Albanian iso-polyphony is a traditional part of
Albanian folk music and, as such, is included in
UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list.
All four regions of southern Albania—Lalëria (
Myzeqe
The Myzeqe (; sq-definite, Myzeqeja; rup, Muzachia) is a plain in the Western Lowlands of Albania. The Myzeqe is the largest and widest plain, measured by area, in the Lowlands.
Location
The Myzeqe plain is a large alluvial plain traversed by ...
),
Toskëria
Southern Albania ( sq, Shqipëria jugore) is one of the three NUTS-2 Regions of Albania. This ethnographical territory is sometimes referred to as ''Toskeria'' ( sq, Toskëria).
It consists of five counties: Berat, Fier, Gjirokastër, Korçë ...
,
Çamëria, and
Labëria
Labëria is a historic region that is roughly situated in southwestern Albania. Its inhabitants are known as Labs (referred to as sq, Lab, pl. ''Lebër'', also dial. sing. ''Lap'') and its boundaries reach from Vlorë to Himara in the south, to ...
—have
polyphonic song as part of their culture. A related form of polyphonic singing is found in northern
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
, in the area of
Peshkopi
Peshkopi ( sq-definite, Peshkopia, Latin: ''Penestae'') is a town in Dibër County, northeastern Albania. At the 2015 local government reform it became a subdivision of the municipality Dibër. The population at the 2011 census was 13,251. ;
Polog
Polog ( mk, Полог, Polog; sq, Pollog), also known as the Polog Valley ( mk, links=no, Полошка Котлина, Pološka Kotlina; sq, links=no, Lugina e Pollogut), is located in the north-western part of the Republic of North Macedo ...
,
Tetovo,
Kičevo and
Gostivar in
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Yugoslavia. It ...
; and
Malësia in northern Albania and southern
Montenegro
)
, image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Podgorica
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, official_languages = M ...
.
[Ardian Ahmedaja, Gerlinde Haid (2008). ]
European voices: Multipart singing in the Balkans and the Mediterranean
', Volume 1, p. 210, 243-44. .
Labëria is particular well known for multipart singing; songs can have two, three, or four parts. Two-part songs are sung only by women. Three-part songs can be sung by men and women. Four part songs are a Labërian specialty. Research has shown that four-part songs developed after three-part ones, and that they are the most complex form of polyphonic singing.
The
Gjirokastër National Folklore Festival,
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
, ( sq, Festivali Folklorik Kombëtar), has been held every five years in the month of October since 1968, and it typically includes many polyphonic songs.
Geographic distribution
The Albanian polyphonic traditional music is performed in two
dialects
The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of linguistic phenomena:
One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a ...
of
Albanian:
Tosk
Tosk ( sq-definite, toskërishtja) is the southern group of dialects of the Albanian language, spoken by the ethnographic group known as Tosks. The line of demarcation between Tosk and Gheg (the northern variety) is the Shkumbin River. Tosk is t ...
and
Lab. The Tosk musical dialect comprises the
Albanian ethnographic regions of
Toskëria
Southern Albania ( sq, Shqipëria jugore) is one of the three NUTS-2 Regions of Albania. This ethnographical territory is sometimes referred to as ''Toskeria'' ( sq, Toskëria).
It consists of five counties: Berat, Fier, Gjirokastër, Korçë ...
,
Myzeqe
The Myzeqe (; sq-definite, Myzeqeja; rup, Muzachia) is a plain in the Western Lowlands of Albania. The Myzeqe is the largest and widest plain, measured by area, in the Lowlands.
Location
The Myzeqe plain is a large alluvial plain traversed by ...
ja, and
Chamëria, while the Lab musical dialect comprises
Labëria
Labëria is a historic region that is roughly situated in southwestern Albania. Its inhabitants are known as Labs (referred to as sq, Lab, pl. ''Lebër'', also dial. sing. ''Lap'') and its boundaries reach from Vlorë to Himara in the south, to ...
.
Origin
Many scholars who have studied the
Albanian iso-polyphony
Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice, monophony, or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords, ho ...
and in general the
polyphonic music
Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice, monophony, or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords, h ...
of the
Balkans
The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
consider it an old tradition that dates back to the
Thraco-
Illyrian era. There is a lack of historical documentation of the Albanian polyphonic traditional music. However, since it is considered the product of
oral transmission down many generations, scholars came to their conclusions by analyzing this musical tradition that continues to be performed in modern days. There are found many specific features of the Albanian polyphonic tradition that indicate its
ancient origin: the
pentatonic
A pentatonic scale is a musical scale (music), scale with five Musical note, notes per octave, in contrast to the heptatonic scale, which has seven notes per octave (such as the major scale and minor scale).
Pentatonic scales were developed ...
modal/tonal structure, which is widely thought by scholars to represent an early beginning to the musical culture of a people; the presence of
recitative
Recitative (, also known by its Italian name "''recitativo''" ()) is a style of delivery (much used in operas, oratorios, and cantatas) in which a singer is allowed to adopt the rhythms and delivery of ordinary speech. Recitative does not repeat ...
vocals
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...
, because when the melody of the vocals is not developed, the tradition is thought to be in a more
primitive phase; the presence of calls and shouts, which indicates a primitive phase of development in the musical culture of a people; the
a cappella singing style, which suggests an old age of a musical tradition since it lacks of
instrumental
An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to inst ...
accompaniment.
Although the region was under the dominion of the
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
for many centuries, the Balkan polyphonic traditional music had a different development than medieval
Byzantine music. The Balkan tradition was non-institutionalized and has been continually collectively formed, while the Byzantine music was created by individual
composers and was institutionalized. The Balkan tradition has been
transmitted orally down the generations, and its
performers
The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perfo ...
were common people musically illiterate, while the Byzantine music was widely
documented, and has been performed by professionals who were trained and educated. The two musical traditions lived side by side for centuries, therefore they would have had a mutual influence on each other. However, it is thought that the interaction between the Albanian polyphonic traditional music and the Byzantine music has been relatively small.
Evolution
Albanian polyphonic traditional music is thought to have been composed in its beginnings of only two melodic lines: the ''taker'' ( sq, marrës - 1st voice) and the ''turner'' ( sq, kthyes or pritës - 2nd voice). The turner likely played initially a non-specific melodic role, a style that can still be found in the two-voiced polyphonic singing of the women in
Gjirokastër
Gjirokastër (, sq-definite, Gjirokastra) is a List of cities and towns in Albania, city in the Republic of Albania and the seat of Gjirokastër County and Gjirokastër Municipality. It is located in a valley between the Gjerë mountains and th ...
. It is thought that over time the turner have gradually become more precisely defined melodically; the tradition of two-voiced (taker and turner) in which the turner plays a clearly defined melodic role is found today among the men of
Dukat. Although it is typical in Gjirokaster and Dukat, two voice iso-polyphony can be found in many Albania areas, such as in
Korcë,
Librazhd
Librazhd ( sq-definite, Librazhdi) is a town and a municipality in Elbasan County, eastern Albania. The municipality was formed at the 2015 local government reform by the merger of the former municipalities Hotolisht, Librazhd, Lunik, Orenjë, Po ...
,
Pogradec
Pogradec () is the eleventh most populous city in Albania and the capital of the eponymous municipality. It is located on a narrow plain between two mountain chains along the southwestern banks of the Lake of Ohrid. Its climate is profoundly in ...
,
Kolonjë,
Fier
Fier (; sq-definite, Fieri) is the seventh most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Fier County and Fier Municipality. It is situated on the bank of Gjanica River in the Myzeqe Plain between the Seman in the north, the Vjos ...
,
Shpat i Sipërm of
Elbasan
Elbasan ( ; sq-definite, Elbasani ) is the fourth most populous city of Albania and seat of Elbasan County and Elbasan Municipality. It lies to the north of the river Shkumbin between the Skanderbeg Mountains and the Myzeqe Plain in central ...
,
Myzeqe
The Myzeqe (; sq-definite, Myzeqeja; rup, Muzachia) is a plain in the Western Lowlands of Albania. The Myzeqe is the largest and widest plain, measured by area, in the Lowlands.
Location
The Myzeqe plain is a large alluvial plain traversed by ...
,
Vlorë
Vlorë ( , ; sq-definite, Vlora) is the third most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Vlorë County and Vlorë Municipality. Located in southwestern Albania, Vlorë sprawls on the Bay of Vlorë and is surrounded by the foo ...
,
Berat
Berat (; sq-definite, Berati) is the ninth most populous city of Albania and the seat of Berat County and Berat Municipality. By air, it is north of Gjirokastër, west of Korçë, south of Tirana, and east of Fier.
Berat is located in ...
,
Mallakastër
Mallakastër ( sq-definite, Mallakastra) is a region and a municipality in Fier County, southwestern Albania. It was created in 2015 by the merger of the present municipalities Aranitas, Ballsh, Fratar, Greshicë, Hekal, Kutë, Ngraçan, Qendër Du ...
,
Gjirokastër
Gjirokastër (, sq-definite, Gjirokastra) is a List of cities and towns in Albania, city in the Republic of Albania and the seat of Gjirokastër County and Gjirokastër Municipality. It is located in a valley between the Gjerë mountains and th ...
,
Lunxhëri, as well as in Albanian speaking areas of
Zajas,
Kičevo and
Tetovo. The two voice iso-polyphony can also be found in the
Arbëreshë of
Calabria. According to scholar Vasil Tole thinking about the two voice polyphony as a first stage of the development of the iso-polyphony is incorrect, because the two voices actually play three voices, so the two voice iso-poliphony is a "hidden" way of a three voice iso-polyphony.
The next melodic line to evolve into Albanian traditional polyphony is thought to have been the ''drone'' ( sq, iso), which seems to have adapted naturally to the two previous melodic lines, giving rise to the three-voiced polyphony. The introduction of the drone was a significant artistic achievement because it brought the diversification and the enrichment of the harmonic interplay between melodic lines. The drone is very common in today's Albanian polyphonic tradition, and it is rare to find varieties without it nowadays. Although currently the three voice iso-polyphony can be found in mixed gender musical groups, traditionally it was sung only by men. The areas where the three voice polyphony is typical are those of
Skrapar
Skrapar ( sq-definite, Skrapari) is a municipality in Berat County, southern Albania. It was created in 2015 by the merger of the former municipalities Bogovë, Çepan, Çorovodë, Gjerbës, Leshnjë, Potom, Qendër Skrapar, Vendreshë
and Zhepë ...
,
Gramsh,
Devoll, Gjirokastër, Kolonjë,
Sarandë
Sarandë (; sq-definite, Saranda; el, Άγιοι Σαράντα, Ágioi Saránta) is a city in the Republic of Albania and seat of Sarandë Municipality. Geographically, the city is located on an open sea gulf of the Ionian Sea within the Medi ...
, and Vlorë.
The last melodic line to evolve into Albanian traditional polyphony was the launcher ( sq, hedhësi - 3rd voice), which gave rise to the four-voiced polyphony. The introduction of the launcher marked an increasing artistic sophistication, however it did not essentially change the vocal harmony and interplay. Being completely absent in
Toskëria
Southern Albania ( sq, Shqipëria jugore) is one of the three NUTS-2 Regions of Albania. This ethnographical territory is sometimes referred to as ''Toskeria'' ( sq, Toskëria).
It consists of five counties: Berat, Fier, Gjirokastër, Korçë ...
,
Myzeqeja
The Myzeqe (; sq-definite, Myzeqeja; rup, Muzachia) is a plain in the Western Lowlands of Albania. The Myzeqe is the largest and widest plain, measured by area, in the Lowlands.
Location
The Myzeqe plain is a large alluvial plain traversed by ...
, and
Chamëria, the four-voiced polyphony exists only in
Labëria
Labëria is a historic region that is roughly situated in southwestern Albania. Its inhabitants are known as Labs (referred to as sq, Lab, pl. ''Lebër'', also dial. sing. ''Lap'') and its boundaries reach from Vlorë to Himara in the south, to ...
, where it is found along with the more common three-voiced style. The consolidation of the four voice method iso-polyphony is due to
Neço Muko in his recordings in the 1920s-1930s.
Pleqërishte
Pleqërishte is a genre of Albanian folk iso-polyphony sung by men in
Labëria
Labëria is a historic region that is roughly situated in southwestern Albania. Its inhabitants are known as Labs (referred to as sq, Lab, pl. ''Lebër'', also dial. sing. ''Lap'') and its boundaries reach from Vlorë to Himara in the south, to ...
and is principally identified with the city of
Gjirokastër
Gjirokastër (, sq-definite, Gjirokastra) is a List of cities and towns in Albania, city in the Republic of Albania and the seat of Gjirokastër County and Gjirokastër Municipality. It is located in a valley between the Gjerë mountains and th ...
and its environs. The genre is characterized by a slow tempo, low pitch and small range.
''Pleqërishte'' means both "of old men" and "of the old time" in reference to the mode of singing and the lyrical themes of part of their songs respectively. In relation to these subjects ''pleqërishte'' songs are also called ''lashtërishte'' ("of the ancient time"), a term used exclusively in Gjirokastër.
These specific topics have largely fallen into public disuse over the years but remain thematically notable.
Songs of the genre adhere to a slow tempo and low pitch with little vocal variation as opposed to genres such as ''djemurishte'' ("of young men") in particular.
As all fourth-part genres they feature a third soloist (''hedhës''). While in other four-part genres the ''hedhës'' mainly assumes the role of secondary drone a
minor third
In music theory, a minor third is a musical interval that encompasses three half steps, or semitones. Staff notation represents the minor third as encompassing three staff positions (see: interval number). The minor third is one of two com ...
above the
keynote, in ''pleqërishte'' the ''hedhës'' relieves the first soloist (''marrës'') and allows him to take a breathing break.
Each rendition begins with the singing of the first lines by the ''marrës'' and the introduction of the second soloist (''kthyes'') and finally the ''hedhës''. After the ''hedhës'', the ''marrëss lyrics are repeated by the drone group in various forms and manners.
''Pleqërishte'' songs are exemplified in the repertory of the folk group ''Pleqtë e Gjirokastrës'' sometimes regarded as the "last representative" of the genre.
One of the best-known songs of the genre and most notable renditions of the group is ''Doli shkurti, hyri marsi'', which details a battle between
Çerçiz Topulli and
Ottoman troops in 1908 in the village of Mashkullorë near Gjirokastër.
See also
*
Vajtim
*
Ison (music) Ison is a drone note, or a slow-moving lower vocal part, used in Byzantine chant and some related musical traditions to accompany the melody, thus enriching the singing. It was not considered to transform it into a harmonized or polyphonic piece ...
References
Citations
Literature
*
Bibliography
*
*
External links
Albanian folk iso-polyphonyat
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
*
www.isopolifonia.com'
UNESCO video in Youtube
Pleqërishte
* by ''Pleqtë e Gjirokastrës''
* by ''Pleqtë e Gjirokastrës''
{{UNESCO Oral and Intangible music
Albanian folk music
Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Polyphonic singing