Neço Muko (October 21, 1899 – 1934), also known as Neço Muko Himarjoti, was an Albanian singer and composer. His musical style created a new genre of

Albanian iso-polyphony 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), Toskëria, Çamëria, and Labëria—have p ...

music called ''avaz himariot'', or ''avaz himariotçe'', that became identified with the music of his home region

Himarë Himarë ( sq-definite, Himara; el, Χειμάρρα, ''Cheimarra'' or Χιμάρα, ''Chimara'') is a municipality and region in Vlorë County, southern Albania. The municipality has a total area of and consists of the administrative units of ...

Life and work

Neço Muko was born on October 21, 1899 in

, southern

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 ...

. After attending primary school, he travelled to the

Kingdom of Greece The Kingdom of Greece ( grc, label= Greek, Βασίλειον τῆς Ἑλλάδος ) was established in 1832 and was the successor state to the First Hellenic Republic. It was internationally recognised by the Treaty of Constantinople, wh ...

to study in a technical institute. He returned to Albania in 1916, during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Muko learned by himself to play the violin and the mandolin and, in 1923, he started composing

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

s. In 1924, he moved to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, but in 1926 returned to Albania. In the town of

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 ...

, he founded a choral group named ''Pif-Paf''. In 1929 and 1930, he travelled again to

with his group to make recordings for

Pathé Records Pathé Records was an international record company and label and producer of phonographs, based in France, and active from the 1890s through the 1930s. Early years The Pathé record business was founded by brothers Charles and Émile Pathé ...

, in which Albanian students studying in France took part. The group was composed by Koço Çakalli (marrës-1st voice), Pano Kokëveshi (kthyes-2nd voice), Neço Muko (hedhës-3rd voice as well a reciter of poetry), as well as a young Tefta Tashko-Koço. The recordings of the group increased his popularity in southern Albania and helped him establish his new genre the ''avaz himariot'' or ''avaz himariotçe''. Muko's best known song is ''Vajza e Valëve'' ( en, Girl of the Waves), the poetical composition of which increased his reputation even more. In the 1920s, he also composed songs for well-known singers of Albanian urban music such as

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 ...

and Tefta Tashko-Koço. In 1932 Muko was diagnosed with

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...

of which he died, two years later, in 12 December 1934.

Sources

Literature

** {{DEFAULTSORT:Muko, Neco 1899 births 1934 deaths People from Himara 20th-century Albanian male singers 20th-century Albanian musicians