Avni Mula (

Gjakova Gjakova, ) and Đakovica ( sr-Cyrl, Ђаковица, ) is the seventh largest city of Kosovo and seat of Gjakova Municipality and Gjakova District. The city has 40,827 inhabitants, while the municipality has 94,556 inhabitants. Geographicall ...

, 4 January 1928 –

Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...

, 29 October 2020) was an Albanian singer, composer, and musician. For his contribution to the arts, he received two of the highest awards from the Albanian government: the

People's Artist of Albania The People's Artist () was an honorary title for outstanding art performers of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania, whose merits were exceptional in the sphere of development of the performing arts (theatre, music, cinema and art). It was c ...

decoration and the Honor of the Nation () decoration.

Personal life

Mula's family moved from

Kosova The Republic of Kosova ( sq, Republika e Kosovës) or First Republic of Kosovo was a self-declared proto-state in Southeastern Europe established in 1991. During its peak, it tried to establish its own parallel political institutions in oppo ...

to Shkodër, Albania, when he was young, and after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, he moved to

, Albania. He studied at the

Tchaikovsky Conservatory Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

and graduated in 1957 as a lyric singer. While studying in Moscow, he married Nina Nula (23 November 1931–12 December 2011), a Russian woman from

Izhevsk Izhevsk (russian: Иже́вск, p=ɪˈʐɛfsk; udm, Ижкар, ''Ižkar'', or , ''Iž'') is the capital city of Udmurtia, Russia. It is situated along the Izh River, west of the Ural Mountains in Eastern Europe. It is the 21st-largest city i ...

. He is the father of soprano Inva Mula.

Career

Singing

Mula was part of the National Troupe of Songs and Dances () and the Troupe of the Army (). In addition, he won many prizes over his career as a composer and singer in the

Festivali i Këngës Festivali i Këngës (; ), also referred to as simply FiK, is an annual music competition in Albania organised by the national broadcaster Radio Televizioni Shqiptar (RTSH). Broadcast every year since its inauguration in 1962, it has also deter ...

(Albanian Festival of Song), which is held every year in Tirana. Mula was a baritone.

Composition

Mula composed many songs over the span of his career. Some of the most famous are: * "Nënë Moj Do Pres Gërshetin" (Mother, I'll cut Off My Braid), which won first prize in the 1976 Festival and was interpreted by

Vaçe Zela Vaçe Zela (; 7 April 19396 February 2014) was an Albanian singer and songwriter. She was a leading figure in the music industry and is considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century in Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia. Bor ...

. * "Këngët e atdheut tim" (Songs of My Country) * "Valsi i Lumturisë" (The Waltz of Happiness). * "Një Djep Në Barrikadë" (A Cradle on the Barricade), sung by Marina Grabovari. The song won first prize in the 1982 Festival. Mula also wrote an opera, ''Nënë Shqipëri'' (Mother Albania) and two compositions for the films ''Lume Drite'' (River of Light) and ''Karnavalet'' (Carnivals).

Festival jury

In 1998, Mula, head of the jury of the

, declared Albërie Hadërgjonaj's song "Mirësia Dhe e Vërteta" the winner, making Hadërgjonaj the first Kosovar-Albanian singer to ever win the festival.

Awards and recognition

Mula received two of the highest awards from the Albanian government: the

decoration and the Honor of the Nation () decoration.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mula, Avni 1928 births 2020 deaths Musicians from Gjakova Kosovo Albanians Albanian composers 20th-century Albanian male singers Albanian opera composers People's Artists of Albania Male classical composers People from Shkodër Musicians from Tirana Yugoslav emigrants to Albania Festivali i Këngës winners