| Iso-Polyphony | |
|---|---|
 A traditional male group performing | |
| Native name | Iso-polifonia |
| Stylistic origins | Albanian music |
| Typical instruments | Human voice |
| Albanian folk iso-polyphony | |
|---|---|
| Country | Albania |
| Reference | 00155 |
| Region | Europe and North America |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 2008 (3rd session) |
| List | Representative |
Iso-Polyphony (Albanian:Iso-polifonia) is a traditional part ofAlbanian folk music and, as such, is included inUNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list.[1] Albanian Iso-Polyphony is considered to have its roots in the many-voicedvajtim, the southern Albanian traditional lamentation of the dead. The instrumental expression of the Albanian Iso-Polyphony evolved into the Albaniankaba.[2]
All four regions of southern Albania—Lalëria (Myzeqe),Toskëria,Çamëria, andLabëria—havepolyphonic song as part of their culture. A related form of polyphonic singing is found in northernAlbania, in the area ofPeshkopi;Polog,Tetovo,Kičevo andGostivar inNorth Macedonia; andMalësia in northern Albania and southernMontenegro.[3]
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.[4]
TheGjirokastër National Folklore Festival,Albania, (Albanian:Festivali Folklorik Kombëtar), has been held every five years in the month of October since 1968, and it typically includes many polyphonic songs.[5]
The Albanian polyphonic traditional music is performed in twodialects ofAlbanian:Tosk andLab. The Tosk musical dialect comprises theAlbanian ethnographic regions ofToskëria,Myzeqeja, andChamëria, while the Lab musical dialect comprisesLabëria.[6]
Albanian Iso-Polyphony is considered to have its roots in the many-voicedvajtim, the southern Albanian traditional lamentation of the dead.[2]
Many scholars who have studied theAlbanianiso-polyphony and in general thepolyphonic music of theBalkans consider it an old tradition that dates back to theThraco-Illyrian era.[7][8] There is a lack of historical documentation of the Albanian polyphonic traditional music. However, since it is considered the product oforal 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 itsancient origin: thepentatonic modal/tonal structure, which is widely thought by scholars to represent an early beginning to the musical culture of a people; the presence ofrecitative vocals, because when the melody of the vocals is not developed, the tradition is thought to be in a moreprimitive phase; the presence of calls and shouts, which indicates a primitive phase of development in the musical culture of a people; thea cappella singing style, which suggests an old age of a musical tradition since it lacks ofinstrumentalaccompaniment.[8]
Although the region was under the dominion of theByzantine Empire for many centuries, the Balkan polyphonic traditional music had a different development than medievalByzantine 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 beentransmitted orally down the generations, and itsperformers were common people musically illiterate, while the Byzantine music was widelydocumented, 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.[8]
Albanian polyphonic traditional music is thought to have been composed in its beginnings of only two melodic lines: thetaker (Albanian:marrës – 1st voice)[9] and theturner (Albanian: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 inGjirokastër.[6] 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 ofDukat.[6] Although it is typical in Gjirokastër and Dukat, two voice iso-polyphony can be found in many Albania areas, such as inKorcë,Librazhd,Pogradec,Kolonjë,Fier,Shpat i Sipërm ofElbasan,Myzeqe,Vlorë,Berat,Mallakastër,Gjirokastër,Lunxhëri, as well as in Albanian speaking areas ofZajas,Kičevo andTetovo. The two voice iso-polyphony can also be found in theArbëreshë ofCalabria. 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-polyphony is a "hidden" way of a three voice iso-polyphony.[10]
The next melodic line to evolve into Albanian traditional polyphony is thought to have been thedrone (Albanian:iso),[11] 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.[12] Although currently the three voice iso-polyphony can be found in mixed gender musical groups, traditionally it was sung only by men.[13] The areas where the three voice polyphony is typical are those ofSkrapar,Gramsh,Devoll, Gjirokastër, Kolonjë,Sarandë, and Vlorë.[13]
The last melodic line to evolve into Albanian traditional polyphony was the launcher (Albanian:hedhësi – 3rd voice),[14] 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.[15] Being completely absent inToskëria,Myzeqeja, andChamëria, the four-voiced polyphony exists only inLabëria, where it is found along with the more common three-voiced style.[15] The consolidation of the four voice method iso-polyphony is due toNeço Muko in his recordings in the 1920s–1930s.[11]
The instrumental expression of the Albanian Iso-Polyphony evolved into the Albaniankaba.[2]
Pleqërishte is a genre of Albanian folk iso-polyphony sung by men inLabëria and is principally identified with the city ofGjirokastër 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 subjectspleqërishte songs are also calledlashtërishte ("of the ancient time"), a term used exclusively in Gjirokastër.[16] 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 asdjemurishte ("of young men") in particular.[17] As all fourth-part genres they feature a third soloist (hedhës). While in other four-part genres thehedhës mainly assumes the role of secondary drone aminor third above thekeynote, inpleqërishte thehedhës relieves the first soloist (marrës) and allows him to take a breathing break.[16] Each rendition begins with the singing of the first lines by themarrës and the introduction of the second soloist (kthyes) and finally thehedhës. After thehedhës, themarrës's lyrics are repeated by the drone group in various forms and manners.
Pleqërishte songs are exemplified in the repertory of the folk groupPleqtë e Gjirokastrës sometimes regarded as the "last representative" of the genre.[16][18] One of the best-known songs of the genre and most notable renditions of the group isDoli shkurti, hyri marsi, which details a battle betweenÇerçiz Topulli andOttoman troops in 1908 in the village of Mashkullorë near Gjirokastër.
