Jorgjia Filçe-Truja (20 January 1907 – 22 June 1994) was an Albanian

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

. She was one of the icons of the Albanian urban lyrical music, and one of the main contributors for the establishment of the

Academy of Arts of Albania The University of Arts ( sq, Universiteti i Arteve), formerly known as the Academy of Arts ( sq, Akademia e Arteve) is a public university and the main institution that offers higher education of the arts in Albania. History Founded in 1966 as the ...

Life

She was born in

Korçë Korçë (; sq-definite, Korça) is the eighth most populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Korçë County and Korçë Municipality. The total population is 75,994 (2011 census), in a total area of . It stands on a plateau some ...

, today's eastern Albania, back then still part of the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

on 20 January 1907. She studied in the Santa Сеcilia Conservatory in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

during 1927–1932. She gave many concerts during the 1930s to the 1950s, becoming an icon of the urban lyrical music in Albania. Together with

Tefta Tashko-Koço Tefta Tashko-Koço (; 2 November 191022 December 1947) was an Albanian singer and soprano. She was a leading figure in the regional music industry and is considered one of the most influential personalities of the 20th century in the Albanian ...

and

Marie Kraja Marie Kraja or Marie Paluca (24 September 1911 – 21 November 1999) was an Albanian opera singer who is particularly known for her delivery of Albanian folk songs. Life Kraja was born in 1911 in Zadar, Kingdom of Dalmatia, then part of Aus ...

, she represented the avant-garde of the lyrical music in the country. Together with the pianist

Lola Gjoka Lola Gjoka Aleksi (22 May 1910 – 6 October 1985) was an Albanian pianist during the period of the Communist regime. Life Gjoka was born in Sevastopol in 1910, into an Albanian family. She began learning the piano at the age of six, and her ...

, she is interpreted urban songs as (The mountain became full of oak trees), (Please you flower), (The spring came full of flowers), (Spring of our village), (When you went along the river my girl), etc. Truja was one of the first pedagogues of the

Queen Mother Pedagogical Institute The Queen Mother Pedagogical Institute ( sq, Instituti Femnuer "Nana Mbretneshë"), was a women's pedagogy, pedagogical high school, created in 1933 in Tirana, Albania. The Institute, approved by Government Decree nr. 666 on October 2, 1933, ope ...

for girls in

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 ...

. 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 opposin ...

, she became one of the initiators for bringing the artistic life of Albanian into an academic path by establishing the first higher art institutions, such as Jordan Misja Lyceum in 1946,

, where she lectured

canto The canto () is a principal form of division in medieval and modern long poetry. Etymology and equivalent terms The word ''canto'' is derived from the Italian word for "song" or "singing", which comes from the Latin ''cantus'', "song", from the ...

and

conducting Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance, such as an orchestral or choral concert. It has been defined as "the art of directing the simultaneous performance of several players or singers by the use of gesture." The primary duti ...

. She interpreted in many

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

s and brought to the stage many works as a director. She died in Tirana in 1994, leaving behind an autobiographical work.

Notes and references

Notes * References Sources *

Life

Notes and references

Further reading