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 (homophony).
In music, monophony is the simplest of musical textures, consisting of a melody, typically sung by a single singer or played by a single instrument player without accompanying harmony or chords. Many folk songs and traditional songs are monophonic. A melody is also considered to be monophonic if a group of singers sings the same melody together at the unison or with the same melody notes duplicated at the octave. If an entire melody is played by two or more instruments or sung by a choir with a fixed interval, such as a perfect fifth, it is also said to be monophony. The musical texture of a song or musical piece is determined by assessing whether varying components are used, such as an accompaniment part or polyphonic melody lines.
The music of Albania is associated with the country of Albania and Albanian communities. Music has a long tradition in the country and is known for its regional diversity, from the Ghegs in the North to the Tosks in the South. It is an integral part of the national identity, strongly influenced by the country's long and turbulent history, which forced Albanians to protect their culture from their overlords by living in rural and remote mountains.
Trallalero is a kind of polyphonic folk music from the Ligurian region of Genoa, in northern Italy. It is traditionally performed by men, though there have been some female performers in the modern era. The name derives from the monosyllabic vocables, tra-la-le-ro, which feature heavily in the repertoire of the groups or Squadre. These are typically sections of songs without words during which the melody is sung on nonsense syllables.
Labëria is a historic region that is roughly situated in southwestern Albania. Its inhabitants are known as Labs and its boundaries reach from Vlorë to Himara in the south, to the Greek border near Sarandë, incorporating the Kurvelesh region of Gjirokastër District and extending east to the city of Tepelenë.
The polyphonic song of Epirus is a form of traditional folk polyphony practiced among Albanians, Aromanians, Greeks and formerly among ethnic Macedonians in southern Albania and northwestern Greece. The polyphonic song of Epirus is not to be confused with other varieties of polyphonic singing, such as the yodeling songs of the region of Muotatal, or the Cantu a tenore of Sardinia. Scholars consider it an old tradition, which either originates from the ancient Greek and Thraco-Illyrian era, or the Byzantine era, with influences from Byzantine music.
The Dance of Osman Taka ; Greek: Οσμαντάκας or Σαμαντάκας) is a traditional dance in Albania and Greece. In Albania it is mainly danced by Cham Albanians. The dance bears the name of Osman Taka, a 19th-century Muslim Cham Albanian guerilla fighter who fought against Ottoman forces. It is a famous variation from the Albanian Cham repertoire of the older Çamçe dance.
The Song of Çelo Mezani is an Albanian polyphonic folk song. It is considered to be the best-known Cham Albanian song. The song increased the awareness in Albania about the Chameria region and its history.
Kastri is a town in Thesprotia, Epirus, Greece. The local church is dedicated to Saint George.
Vajtim or Gjëmë is the dirge or lamentation of the dead in the Albanian custom by a group of men or a woman or a group of women. Cries have now become extinct both in the Islamic and Christian Albanian Population, except in some parts Northern Albania and Kosovo as well as in parts of North Macedonia such as Zajas and Upper Reka, where they exist in a very diminished form.
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 music called avaz himariot, or avaz himariotçe, that became identified with the music of his home region Himarë.
Demir Vlonjati born Demir Mystehaku and also known as Demir Aga Vlonjakasi was an Albanian folk singer, composer and poet.
Ramadan Sokoli was an Albanian ethnomusicologist, musician, composer and writer. He is regarded as one of the most distinguished scholars of the Albanian and Balkan music.
The Song of Tana is an Albanian folk ballad. It is considered one of the songs with the most variants in Albanian music.
Gjirokastër National Folk Festival is an artistic festival taking place every five years at Gjirokastër Castle in Gjirokastër, southern Albania. The festival was first held in 1968 and is regarded as the most important event in Albanian culture. The festival showcases Albanian traditional music, dress and dance from Albania, the diaspora, and Albanian inhabited lands throughout the Balkans and Southern Italy. The Gjirokastër Festival followed the tradition of the Folklore Festivals started in Tirana in 1949.
Gjirokastër is a city in southern Albania and the seat of Gjirokastër County and Gjirokastër Municipality. It is located in a valley between the Gjerë mountains and the Drino, at 300 metres above sea level. Its old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, described as "a rare example of a well-preserved Ottoman town, built by farmers of large estate". The city is overlooked by Gjirokastër Fortress, where the Gjirokastër National Folklore Festival is held every five years. It is the birthplace of former Albanian communist leader Enver Hoxha, and author Ismail Kadare.
Bistritsa Babi are an elderly/multi-generational women's choir carrying on the traditional dances and polyphonic singing of the Shopluk region of Bulgaria. Founded in 1939, the group won the European Folk Art Award in 1978, and it was declared a Masterpiece of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2005. Performing three-part polyphony with features "retained from the pre-Christian times," the group has toured Europe and the US. They are known for their use of Shopluk polyphony, costuming, dancing in a ring (horo), and performing the lazarouvane. In 2005 they were included in UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage elements in Eastern Europe.
Southern Albania is one of the three NUTS-2 Regions of Albania.
Aromanian music is the music characteristic of the Aromanians. The Aromanians are an ethnic group scattered throughout the Balkans, living in Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, North Macedonia, Romania and Serbia. Aromanian music has received influence from the music of other ethnic groups of the Balkans, such as that of the Albanians, Bulgarians, Greeks, Macedonians, Romanians and more. However, it has developed throughout history its own distinctive features and peculiarities that set it apart from other Balkan music genres, and has also influenced the music of the previously mentioned peoples.
The Battle of Mashkullorë, was a battle between Albanian rebel forces under the command of Çerçiz Topulli and the Ottomans.
