with the neighbouring world. Therefore we could argue that because of this isolasion, their music could have been better preserved, probably more than that of some other countries. So, what has been preserved by these people? Let us take a deeper look at what we find in Albania during this century. Until the second half (1945-1955), the entire musical life of Albania was determined by folk music. This is characterized by archaic forms and practices that can provide information on previous stages of musical development in Europe. Few sources are available for scientific investigation as field research projects have not covered the whole country. Ramadan Sokoli's collection and studies, the material from Eric Stockman's German-Albanian expedition and the activities of the Institute of Folklore of the University of Tirana have contributed considerably to research work.


There is a clear and marked difference, particularly in the vocal folk music, between the northen and southern parts of the country, divided by the Shkumbin River. The Gegs (north) have a tradition of monophonic singing whereas the Tosks (south) have developed many types of part-singing, probably more than any other region in Europe; much of it may belong to the earliest stratum of European vocal poliphony.

Albanian Music