Albanian Music

Music has a long tradition in Albania and is known for its regional diversity, from the Tosks in the south to the Ghegs in the north. It is an important part of the national identity, and has been influenced by the country’s long and often turbulent history.

Albanian popular music often incorporates the country’s traditional folk music. Albanian folk music includes monophonic and polyphonic singing with traditional instruments.  Polyphonic singing is primarily found in Southern Albania, while in the north the singing is predominantly monophonic. Albanian iso-polyphony has been declared a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Monophonic is singing with one single melody, while polyphonic singing is characterized by an overlapping of sounds, a melody and counter melody, produced by singers. Here is an example of how polyphonic singing sounds: 

Folk Music

Albanian folk music has a long history and is separated into three major stylistic groups: the northern Ghegs, southern Labs, and Tosks. This music reflects the cultural and political history of the Albanian people as well as  Albania’s geographic position in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean Sea.

The northern and southern traditions are contrasted by the rugged and heroic tone of the north and the relaxed and gentle form of the south. These separate styles are unified by the intensity that both performers and listeners bring to their music as a medium for patriotic expression and as a narrative of oral history. 

Albanian folk songs can be divided into major groups: the heroic epics of the north and the melodic love songs of the south. Music festivals are central to Albanian culture and folk music, especially music festivals that celebrate the arrival of spring. Lullabies and laments are very important kinds of Albanian folk song, and are generally performed as solos by women.

Here is an example of a modern twist on Albanian folk music:

Dancing is also a very important aspect of Albanian folk music. Albanian folk dancing is similar to the traditional dances from across the Balkans. These dances usually include large groups of people holding hands and moving in a circle, and are characterized by distinct footwork and hand movements performed in unison. Folk dancing is also a big part of regional identities across Albania, as many prefectures are famous for a particular stylistic dance.

Here is a performance of an Albanian folk dance knows as “Kallçoja”:

Instruments

Instruments are an integral part of Albanian folk music, especially in the north. Those instruments are divided into string, wind and percussion categories. They vary from region to region and are used frequently throughout the entire country, performing both dance and instrumental polyphonic folk music.

The lahuta is a single-stringed instrument that is rooted in Albanian poetry with an emphasis on important and patriotic events from history. Lahutas are usually played only by men during winter evenings by the fireplace. The instrument is primarily widespread in the mountainous northern area of the country but can be also found in Central Albania.  It is often made from a single wood block composed of various types of woods. The head of the lahuta is decorated with symbols from Albanian history, such as representations of Skanderbeg’s helmet.

The Çiftelia is a long-necked stringed instrument and frequently used in northeastern Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, and North Macedonia. It is an important part of music ensembles and is played heavily at weddings.

A Fyell, or Zumare, is an instrument that is similar to a tin whistle. It is played mostly by shepherds in the north and is used to make songs in conjunction with a shepherd’s flute. The instrument contains five holes in each pipe and a bell. The melodies which are played with a fyell are homophonic and have a nasal sound.

Violins have also been used since the 19th century in both Northern and Southern Albania. They were traditionally played with the instrument in a vertical position but this tradition is no longer practiced.

To hear the distinct sound of the Fyell, check out this video:

Albanian Music Developments through the Decades

Urban Song – 1930

The Albanian Urban Lyric Song is a tradition that started in Albania in the late-18th century but became very popular during the 1930s. This style of song is a major part of Albania’s music heritage, but has not been studied heavily by ethnomusicologists due to their focus on traditional folk music. These urban songs get their name because they became a common style of music in the cities of Berat, Elbasan, Korça, and Shkrodra. By the end of the 19th century, a rise in Albanian nationalism resulted in many wanting to remove Ottoman / Turkish style influences from local music. 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.

Communist Period

A massive rise of popular music linked to traditional folk songs began during the communist period in Albania. Under the rule of Enver Hoxha, certain music styles were banned in public, especially what was considered “Western style” music (British and American rock bands as well as pop singers). Hoxha even went as far as to forbid radio stations from playing this music. This meant that traditional Albanian folk music was listened to by many in the country. Despite Hoxha’s attempts to control the music that Albanians could hear, underground movements that incorporated Western styles became popular. In 1961, a national music contest was created called Festivali i Këngës. This annual festival became a popular tradition in Albania, but the popularity of Western influences slowly grew.

In 1972, some of the performances at the festival broke from traditional folk music and had songs with clear western influences. They even wore new costumes that were vastly different from Albanian tradition. Hoxha declared the organizers of the festival “enemies of the public,” accusing them of endangering public morals. Following this development, the Communist Party imposed strict censorship on anything deemed inappropriate by the government at the festival.

Post-Communism

After the collapse of the communist regime, Albanian popular music began to change rapidly. Musicians and singers started to incorporate Western trends and they blended Albanian folk music styles with other trends that were happening in neighboring countries, especially Greece. Thus, new types of music emerged that blended things like techno, rap, and contemporary vocal styles. Tallava is a pop music genre originating in Kosovo, but is also popular in Albania and North Macedonia, among the Albanian-speaking communities. Having originated with the Roma communities in Kosovo in the 1990s, it is has a specific style that is reminiscent of Turkish and Middle Eastern sounds. It is traditionally instrumental music that does not contain many lyrics. It is part of the wider Pop-folk genre of the Balkans that has become popular in Bulgaria, Greece, and Serbia.

Most recently, Albanian popular music has evolved to merge tallava sounds with vocals from artist who rap and sing in a contemporary pop style.

Here is a sample of current Albanian pop music:

https://youtu.be/uM1Cf-gx0tg?si=Kb_1qCbt7DMuL-BQ

Did You Know?

Did you know that there are several current global popstars, who might also be some of your favorite singers, who have Albanian roots?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The famous pop singers Rita Ora, Dua Lipa, Bebe Rexha, and Ava Max all come from ethnic Albanian families. In the case of Rita Ora and Dua Lipa, their families immigrated to England when they were children, while Bebe Rexha’s and Ava Max’s families immigrated to the United States. So, the next time you are listening to these artists’ music, pay close attention and see if you can hear any influences from Albanian music traditional music.