TIRANA, Nov. 19 – Albania is marking the 10th anniversary of the proclamation of folk iso-polyphony as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity with a festival in the southern city of Vlora.
Several bands from southern Albania will perform in the two-day festival scheduled for Nov. 20 to 21 at the local “Petro Marko” theatre in Vlora.
Originally proclaimed in 2005, folk iso-polyphony was inscribed in 2008 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and recognized by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage. Derived from Byzantine church music, Albanian Iso-polyphony is a sophisticated form of group singing, performed mostly by men in southern Albania. The rise of cultural tourism and the growing interest of researchers are contributing to the revival of this unique folk tradition.
The Albanian polyphony is a type of traditional vocal music specific to southern Albania and is by far the most popular form of folk music in this part of the country. In the Laberia region it is normally sung unaccompanied by instruments and is often improvised by two or three lead singers who set forth the melody and text. The other singers accompany the lead singers as a chorus with a so-called iso, a drone at a constant pitch.
