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  4. Shkodra’s Aheng songs
Shkodra’s Aheng songs
  1. Home
  2. Shkodra Region
  3. Shkoder Municipality
  4. Shkodra’s Aheng songs
Shkodra’s Aheng songs

The Shkodra’s Aheng songs, were widespread as a musical composition from the end of the 18th century until the 40s of the 20th century. Aheng songs did not emerge from the traditional local style. The term Shkodran means that owing to the influence of oriental music, aheng song featured several distinguishing peculiarities from the other genres. This type of song was born as such due to the ways in which the melody or oriental song lends itself to the Shkodra environment, how it was further transformed and composed by local ahengxhi-s (aheng singers), occasionally adapting to this genre the melodic and rhythmic elements as well as the stylistics of the local musical tradition.

These songs maintained their relevance in weddings, family celebrations, and entertainment, in the characteristic Shkodra houses, in yards and gardens, under the mulberry tree shade, and later in concert scenes, radio, and TV screens, leading for years an independent artistic life. The instruments played by aheng players are: saze, qemane (violin), dajre (tambourine), etc.

The saze is an oriental, chordophone, and ten-string instrument. The most important part is setting the scale at its neck/sap. The first part of the sounding board produces some microtones while the rest produces semitones. The Shkodran Aheng, it played the leading role in the melody. This instrument has been used in the aheng group for about 150 years. It remained an untempered instrument solely in Shkodra.

The introduction of the Turkish makam system (musical scale) was influential in the evolution of this song. Its distinctive features have made the aheng song so unique all over Albania. The earliest group we have known to this day dates back as far as the 18th century by Mehmet Shllaku.

Aheng songs (Click here)