Prenk Jakova
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Prenk Jakova (27 June 191719 September 1969) was an Albanian composer, musician, and author of ''
Mrika ''Mrika'' (''Maria'') is an opera in three acts composed by Prenkë Jakova with a libretto in Albanian by Llazar Siliqi. It premiered (in a four-act version) in Shkoder, Albania in 1958 at the Migjeni Theatre. The revised three-act version (and ...
'' (1958), which is considered the first Albanian opera. A native of Shkodër, he studied under Martin Gjoka and Zef Kurti, and he was also an alumnus of the
Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia ( en, National Academy of St Cecilia) is one of the oldest musical institutions in the world, founded by the papal bull ''Ratione congruit'', issued by Sixtus V in 1585, which invoked two saints pro ...
. A virtuoso clarinetist he worked as a music teacher for most of his life and distinguished himself as the mentor of the four most important composers of classical music from northern Albania:
Çesk Zadeja Çesk Zadeja (8 June 1927, Shkodër – 15 August 1997, Rome) was an Albanian composer. A native of Shkodër, he studied in Moscow and did much to promote the arts in Tirana. He is known as "The Father of Albanian Music".Tish Daija Tish Daija (Shkodër, 30 January 1926 – 3 October 2003) was an Albanian composer. He composed the first Albanian ballet ''Halili dhe Hajria'' (Halili and Hajria) that premiered on 13 January 1963 and has since been shown more than 250 times at ...
,
Tonin Harapi Tonin Harapi (June 9, 1926 – July 30, 1992) was an Albanian composer and teacher. He was born in Shkodër, Albania. He studied composition in Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Мос ...
, and
Simon Gjoni Simon Gjoni (Shkodër, 1925–1991) was an Albanian conductor, and composer of many popular pieces for piano and orchestra.Jim Samson Music in the Balkans 2013 p458 "Finally, Simon Gjoni (1928-91), another Shkodér—born composer, studied conduc ...
. Jakova was the director of the music band and of the House of Culture of Shkodër. Besides ''Mrika'', Jakova also composed ''Skënderbeu'', another opera which premiered in 1968. Along the operas Jakova left to posterity many songs and other musical pieces, several of which are commonly believed to be Albanian folk music, rather they are Jakova's compositions. He suicided at the heat of hard work he had putted himself and also the bad health state of his mother. He is regarded as one of the best Albanian composers.


Early life

Prenkë Jakova was born on 27 June 1917 in Shkodër, 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 ...
. His family's background was from
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 ...
, from which originated the last name. His grandfather, Dedë Jakova, was a clarinetist at the Shkodër Jesuit College, whereas Prenkë's father, Kolë Dedë Jakova, was a commander in the Albanian army. Jakova went to elementary school in 1924–1929 and from there he pursued secondary studies in the ''Illyricum'' Lycee of his native city. When in high school, he switched from the classical concentration into the general gymnasium, which he finished in 1935. During his high school years he was part of the musical band of school and also, encouraged from his father, he started acting in the theatrical associations ''Bogdani'' and ''Vllaznia''. Later, the school band became the city's band, and Jakova its clarinetist. During that period Jakova started to write musical motifs based on well known folk songs such as ''Delja rudë'' ( en, The Sheep), ''Hajredini'' ( en, Hayredin), ''Besa e një trimi'' ( en, The Besa of a Brave Man), and ''Shkoj e vi flutrim si zogu'' ( en, I Come and Go Flying Like a Bird). His two musical teachers were Martin Gjoka and Zef Kurti, probably the most important Albanian musicians of northern Albania at that time.


Work

At 18, Jakova was nominated artistic director of his school band and his first students were
Çesk Zadeja Çesk Zadeja (8 June 1927, Shkodër – 15 August 1997, Rome) was an Albanian composer. A native of Shkodër, he studied in Moscow and did much to promote the arts in Tirana. He is known as "The Father of Albanian Music".Tish Daija Tish Daija (Shkodër, 30 January 1926 – 3 October 2003) was an Albanian composer. He composed the first Albanian ballet ''Halili dhe Hajria'' (Halili and Hajria) that premiered on 13 January 1963 and has since been shown more than 250 times at ...
,
Tonin Harapi Tonin Harapi (June 9, 1926 – July 30, 1992) was an Albanian composer and teacher. He was born in Shkodër, Albania. He studied composition in Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Мос ...
,
Simon Gjoni Simon Gjoni (Shkodër, 1925–1991) was an Albanian conductor, and composer of many popular pieces for piano and orchestra.Jim Samson Music in the Balkans 2013 p458 "Finally, Simon Gjoni (1928-91), another Shkodér—born composer, studied conduc ...
,
Tonin Rrota Tonin may refer to: Places * Tonin, Poland, a village in the administrative district of Gmina Sośno, in north-central Poland People *Tonin (name) Other uses * ''Tonin, a studio album by The Manhattan Transfer * Tōkoyasaka Jinja tōni ...
,
Zef Gruda Zef () is a South African counter-culture movement. Kyle Hans Brockmann has compared zef counter-culture to many similar anarchic sub-cultures in the northern hemisphere. Etymology Yolandi Visser of Die Antwoord said, "It's associated with pe ...
, and many other famous Albanian composers. Jakova started to compose marches and other pieces. On 2 January 1936 he was sent to teach in Bërdicë where he took care of the musical education of the children. There he learned to play the guitar. During the summer of 1939 he purchased an accordion and learned that too. At that point he was an advanced, sometimes virtuoso player of the clarinet, the guitar, and the accordion. In 1939 Jakova went to teach in Orosh,
Mirditë District Mirditë District () was one of the 36 districts of Albania, which were dissolved in July 2000 and replaced by 12 newly created counties. It had a population of 37,055 in 2001, and an area of . It is in the north of the country, and its capital wa ...
, where he wrote a piece for accordion entitled "Mall" ( en, Nostalgia), and later the song "Fyelli i Bariut" ( en, The Shepard's Flute), whose text is unknown to us today. This was the first song of Jakova whose text and music had been both composed by him, according to the tradition of the ''aheng from Shkodër '' ( en, the Shkodër Serenade). In 1940 Jakova was transferred back to Shkodër where he started a cycle of songs for children and an operetta on two acts entitled "Kopshti i Xhuxhmaxhuxhëve" ( en, The Dwarfs' Yard). In the academic year 1941–42, Jakova was again transferred in Katërkollë, a village close to
Ulqin Ulcinj ( cyrl, Улцињ, ; ) is a town on the southern coast of Montenegro and the capital of Ulcinj Municipality. It has an urban population of 10,707 (2011), the majority being Albanians. As one of the oldest settlements in the Adriatic coas ...
and Osho in the Krajë region of
Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
, to where he would commute with his bike from Shkodër, covering every day. In 1942 he went to study clarinet at the
Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia ( en, National Academy of St Cecilia) is one of the oldest musical institutions in the world, founded by the papal bull ''Ratione congruit'', issued by Sixtus V in 1585, which invoked two saints pro ...
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 ...
,
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
where he finished with excellent results. In 1944 Jakova was hired by the chorus of the First Partisan Brigade of the House of the Youth where he was named director. During this time he was arrested by the communist regime and held in prison because his brother had been an opponent of the regime, persecuted, and killed by the communists. His former alumni, Çesk Zadeja and Tonin Harapi witnessed that, once released from the prison, Jakova went back to work and started to go to work at 7 in the morning and go back home only by late night. The group gave performances not only in Shkodër but also in various cities of
Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...
, such as
Ulqin Ulcinj ( cyrl, Улцињ, ; ) is a town on the southern coast of Montenegro and the capital of Ulcinj Municipality. It has an urban population of 10,707 (2011), the majority being Albanians. As one of the oldest settlements in the Adriatic coas ...
, Cetinje,
Titograd Podgorica (Cyrillic: Подгорица, ; lit. 'under the hill') is the capital and largest city of Montenegro. The city was formerly known as Titograd (Cyrillic: Титоград, ) between 1946 and 1992—in the period that Montenegro forme ...
etc. In 1947, Jakova wrote a cycle of songs entitled "Dasma Shkodrane" ( en, The Shkodër Wedding), with which he represented his city in a song festival 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 ...
. During 1948–1951, Jakova worked as a music teacher in two schools of Shkodër and never quit for a single day practices of the chorus and the orchestra of the House of Culture of Shkodër. At that time he composed the song "Gruri i ri" ( en, The New Wheat) with a text of Dhimitër Shuteriqi, which was put on stage from
Pjetër Gjoka Pjetër Gjoka (3 August 1912 – 12 May 1982) was an Albanian film and theatre actor. He started his theatre activity with the amateur groups in Shkodër in 1929. In 1947 he started to work as a full-time actor in the National Theater of Alban ...
along with other songs which were brought to the 1950 Festival in Tirana. At the beginning of the 1952 festival in Albania there were high quality soloists and good symphonic orchestras. In June 1952 poet
Llazar Siliqi Llazar Siliqi (1924 – 2001) was a notable Albanian poet. His poetic profile was influenced by the work of Mayakovsky. Siliqi was born in Shkodër, the son of the Albanian poet and nationalist figure Risto Siliqi. He was an active particip ...
was put in charge to write a poetry on youth's work on a new hydroelectric power station, which was being built on the
Mat river The Mat ( sq-definite, Mati) is a river in north-central Albania. Its overall length is , while its catchment surface is . Its average discharge is . The main tributary is Fan, flowing from the northeast, while the Mat flows from the southwest d ...
. The piece started as a song, but afterward it took a longer shape and was divided into two movements called ''Dritë mbi Shqipëri'' ( en, Lights on Albania), and was presented in 1952 in Tirana. The piece was nothing but the embryo of the first Albanian opera, ''
Mrika ''Mrika'' (''Maria'') is an opera in three acts composed by Prenkë Jakova with a libretto in Albanian by Llazar Siliqi. It premiered (in a four-act version) in Shkoder, Albania in 1958 at the Migjeni Theatre. The revised three-act version (and ...
'', which was worked upon by Jakova in the following 6 years and eventually rehearsed on 2 May 1958, and put on stage on 12 November 1958. Rehearsing was done in the House of Culture, the Old Theatre and the new Migjeni Theatre in Shkodër. On 27 November the general rehearsal was given and on 1 December 1958 the opera premiered in the Migjeni Theatre, and after some performances in the city, on 27 and 28 December it showed in the theater of the
Academy of Music and Arts of Albania An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy ...
, where Enver Hoxha, then Albania's premier, assisted it. At the end of the show
Kadri Hazbiu Kadri Hazbiu (15 July 1922 – 10 September 1983) was an Albanian politician of the Albanian Party of Labour (PPSh). Biography Early life Kadri Hazbiu was born in Mavrovë, Vlorë District, on 15 July 1922. He was the son of Hasbi Cano Dautaj, ...
, then Minister of Interior, thanked all the artists and raised a toast to Jakova. The event was considered important and Jakova received telegrams of congratulations from many of his peer composers all around the world for the success of his first opera. The extraordinary success of ''Mrika'' led to an encounter between Enver Hoxha and Jakova. Hoxha asked Jakova to write another opera, this time on Albanian national hero,
Skanderbeg , reign = 28 November 1443 – 17 January 1468 , predecessor = Gjon Kastrioti , successor = Gjon Kastrioti II , spouse = Donika Arianiti , issue = Gjon Kastrioti II , royal house = Kastrioti , father ...
, but Jakova answered that "operas are not like loafs which can be put in the oven at any time". It is reported that Hoxha laughed at that response and that he immediately assured Jakova, that he personally would provide to all the necessary conditions to guarantee the opera's success. ''Skënderbeu'' would indeed premiere 10 years after ''Mrika'' and was of a much better artistic quality then ''Mrika''. Jakova worked very intensively on the music while at the same time he had other responsibilities as the director of the House of Culture and also teaching assignments. He spent several months only on the work of separating the Turkish music from the Arabic one, which was one of the elements of the opera, and many classical composers struggled with, because of the very distant relationship between classical music and oriental one. Wen Jakova finished the opera, he brought it to Tirana for an approval, but he was asked to review many parts of it. Jakova categorically refused to revise, eventually Fadil Paçrami, then Minister of Culture, backed him up. Although ''Skënderbeu'' was a great success, and Jakova was congratulated by Enver Hoxha, the vicissitudes of its realization had heavy consequences on Jakova's spirit. This occurred when Jakova's mother was paralyzed at home. The stress accumulated and the despair of a heavy life without recognition, brought him to attempt to kill himself on 9 September 1969, by throwing himself from the second floor of the House of Culture of Shkodër. He eventually died a few days later, on 16 September 1969 in a Tirana hospital, from the fatal wounds. The people of Shkodër, shocked and embittered for the great composer, organized an imposing funeral procession for Albania's greatest musician and composer of that time. The procession was unattended by public authorities, with the exception of the secretary of the Albanian League of Writers and Artists. The death ceremony was accompanied by the sounds of the musical band of the city of Shkodër, which Jakova himself had created.


Legacy

Jakova left a very important musical heritage. Beside the two operas there are dozens of songs, orchestral and choral pieces, movies' music, and operettas that he left to posterity. Jakova is considered as one of the most important Albanian composers of all times. He composed the operas ''Mrika'' in 1958 and ''Skanderberg'' in 1968, for which he is known as the creator of the Albanian national opera. His operas were influenced by traditional Italian opera, the
belcanto Bel canto (Italian for "beautiful singing" or "beautiful song", )—with several similar constructions (''bellezze del canto'', ''bell'arte del canto'')—is a term with several meanings that relate to Italian singing. The phrase was not associat ...
style and Albanian folk song. Jakova has also become noted for many folk Albanian songs, which are so widespread, that there is an erroneous belief that they are traditional Albanian popular songs, whereas they are instead composed by Jakova. One of his most famous songs is Margjelo.


Operas

*''Mrika'' (1958) *''Gjergj Kastrioti-Skënderbeu'' (1968)


References


External links

* *
Full List of works
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jakova, Prenke 1917 births 1969 suicides 20th-century classical composers Albanian opera composers Albanian musicians Musicians from Shkodër Albanian composers Suicides by jumping in Albania Male classical composers 20th-century Albanian musicians 20th-century male musicians Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia alumni 1969 deaths